FOP9 Directors Meeting..................................April 1, 2013
Eagle Surveys............................................ March-April 2013
Pool 9 River Clean Up....................................April 20, 2013
MRAD App Deadline.........................................July 11, 2013
MRAD................................................................July 16, 2013
Fish Days Booth...........................................August 10, 2013
Kids Fishing Day..........................................August 10, 2013
FOP9 Annual Meeting........................... September 28, 2013
Eagle Surveys............................................ March-April 2013
Pool 9 River Clean Up....................................April 20, 2013
MRAD App Deadline.........................................July 11, 2013
MRAD................................................................July 16, 2013
Fish Days Booth...........................................August 10, 2013
Kids Fishing Day..........................................August 10, 2013
FOP9 Annual Meeting........................... September 28, 2013
ITC Midwest Donates to Friends of Pool 9 Island Restoration Project
January, 2014
January, 2014
ITC Midwest personnel Dan Hagan (left) and Mike Ivester (fifth from left) present Directors of Friends of Pool 9 with a $5,000 donation for the Beach and Island Reforestation project above Lansing. L to R: Dan Hagan, Don Thran, Larry Quamme, Jerry Boardman, Mike Ivester, John Verdon, Don Walsh, Bob Henkel.
A $5,000 contribution from electric transmission company ITC Midwest will help reforest the Pool 9 Island beach area.
On Wednesday, January 8, ITC Permit Policy Specialist Dan Hagan and Local Government and Community Affairs Regional Manager Mike Ivester presented the funds to the Friends of Pool 9 Board of Directors. The money will assist with expenses toward the island restoration project upstream of Lansing.
The 2014 project includes the transport of thousands of cubic yards of sand to the Lansing Beach area (RM 664) to build sand ridges for the reforestation of oak and other hardwood trees, as well as improvements to the beach area itself. The hardwood trees are typically found in small numbers on the channel border islands since they are frequently flooded. Raising the island height will encourage their chances of survival and abundance. Seedlings of White Oak, Black Oak, Pin Oak, and Hackberry will be planted in the elevated area. Seeds were originally collected from river tolerant trees located in (or near) the Mississippi River flood plain and grown in local nurseries.
The island and beach restoration project will involve the cooperation of the US Army Corps of Engineers, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Iowa and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources, Friends of Pool 9, and local contractors with access to large earth moving equipment. The beach area will be enhanced both in length and width to improve the site for recreation, and hundreds of hardwood trees will add to the plant and animal diversity (and stability) of the island ecosystem. All users of the river resource (wildlife and man) will benefit from this project of island restoration in Pool 9, Upper Mississippi River Refuge. ITC Midwest ITC Midwest, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITC Holdings Corp., the nation’s largest independent electricity transmission company. ITC Midwest operates more than 6,600 circuit miles of transmission lines in Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri and maintains operating locations at Dubuque, Iowa City and Perry, Iowa; and Albert Lea and Lakefield, Minnesota.
Since its formation in 2007, the company has completed 23 new generator interconnects, adding approximately 2,500 MW of wind energy production capacity to the region’s grid. That amount of new wind energy connections represents investment of more than $5 billion by developers, and is more wind energy capacity than existed in the entire state of Iowa in 2007.
Online membership form now available click bellow to join the Friends of Pool 9 !
2013 River Clean Up Day
Extraordinary Friends of Pool 9 Mississippi River Clean Up
“Unusual circumstances sometimes require extraordinary means,” may well have been the storyline for the annual Friends of Pool 9 clean up of the Mississippi. Approximately 100 willing citizens gathered at the Lansing VFW building, separated into work teams and did all they could do to make the river in Pool 9 a little better. They came from hundreds of miles away, and involved adults and children, Boy Scouts and leaders, mothers and daughters, young and old. A small army descended into the valley intent on making a difference, giving something back to the river. And they did!
