Summer is barreling towards us like a freight train, isn’t it? So don’t delay in firming up your plans with some of Wisconsin’s most beautiful rivers. Not sure which to choose? Then join River Alliance on one of our great Make a Date with a River events. From fly fishing to whitewater rafting, we will help you enjoy—and learn—about some of best flowing waters in the state. Here are two of our upcoming trips:
Come explore and help celebrate! Paddle the
Totogatic, a river that is very close to becoming the state’s next Wild River.
Join individuals who have worked to protect this wild river of the North.
We hope that this event will be a celebration as well as a great day on the
river.
The Totogatic River
flows from Bayfield County to its confluence with the Namekagon River
in Burnett County. We will paddle the
sandy-bottomed Lower Totogatic as it wends its
way through oak-pine forests. Our trip on the Totogatic will laze through
canyons and floodplain forests.
This is a full-day paddle on the Lower
Totogatic River
in Washburn County. We will put in at Nancy Lake Road,
below the Minong Flowage, and take out about 8 miles downstream at Bridge Road.
When: Saturday, June 27, 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Where: Totogatic River, 6 miles west of Minong, WI
Cost: $25/person
Advanced registration is required. To learn more about the River Alliance of
Wisconsin and to register online, visit www.wisconsinrivers.org
or contact Chris Clayton at (608) 257-2424x120 or cclayton@wisconsinrivers.org.
You can also register online at Brown Paper Tickets.
On June 20th, the River Alliance of Wisconsin is hosting Blue Solstice, an event celebrating the eve of the summer solstice by exploring the Blue River watershed in Grant County, WI. This is a unique opportunity for amateur fly anglers, bird watchers, and botanists to support the River Alliance of Wisconsin and learn more about restoration of a watershed and preservation of relic ecosystems uninfluenced by the last glacial period that shaped the majority of our state.
Join UW-Madison ecologists Steve Carpenter and Susan Carpenter at their property to witness the healing of a landscape through both in-stream and upland restoration. Afterwards participants will disperse to further explore the area with local fishing guides and naturalists.
Led by local fishermen through scenic valleys, those of who want to wet a line will wade in cool spring waters of the Blue and its tributaries, casting for wild trout. No fishing equipment will be provided – you must bring your own.
If you are not interested in fly-fishing, join UW Arboretum native plant expert, Susan Carpenter, for the alternative -- a hike through the spectacular uplands of the Blue River watershed along unique bluffs and wetlands.
When: June 20, 2009; 4-8pm
Where: Blue River, Grant
County WI
Cost: $75/person; all proceeds benefit the River Alliance of Wisconsin
Advanced registration is required. To learn more about the River Alliance of Wisconsin and to register online, visit www.wisconsinrivers.org or contact Laura MacFarland at (608) 257-2424x110 or lmacfarland@wisconsinrivers.org. You can also register online at Brown Paper Tickets.
And don’t miss our other river trips later this summer, including an urban paddle in Milwaukee:
Overnight on the Border; Menominee River by Paddle: July 25th & 26th
Milky Moonlight in Milwaukee: Wednesday August 5th
A Piece of History on the
Brunsweiler: Sat. Aug. 22nd
Whitewater on Foot: Waterfalls of
the Pine:
Saturday
September 12th
As the Joint Committee on Finance, the committee of state legislators responsible for detailed deliberation of the state’s two-year budget, nears completion of their work, we want to thank and congratulate them for their commitment to conservation of Wisconsin’s natural resources. Through their actions on the budget they have righted a number of past wrongs, directed funding to critical programs and recognized the importance of adequate staffing to enforce environmental regulations. We applaud Senator Mark Miller and Representative Mark Pocan for their strong leadership of the committee’s work, and want to call special attention to Senator Mark Miller, Representative Cory Mason, Representative Gary Sherman and Representative Pedro Colon for their sponsorship of many of the budget initiatives that add protections for the environment.
The initiatives that are especially important to protection of our water resources include:
- A commitment to implementation of the Great Lakes Compact, the agreement among all the Great Lakes states and Canadian Provinces that makes sure water drawn from the Great Lakes basin remains in the basin. The committee added four new staff positions to administer the Compact and to develop a statewide conservation and efficiency program.
- Provision of funding to maintain county conservation staff across the state to help farmers control polluted runoff.
- Consolidation of administration of the stormwater control program at the Department of Natural Resources where the expertise resides.
- Dedication of resources to monitor ballast water discharges to prevent the introduction of new invasive species to our waters.
- An infusion of funding into the state’s dam safety and inspection programs to help repair necessary dams, remove those that are more of a liability than of use, and to assure fish passage is provided.
The budget process is not over yet, so be sure to let your legislators know you support the actions taken by the Joint Committee on Finance, and to urge them to uphold the committee’s actions. For quick access to your legislators, go to: http://www.legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/waml/waml.aspx .
In This Issue
Explore the Totogatic
Blue Solstice
Bold Support for Conservation
