Friends of the Prairie
River Newsletter
March 2007
On February 28, 2007 the Friends of the Prairie River held their annual meeting along with the DNR biologist out of Antigo.
2007 Projects and Activities
March 17th & 24 - Brushing Project on Spring Creek.
April 2nd - Northwoods TU Banquet. 5pm at Rhinelander Cafe and Pub. Contact Brian at 715-482-2898 for tickets.
April 14th - Brushing Project on Spring Creek
April 14th - Wisconsin River Valley TU Banquet. 7pm at Memories Ballroom in Wausau. Contact Brian Marnholz for tickets at 715-539-2967. Note: This TU chapter provides some of the funding for projects on the Prairie River.
April 16th - Wisconsin Conservation Congress Hearings in every county at 7pm. Please note question 21 on the agenda. It is a question regarding the special regulations section on the Prairie. If you want the current special regulations to remain in effect you must attend the meeting and VOTE NO on this issue.
More info regarding the hearings and
where it is held in your county can be found on the DNR website at:
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/nrboard/congress/springhearings/
April 21st - This is the next scheduled date for the Friends of the Prairie River Annual Spring Clean Up. We will meat at Hay Meadow County Park (north of Merrill on Hwy. 17) at 8:30 am. and start by cleaning our Adopt-a-Highway section followed by splitting into groups and cleaning all of the access points from Parrish down to Hwy. C. Brats, burgers and beverages wil be served around noon. Possible brushing project on Spring Creek after lunch.
The brushing projects will be done when favorable weather conditions are present. I will send e-mails a day or two before the scheduled project explaining where to to meet and at what time. Gloves, eye protection, waders and a hand saw or chain saw are recommended. If you do not have these items you can still help during these projects by tossing the tag alders onto the bank while other members cut.
Last year Friends of Prairie members and some local TU members worked on brushing Spring Creek, an important cold water feeder on the Prairie. Spring Creek is approximately 2 miles long and we only have about 1/4 mile to finish. Once this project is complete we will be looking at other spring feeders to clear of debris.
May 18 -20 - Prairie River Conclave and Fund Raiser. Underdown Recreation Area North of Merrill, WI. Take Hwy. 17 north out of Merrill to Bloomville, WI. Turn left on Hwy. J and drive 3-1/2 miles to Copper Lake Ave. Turn Left on Copper Lake Ave. and drive approximately 2 miles. Campground is on the south side of the road just before the big bend that turns south. Can't miss it. Big sign and big parking lot. There are 11 campsites. Each campsite is large enough to accommodate at least 3 tents and a few cars or a couple of pop-up campers or larger travel trailers. There is also an overflow area for camping trailers. This is a rustic campground. No electricity, but it does have a pump well and pit toilets. $3/day user fee for camping.
There will be a raffle and potluck dinner on Saturday at 3pm. All raffle proceeds will go to the Friends of the Prairie for future stream improvement work. If you would like to donate an item to the raffle, send me an e-mail at joekrz@verizon.net or call me at 715-539-3863 and I will give you the address to send the item to.
Stream Improvement Projects - The local TU Chapter is working on finalizing a project for 2007. Friends of Prairie River members are also working with landowners to secure some more habitat improvement projects for 2008 or 2009.
Funds - Our current account balance is $550. Last year the Friends of the Prairie donated $1500 to a stream improvement Project on the North Branch of the Prairie. If you or someone you know would be interested in donating funds to the Friends of the Prairie for future stream improvement work, it would be very much appreciated. Donations can be sent to our treasurer: Randy Frokjer - 200 N. Center Ave. - Merrill, WI 54452Hope to see you at some of these future events.
Joe Krznarich
Friends of the Prairie River
The Friends of the Prairie River organization was formed in January 1998 to help maintain its cold, clean waters and esthetic beauty and to benefit Prairie River trout populations and habitat. The Friends of the Prairie represent those who use the river for recreational purposes, those who live near its banks and all citizens interested in the preservation of the river as a natural resource. The Friends of the Prairie primary purposes are to promote the continued improvement of water quality in the river and to maintain and restore existing habitat and wildlife in the river.