Heavy machinery was the necessary ingredient for success this year. Weymiller Marine was involved pulling spuds and moving docks; Brennan Construction operated a backhoe; Blake Excavating of Waukon was present with two dump trucks; Jim Kerndt supplied his tractor, and numerous individuals furnished flat bed trailers and chain saws. Old docks and debris were removed from the river shoreline, as were rusted metal and broken plastic barrels, metal gas cylinders, 60 feet of 1 inch cable, Styrofoam pieces of all sizes, plastic drink bottles too numerous to count, and a crumpled and rusted green buoy.
The dike across the river valley connecting Iowa and Wisconsin receives more than its share of debris, most from thoughtless highway travelers, but some from boaters and river users as well. The groups collected hundreds of beer cans and bottles.
The Annual FOP9 Clean Up has garnered supported from individuals, organizations, and area businesses. Friends of Pool 9 would like to thank the following: Blake Excavating, Brennan Construction, City Meat Market, Dairyland Power Cooperative, Jim Kerndt tractor, Kwik Star, Lansing VFW, Living Lands and Waters, Milty’s Restaurant, USF&WS McGregor, Waste Management, Welsh’s Village Farm & Home, Weymiller Marine.
President Bruce ReVoir commented, “Today’s event would not have been possible without the cooperation and assistance of the area’s big equipment people. I was stunned by the magnitude of the project and the willingness of everyone to pitch in and get it accomplished. Thanks to all the workers, the food crew, the walkers, the sandbar crew, and everyone involved in making it such a success.”
A thousand pounds of metal, four dump truck loads of broken docks, flatbed trailers piled with debris and a filled 40-cubic-yard dumpster gave proof of the waste removed from the river environment. This is an annual event that marks the conscience and mission of Friends of Pool 9, which is to conserve the natural resources in Pool 9 and foster the wise public use and enjoyment of the Mississippi River. Everyone gave something back to the river this past weekend; and it couldn’t have been accomplished without the 100 volunteers and all the heavy equipment.The next big event for Friends of Pool 9 is the Mississippi River Adventure Day for kids and parents on July 16, 2013. This is a Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn kind of day where “adventure” is the theme for the day’s activities. All costs are paid by FOP9. Kids and parents are transported to the sandbars where activity sites will be organized. Go to the FOP9 website at friendsofpool9.org for more information and an online application.
* More 2013 River clean up pictures click the button bellow ! *
“Unusual circumstances sometimes require extraordinary means,” may well have been the storyline for the annual Friends of Pool 9 clean up of the Mississippi. Approximately 100 willing citizens gathered at the Lansing VFW building, separated into work teams and did all they could do to make the river in Pool 9 a little better. They came from hundreds of miles away, and involved adults and children, Boy Scouts and leaders, mothers and daughters, young and old. A small army descended into the valley intent on making a difference, giving something back to the river. And they did!
Heavy machinery was the necessary ingredient for success this year. Weymiller Marine was involved pulling spuds and moving docks; Brennan Construction operated a backhoe; Blake Excavating of Waukon was present with two dump trucks; Jim Kerndt supplied his tractor, and numerous individuals furnished flat bed trailers and chain saws. Old docks and debris were removed from the river shoreline, as were rusted metal and broken plastic barrels, metal gas cylinders, 60 feet of 1 inch cable, Styrofoam pieces of all sizes, plastic drink bottles too numerous to count, and a crumpled and rusted green buoy.
The dike across the river valley connecting Iowa and Wisconsin receives more than its share of debris, most from thoughtless highway travelers, but some from boaters and river users as well. The groups collected hundreds of beer cans and bottles.
The Annual FOP9 Clean Up has garnered supported from individuals, organizations, and area businesses. Friends of Pool 9 would like to thank the following: Blake Excavating, Brennan Construction, City Meat Market, Dairyland Power Cooperative, Jim Kerndt tractor, Kwik Star, Lansing VFW, Living Lands and Waters, Milty’s Restaurant, USF&WS McGregor, Waste Management, Welsh’s Village Farm & Home, Weymiller Marine.
