A couple of decades ago the Chapter was facing an uncomfortable challenge; with the completion of the WI 35 bypass around River Falls, the new four-lane highway promised Wisconsin commuters easier access to jobs in the Twin Cities. Almost immediately developers started lining up to purchase development rights on hundreds of acres surrounding River Falls and the city was expected to almost double in size.
Recognizing what might happen to the Kinnickinnic, a number of initiatives were started to combat the threat. When the farm at the Swinging Gate came on the market, the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust (KRLT) organized enough donors to be able to outbid a prominent developer at the public auction. Kiap-TU-Wish initiated a temperature study on the Kinni to demonstrate the effect that River Falls had on the lower river. The Chapter also funded and produced a beautiful instructional video to illustrate what development would do to the river. And our Education Committee, recognizing that the Chapter had few natural allies in River Falls, decided to acquire some and the first Fly Fishing for Trout clinic was born.
It’s inarguable that progress has been made over the ensuing decades. The Swinging Gate is safely in the hands of the WDNR, the KRLT continues to acquire and protect parcels throughout the watershed, the city of River Falls has decided to remove the dams on the lower Kinni…and the Fly Fishing for Trout clinic is still rolling along, making friends and allies for the Kinnickinnic River.
This year’s clinic will be held on June 1 (free fishing weekend) in Glen Park. The clinic will run from 1:00 to 9:00 PM and will include instruction in casting, entomology, fishing strategies and wading safety. Plus, the Chapter provides supper and guided fishing in the evening. The cost is a mere $20 and registration is as easy as contacting River Falls Parks and Recreation.
We have eight or nine volunteers so far. These folks will walk around and help people with casting, show them the contents of their fly boxes, help them tie a knot and mentor them during the evening’s fishing. It’s a good time, and if you’d like to join us, contact: mikealwin@gmail.com or brian@lundsflyshop.com.
June 1 (free fishing weekend) Glen Park, River Falls, WI 1 PM -9 PM Supper provided Guided fishing in the evening $20/Register with River Falls Parks and Recreation To volunteer: mikealwin@gmail.com or brian@lundsflyshop.com
It’s been a very successful year of Trout in the Classroom (TIC). We have shepherded eight classrooms (up from four last year) to the final stretch Everyone has plenty of healthy fry and the kids are looking forward to Bugs in the Classroom (BIC) and the trout release.
Volunteers Needed We are in need of volunteers for Bugs in the Classroom and the trout releases—no experience necessary and you will have fun. For BIC, you just need to assist Dean Hansen in maintaining order at the bug stations. For the trout releases, we assist the kids in collecting and identifying stream insect and we provide casting instruction. (We provide the rods, you do not have to use your own.) Of course, we release the trout at this event. The dates, times, and locations are as follows:
Bugs in the Classroom: • Thursday, April 25th, North Hudson Elementary 10:15 AM – 11:20 AM • Thursday, April 25th Greenwood Elementary (River Falls) 1:00 PM – 2:10 PM • Friday, April 26 Rocky Branch Elementary (River Falls) 1:00 PM -3:00 PM • Thursday, May 2nd River Crest Elementary (Hudson): 9:15 AM -10:15 AM, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM, 1:25 PM – 2:25 PM, 2:25 PM – 3:45 PM.
Trout Release (all at Willow River State Park, except Amery is on the Clam River) All times from 10 AM to noon • Friday, May 10th Rocky Branch Elementary (River Falls) • Tuesday, May 21st River Crest Elementary (Hudson) • Wednesday, May 29th Greenwood Elementary (River Falls) • Thursday, May 30th Malone Elementary (Prescott) • Friday, May 31st Amery Intermediate • Tuesday, June 4th North Hudson Elementary Eco Day • Friday, April 26th Rocky Branch Elementary (River Falls) S. Fork of the Kinni. Stream side invertebrate investigation 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Please contact Greg Olson (driftless23@gmail.com) and/or Tom Schnad (thschnad@hotmail.com) if interested and we can answer any questions, provide directions, etc.
