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| The River Alliance advocates for the protection, enhancement and restoration of Wisconsin's rivers and watersheds. |
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| Greetings! | |
Here at the River Alliance, we often talk about "the politics of rivers." But as far as we know, no rivers will be on the ballot, either as candidates or as subjects of a referendum. There's been very little specific talk of rivers in any campaign, but that doesn't mean politics doesn't matter to the rivers of Wisconsin.
It does: There are candidates' beliefs about regulation. ("Get the government out of regulating industry" is bad news for rivers.) There are candidates' opinions on funding of state government. ("Cut state employees" is easy talk these days, but we actually get what we pay for, and the fewer state agents doing river conservation work, the more neglected rivers become.) There are candidates' arguments that environmental protection kills jobs. (This has been disproven over the decades, but candidates still trot it out.)
You have a lot of considerations to make for your votes on November 4. Most importantly, VOTE! But think about the rivers too, as you scan the ballot next Tuesday. Not sure where to go? Click here to find your local polling place.>>
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Yay! for the Yahara: Flowing freer and looking good
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 In May we reported to you the beginning of the end of the Stebbinsville dam on the Yahara River south of Stoughton. It was an abandoned old wreck and the Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources asked for the River Alliance's help in raising the (public) funds to remove it. We raised the money, and the dam is gone.
One common misconception with dam removal is that the area behind the dam will look like hell after the water is drained. The restoration work at the Stebbinsville site shows just how nice an old millpond can look once a dam is gone and the riverbanks are reworked.
This photo, courtesy of Wisconsin DNR's Rob Davis and taken October 5, shows something a bit disturbing, too.
See how green the water is? That's a remnant of the reliably perennial, and infamous, algae blooms that plague the Yahara lakes in Dane County. It's great to have one less dam on the Yahara system, but a far bigger threat to that system is the farm runoff feeding the algae blooms.
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| Wild River Now Has Wild Land To Go With It |
 Last year, Wisconsin added two new state Wild Rivers, the Totogatic and the Brunsweiler. We helped make the case for both, and we're especially pleased that the Wisconsin DNR has purchased over 2,000 acres of land along the lower reaches of the Totogatic, in the northwest corner of Washburn County. The state's Wild River law doesn't really address land use along a designated river, and this purchase makes the Wild River designation for the Totogatic much more meaningful.
The DNR and University of Wisconsin Extension is hosting an open house to get the public's ideas on how that land should be managed for public use. The meeting is Thursday, November 4, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the Minong town hall. Contact Kathy Bartilson Kathy.Bartilson@Wisconsin.gov.
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Fourth Annual Rivers Photography Contest
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 | | 2009 winning photograph, "Sunrise on the Fox," by Derek Kavanaugh |
The deadline for the River Alliance Photography Contest is coming on fast! Entries are due November 15. Help us get the word out, tell your shutterbug buddies about the contest.
Winning images will be published in the spring issue of Flow, the River Alliance of Wisconsin's printed quarterly newsletter. In addition, Wisconsin Natural Resources will publish the grand prize winning photograph in the Letters section of the April 2011 issue.
Images will be judged by photographer Bill Pielsticker (www.pielstickerphotos.com) and Toni Sikes, founder and artistic advisor of The Guild (www.artfulhome.com). One Grand Prize Winner will receive an 11x14 print of their photograph, matted and framed. All of the winning images will be posted on the River Alliance website and printed in Flow with the grand-prize winner's image featured on the cover.
All entries must be submitted electronically, either through our Flickr contest page or via email (see www.wisconsinrivers.org for contest rules). Questions can be addressed to Laura Macfarland at lmacfarland@wisconsinrivers.org
See categories and rules for entry>>
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