President Bruce ReVoir commented, “Today’s event would not have been possible without the cooperation and assistance of the area’s big equipment people. I was stunned by the magnitude of the project and the willingness of everyone to pitch in and get it accomplished. Thanks to all the workers, the food crew, the walkers, the sandbar crew, and everyone involved in making it such a success.”
A thousand pounds of metal, four dump truck loads of broken docks, flatbed trailers piled with debris and a filled 40-cubic-yard dumpster gave proof of the waste removed from the river environment. This is an annual event that marks the conscience and mission of Friends of Pool 9, which is to conserve the natural resources in Pool 9 and foster the wise public use and enjoyment of the Mississippi River. Everyone gave something back to the river this past weekend; and it couldn’t have been accomplished without the 100 volunteers and all the heavy equipment.The next big event for Friends of Pool 9 is the Mississippi River Adventure Day for kids and parents on July 16, 2013. This is a Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn kind of day where “adventure” is the theme for the day’s activities. All costs are paid by FOP9. Kids and parents are transported to the sandbars where activity sites will be organized. Go to the FOP9 website at friendsofpool9.org for more information and an online application.
* More 2013 River clean up pictures click the button bellow ! *
The Jim Kerndt tractor loads pieces of a broken dock. L. to R. Henry Shepard, Travis Blake, and Jim Brennan.
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Weymiller Marine provided the pusher, barge, and crane to pull pipes and remove an old dock. Pictured are (L to R) Donnie Weymiller, Tim Weymiller, and Jesse Weymiller (crane operator) as they work to free the dock.
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Todd Blake watches as Jim Brennan adds a piece of broken dock to the cargo of a Blake Excavating dump truck, with Don Peters in the foreground.
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De Soto volunteers walked both sides of the three mile-long Highway 82 dike collecting debris that filled thirty garbage bags. They crawled down to the rivers’ edge and back up hundreds of time, collecting beer cans and bottles, plastic bottles and other items.
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Friends of Pool 9 recognizes volunteer efforts at annual appreciation dinner September 22
More than 100 Friends of Pool 9 (FOP9) volunteers gathered at the Kerndt Brothers Savings Bank Community Center in Lansing September 22. The appreciation dinner is an annual event to recognize the volunteerism of individuals and organizations contributing to Friends of Pool 9 activities throughout 2012.
The event began with refreshments and a silent auction organized by Nancy Wortman. She had contacted area businesses, artists and other individuals to collect a variety of items for the auction. Wildlife prints and photos, fishing trips and cabin stays, special candies and treats, beauty items and treatments, Black Hawk Bridge dated pictures and river items of all types filled the tables at the Community Center.
Pastor Kevin Smith (United Methodist Church) blessed the dinner that was catered by the Bright Spot (De Soto, WI). Following the dinner President John Verdon introduced Richard King, Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge McGregor District Manager. Verdon thanked the volunteers for their efforts on the 26 different activities the group participated in this year. Together they totaled over 2100 hours of volunteer hours on Friends and Refuge projects. Doug Aloisi (Genoa National Fish Hatchery) thanked Friends of Pool 9 volunteers for their assistance building mussel cages and tagging sturgeon. He commented that it would have been very difficult for them to get these projects done without the help of FOP9. John also thanked the Friend’s partners (Allamakee County Community Foundation, US Fish & Wildlife Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, Iowa and Wisconsin DNR’s, Genoa National Fish Hatchery, Allamakee and Clayton Country Conservation Boards, Living Lands & Waters, Vernon County Waste Management, and Waste Management of Prairie du Chien, WI) for their help and cooperation on projects. The largest projects were the annual clean up and the Mississippi River Adventure Day (MRAD) activity. Verdon referred to the volunteer sign-up sheets for members to commit to a particular activity for 2013.
The FOP9 Director class of Dan Porter, Mark Schneden, Al Wuennecke, and Larry Quamme was elected to serve another three-year term, ending in 2015. No other nominations were made and the ballot passed unanimously.
