Friends of the Prairie River
Newsletter
October 2006
Spring Clean-Up
Mark your calendars for April 21, 2007. This is the next scheduled date for the Friends of the Prairie River Annual Spring Clean Up. We will meet at Hay Meadow County Park (north of Merrill on Hwy 17) at 8:30 a.m and split up into groups to clean up our Adopt-A-Highway section and all of the access points between Parrish and Hwy. C bridge. Brats, burgers & beverages will be served around noon
Other Prairie River members and myself worked on Spring Creek, a 2-mile cold water feeder stream on the Prairie, during the months of March and April this year. We completed 1-3/4 miles of brushing the stream banks and cleaning debris from the stream that was blocking the flow. I returned to the mouth of this stream during the hot weather of July and there was a greater volume of water flowing into the Prairie at the mouth and the temp was a cool 52°!
Prairie River Members, TU members and DNR personnel also worked on cleaning up Barrington Springs, which is also near Spring Creek. According to the landowner (Byron Barrington), before the spring silted in, trout utilized the spring as a spawning area. Hopefully, after cleaning it out, the trout will once again be able to use this resource.
The WI DNR crew also completed the stream improvement project on the North Branch of the Prairie in July. I fished this project area in September and the newly created homes already had trout living in them. Thanks to all that helped out with these projects.
2007
Projects
We will continue working on Spring Creek. If the weather is tolerable, we plan to finish this project up in March/April of 2007. I will send out notice by e-mail when we start working on this project again. If the project isn’t completed by the time the spring clean up comes around, we plan to work on it after the clean-up. If you would like to help, just let us know. If you have a chainsaw, gloves and waders, bring them along. There are other spring feeders and stream improvement projects on the Prairie that are also being looked for future work once the Spring Creek project is complete.
FundsSince its inception in 1998, the Friends of the Prairie River have never had yearly membership dues. All of our funds have come from new members that have joined, voluntary donations and from a raffle in 2005. We currently have $620 in our account after donating $1500 to the improvement project on the North Branch this year. If you or someone you know would be interested in donating 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 54452
Party for Pete Segerson
Pete Segerson, the fisheries biologist from the DNR office in Antigo, has accepted a new supervisory position in the Black River Falls area. Pete has been very involved with the Friends of the Prairie since the beginning and was a very instrumental player in all of the projects lined up by FPR during the past 8 years. There will be a party for Pete Segerson, wishing him well on his new job and thanking him for all he's done in this area. It is scheduled for the night of November 11 at the Refuge Bar & Grill in Antigo. We will meet in the bar starting at 6 PM and have the back room reserved starting at around 7:15. There will be snacks and/or pizza available (free will donations accepted) or people can order off the menu at their own expense. Money will also be collected to get Pete a gift card from Gander Mountain or Cabelas. If you wish to donate, contact Dave Seibel at the Antigo office at 715-627-4317 or seibed@dnr.state.wi.us
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.