Remembering David Vetrano

Brule River State Forest with storm clouds moving in, June 2024, photo by Ed Culhane

Remembering David Vetrano

Blog post written by Bruce Neeb

David Vetrano, WGF Science Council Member

David (Dave) Vetrano was an inspiring colleague and friend. We are honored to have known him.

There are few people who have had a greater impact on the quality of trout fishing in Wisconsin’s Driftless area than Dave Vetrano. Dave died on November 3, 2024 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. Dave was co-chair of the Wisconsin’s Green Fire (WGF) Fisheries Work Group and a member of the WGF Science Council.

A 1977 honors graduate of Biology and Fisheries Management at UW-Stevens Point, Dave enjoyed a 33-year career with the Wisconsin DNR Fisheries Management program. His 30 years as Fisheries Biologist serving La Crosse, Monroe, Vernon and Crawford counties led to a dramatic increase in the population and health of wild trout in the Driftless area’s coldwater streams.  A champion and architect of streambank restoration projects, Dave was the inventor of the LUNKER (Little Underwater Neighborhood Keepers Encompassing Rheotactic Salmonids) structure that provides cover and protection for native trout. In 2008, he was honored as Trout Unlimited’s National Conservation Professional of the Year.

His work to promote managed grazing on farmlands led to significant improvement in stream water quality resulting in miles of top class trout waters.  Dave retired from WDNR in 2010 and enjoyed the fruits of his work, watching the Driftless Region emerge as a prime destination for trout anglers from across the county and internationally.

Bill Fisher, current chair of the WGF Fisheries Work Group, says:

Dave was passionate about stream fisheries and habitat management. He challenged conventional thinking about how we should be managing stream fishes. He was a proponent of ecosystem thinking, that you can’t manage the stream system if you’re not managing the watershed that feeds it. He wasn’t shy about voicing his opinions in his brash Milwaukee style. He was a champion for the resource and felt users should pony up to pay for managing them with increased license fees. Dave will be missed by our Fisheries Work Group members.

Ron Grasshoff, co-chair of WGF’s Public Trust and Wetlands Work Group, adds:

“Dave and his fisheries crew are personally responsible through innovation, perseverance, and at times taking a few risks, for restoring miles and miles of coldwater fishery in the Driftless Area. Dave’s work focused on undoing much of the damage from decades of erosion and runoff into waterways. His success was intimately tied to his skills at building relationships with the public. He was a great communicator, very engaging, and highly confident in his abilities. He was an expert in reading the landscape and creating a vision for improvements.”

Born in Cudahy, Wisconsin in 1950 and serving as an Air Force crew chief in the Viet Nam conflict, Dave had a Milwaukee brashness that reflected his dedication. An early, founding member of a young WGF and as a leader in both his community and fisheries management, Dave left an impression that will last with those who knew him.  A celebration of life will be held in his honor at the Pettibone Resort in La Crosse, Wisconsin on April 5, 2025.

• Read Dave’s obituary here.

Lake Superior Shoreline, Photo by Jenny Oren

Honoring and remembering the members of our community of voices for conservation is deeply important to us at Wisconsin’s Green Fire.

If you would like to share a remembrance of Dave Vetrano, please contact us.

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