Trout Unlimited’s national science team is currently partnering with MobileH2O, LLC to develop a customized mobile application (WiseH2O mApp) that can be used by anglers to monitor water quality and habitat conditions in Driftless Area trout streams. Before launching the WiseH2O mApp for angler use on a broad regional scale, Kiap-TU-Wish members have been invited to participate in a pilot project that includes Pierce County, Wisconsin. The project is all set to kick off on April 1; but before then, there are several ways for you to get involved:
Angler Survey: We’d like a broad cross-section of our membership to complete a short survey on the WiseH2O mApp, as a means to gauge interest in use of the app and assess the support needed for users. Our thanks to those who have already completed the WiseH2O mApp angler survey! If you have not yet had the opportunity to complete the survey, could you please take a few minutes to do so? To take the survey, please click on the following link: https://goo.gl/forms/kk5HzmKecTYIUbUu2. The survey link is also posted on the Kiap-TU-Wish website and Facebook page. Project participant or not, we value your input on use of this app for angler science and crowdsourcing data that can be used to improve coldwater resource management.
General Angler Participants: Thanks to those of you who have already signed up as target and general anglers! Note that we have much more capacity for general angler participation, so please contact John or Kent if you are interested. The general angler commitment is pretty minimal (1-5 observations during the entire course of the project, from April to October); and these anglers will have the flexibility to monitor stream sites of their choice throughout Pierce County. March 16 Training Workshop: A training workshop on use of the WiseH2O mApp will be held at UW-River Falls on March 16. If you’ve already signed up as a target or general angler, more details are coming your way by March 8. If you are interested but have not yet signed up, please let us know as soon as possible. Note that you can still participate in the project after March 16; we’ll make sure that you receive the necessary training and monitoring supplies. Thanks to all who have become involved so far; we look forward to working with you!
John Kaplan (Kiap-TU-Wish Monitoring Coordinator) jmk8990@comcast.net 612-963-1699 (Cell)
All eight classrooms are busy tending to their trout with the goal of releasing them this spring. Be on the lookout for emails or website announcements that detail upcoming volunteer opportunities. We’ll need people to help out with Bugs in the Classroom (BIC) sessions and Trout in the Classroom (TIC) release days. Bugs in the Classroom will be in late April/early May and the trout releases will be in late May. Volunteering for BIC or TIC is a blast; you won’t want to miss it.
All eight TIC programs are doing well! The egg delivery was on January 3rd and in order to get all the eggs dropped off during the school day, my usual navigator, John Kaplan, and I had to split up. John took the east: Amery, Roberts, and River Falls and I took the west: North Hudson, Hudson, and Prescott. The kids were all very excited and asked excellent questions (before I forget, I’m going to stop now and look up the record brown trout for Wisconsin. . .41 lbs, 8 oz from Lake Michigan. I always get asked that!).
Since that time, the eggs have hatched, the larvae have used up their egg sac, and the fry have left the friendly confines of the rearing basket to enter the big world of the aquarium. Feeding time is always a hit and the kids are doing a great job keeping an eye on the temperature and ammonia levels of the tank. All classrooms are reporting low mortality rates. Attempts to name all the fry are not going so well. . .
Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities for Bugs in the Classroom and the trout releases in May. With eight programs we are going to need all the help we can get! —Greg Olson
Trout Unlimited’s national science team is currently partnering with MobileH2O, LLC to develop a customized mobile application (WiseH2O mApp) that can be used by anglers to monitor water quality and habitat conditions in Driftless Area trout streams. Before launching the WiseH2O mApp for angler use on a broad regional scale, Kiap-TU-Wish members have been invited to participate in a pilot location that includes Pierce County, Wisconsin.
As a starting point, we’d like a broad cross-section of our chapter membership and friends to complete a short survey on the WiseH2O mApp. To take the survey, please click on the following link:https://goo.gl/forms/kk5HzmKecTYIUbUu2. Results of this survey will be used to ensure that the pilot is designed to meet the needs of the Trout Unlimited community. Your participation is much appreciated!
