From the River Rat: River Disappearing Act
With the help of a few well-placed cameras and a video recorder, we've now got footage of how dumb management of the Manitowish River simply dries up its wetlands. What you see here is not a natural phenomenon.
Historically in a dry year, this transformation from a healthy wetland to a few pockets of standing water might have taken place over the course of 4 or 5 months well into the fall. Due to the mismanagement of the Rest Lake dam upstream, what you will see took place in a mere 22 days this year, leaving amphibians and fish stranded to die.
Read more about the Rest Lake dam tragedy and watch the time lapse video depicting the dewatering of the river.
 
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Mining Threat on Pause
We alerted you a month ago about a push from an out-of-state mining company, GTac, to rewrite the state laws that ensure mining operations don't destroy the environment. They want to start up a massive taconite (low grade iron ore) mining operation in Ashland and Iron Counties, as soon as possible. The bill that was drafted on their behalf was jaw-dropping. It cut local governments and citizens out of the process, slashed the time to review a complex mining operation by years, and basically gave the operation a pass on nearly every environmental regulation you can name. Will a stream get buried? Oh well. Will the entire Bad River Watershed be sucked dry? That's the price of jobs!
After all the controversial legislation we've seen since the first of the year, some sensible legislators must have realized this one was just too hot to handle, at least before the recall elections. It appears any plans to revise our mining laws are on hold, at least until this fall. In the meantime, the mining company has claimed they're going to close their northern Wisconsin office until there's a new law in place that's tailored for taconite mining.
But here's the thing: Wisconsin's mining laws were written specifically for taconite mining. Taconite mining requires huge amounts of water and results in movement of vast amounts of dirt. The explicitly stated purpose of the regulations was "to provide that the air, lands, waters, plants, fish and wildlife ...receive the greatest practicable degree of protection and reclamation." The rules have been in place since the 1970s, and ensure mining operations protect natural resources. In the late 1990s additional requirements were added to address mining that produces highly-toxic sulfide acid drainage, but if there is no risk of acid drainage, as GTac claims to be the case for their proposed Iron-Ashland County mine, then those newer requirements don't apply.
So, all this talk about needing a new law tailored to taconite mining ("Or we'll leave town and take all those new jobs with us"), is nothing but a red herring. What GTac really wants is to be off the hook for all those pesky environmental protections, and fast. Nonetheless, their message has been taking root.
We'll be doing our best to prevent weakening of Wisconsin's good mining laws, and the results of the recall elections just may determine how successful we will be.
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Participate in Aquatic Invasive Species Action Day!
Note: We will be watching river levels to make sure it is safe to paddle before setting out. Contact us first to confirm that the event is still taking place mkrueger@wisconsinrivers.org
This Saturday, June 25, the River Alliance of Wisconsin and Friends of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway (FLOW) bring you "AIS Action Day," an event that combines aquatic invasive species (AIS) education, paddling on the Lower Wisconsin River, and fun! At 9am, we'll meet at the Prairie du Sac VFW landing, put in the water, and paddle from Prairie du Sac to Ferry Bluff.
We'll stop along the way to identify invasive species, learn about particular AIS of concern, view some of the rare and incredible floodplain fish species in the river, hear from a DNR Conservation Warden about enforcement of AIS issues, and play "river bingo!"
Afterwards, we'll gather in August Derleth Park in Sauk City for snacks and refreshments. It is a family-friendly event, and supervised children are welcome. Participants must provide their own boat (canoe or kayak) as well as personal flotation devices, sunscreen, water, etc. A shuttle will be provided.
Location: Meet at Prairie du Sac VFW boat landing at 9am, gather at August Derleth Park in Sauk City for a BBQ at 1pm
Cost: Free, and refreshments will be provided. Participants must provide their own boat (though a limited number of boats may be available via Timm Zumm from FLOW-contact Timm for more information), water, PFD, sunscreen, etc.
RSVP: REQUIRED. Contact Matt Krueger, River Alliance of Wisconsin at (608) 257-2424 x125 or mkrueger@wisconsinrivers.org or Timm Zumm at FLOW, 608-575-0325 or wisriverfriends@yahoo.com
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Thursday July 14!
Milky Moonlight in Milwaukee
This popular event, co-hosted by Milwaukee Riverkeeper, sells out, so let us know soon if you want to come along on one of the state's most unique paddling experiences - from river to Great Lake and back again, in the shadow of skyscrapers and under the light of the full moon. For those interested in a bite or a drink afterwards, we will be convening at Trocadero, a nearby restaurant on Water Street.
Get Details and Register »
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