Tomah Chamber & Visitors Center Newsletter March Newsletter | Page 10

Spotlights On Base at Fort McCoy by Theresa Fitzgerald Armed Forces Day Open House The annual Fort McCoy Armed Forces Day Open House event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 18. This Family- friendly event is free and open to the public. The installation’s Commemorative Area will serve as the hub of activity for this event and will showcase the History Center, five World War II-era buildings, the Equipment Park, and Veterans Memorial Plaza. Planned activities include guided installation bus tours, a sandbag-filling station, personalized ID tags, camouflage face painting, military equipment displays, and much more. Guests must enter the installation through Gate 15 off Highway 21 between Sparta and Tomah, Wis. Adults must be prepared to present photo identification. For more information about the event, call the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office at 608-388-2407. Hunting, recreational permit process changing at Fort McCoy Starting in March 2019, all Fort McCoy hunting, fishing, and trapping permits will be sold through the Fort McCoy iSportsman automated website at https://ftmccoy.isportsman.net. Fort McCoy permits will no longer be available for purchase through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) GoWild system, including online, statewide vendors, and WDNR Service Centers. Fort McCoy permits will only be available through the individual’s iSportsman account and must be purchased online using a credit or debit card. Those who have not used iSportsman will first need to register at https://ftmccoy. isportsman.net prior to purchasing any permits. This is a one-time registration. If the account holder has forgotten his or her username/permit number or password/ PIN, he or she should contact the Permit Sales Office to get it reset. Fort McCoy permit holders are also required to obtain the appropriate Wisconsin hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses and stamps before participating in these activities on the installation. Wisconsin licenses and stamps can be purchased online at https://gowild.wi.gov or through a license sales agent. In addition to the specific activity permit (both Fort McCoy and Wisconsin), all users must also have a valid annual Access Pass. The free Fort McCoy Access Pass can be obtained through iSportsman when logging in to the account for the first time after March 1 annually. The annual Fort McCoy Access Pass serves as the permit for nonhunting/fishing recreational activities. The iSportsman system will not allow check-in for any activity if individual does not have the current Fort McCoy Access Pass. Recreational participants/permit holders must ensure that the training areas and/or lakes they plan to use are open for that day by checking the Game Line daily through the iSportsman system. Throughout this transition, additional information will be posted on the Fort McCoy iSportsman website at www. ftmccoy.isportsman.net. For more information about permits or recreational access, contact the Permit Sales Office by phone at 608-388-3337.