Verdon then awarded FOP9 Volunteer of the Year awards to Glen Springer and Darrin Thran. Springer had been a member since 2006 and was active in the clean up and even more so in the Kids Fishing Tournament during Lansing Fish Days. His wife, Nancy, accepted the award in his name.
Thran was selected as a result of his involvement in all the clean ups, MRAD, eagle surveys, working at Genoa Fish Hatchery, and has become the FOP9 website manager. The award is given annually to an individual “for their dedication to preserving and protecting the natural resources of Pool 9 and fostering the wise use and enjoyment of the Refuge and the Upper Mississippi River.” It was noted that Thran’s father, Don, also received this award in 2008.
Friends of Pool 9, Upper Miss Refuge, Incorporated is a 501(c)3 tax deductible organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of Pool 9. The 600-member organization has no dues and finances its activities with grants, member donations and limited fund raisers. More information and a membership application can be found online at friendsofpool9.org.
Pictured , Nancy Springer accepts a Friends of Pool 9 Volunteer of the Year award from FOP9 President John Verdon in memory of her husband, Glen. On right, Verdon awards Darrin Thran the Friends of Pool 9 2012 Volunteer of the Year award. Submitted photos.
Article as seen in Allamakee County The Standard on 10/03/2012
More than 100 Friends of Pool 9 (FOP9) volunteers gathered at the Kerndt Brothers Savings Bank Community Center in Lansing September 22. The appreciation dinner is an annual event to recognize the volunteerism of individuals and organizations contributing to Friends of Pool 9 activities throughout 2012.
The event began with refreshments and a silent auction organized by Nancy Wortman. She had contacted area businesses, artists and other individuals to collect a variety of items for the auction. Wildlife prints and photos, fishing trips and cabin stays, special candies and treats, beauty items and treatments, Black Hawk Bridge dated pictures and river items of all types filled the tables at the Community Center.
Pastor Kevin Smith (United Methodist Church) blessed the dinner that was catered by the Bright Spot (De Soto, WI). Following the dinner President John Verdon introduced Richard King, Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge McGregor District Manager. Verdon thanked the volunteers for their efforts on the 26 different activities the group participated in this year. Together they totaled over 2100 hours of volunteer hours on Friends and Refuge projects. Doug Aloisi (Genoa National Fish Hatchery) thanked Friends of Pool 9 volunteers for their assistance building mussel cages and tagging sturgeon. He commented that it would have been very difficult for them to get these projects done without the help of FOP9. John also thanked the Friend’s partners (Allamakee County Community Foundation, US Fish & Wildlife Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, Iowa and Wisconsin DNR’s, Genoa National Fish Hatchery, Allamakee and Clayton Country Conservation Boards, Living Lands & Waters, Vernon County Waste Management, and Waste Management of Prairie du Chien, WI) for their help and cooperation on projects. The largest projects were the annual clean up and the Mississippi River Adventure Day (MRAD) activity. Verdon referred to the volunteer sign-up sheets for members to commit to a particular activity for 2013.
The FOP9 Director class of Dan Porter, Mark Schneden, Al Wuennecke, and Larry Quamme was elected to serve another three-year term, ending in 2015. No other nominations were made and the ballot passed unanimously.
Verdon then awarded FOP9 Volunteer of the Year awards to Glen Springer and Darrin Thran. Springer had been a member since 2006 and was active in the clean up and even more so in the Kids Fishing Tournament during Lansing Fish Days. His wife, Nancy, accepted the award in his name.
Thran was selected as a result of his involvement in all the clean ups, MRAD, eagle surveys, working at Genoa Fish Hatchery, and has become the FOP9 website manager. The award is given annually to an individual “for their dedication to preserving and protecting the natural resources of Pool 9 and fostering the wise use and enjoyment of the Refuge and the Upper Mississippi River.” It was noted that Thran’s father, Don, also received this award in 2008.
Friends of Pool 9, Upper Miss Refuge, Incorporated is a 501(c)3 tax deductible organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of Pool 9. The 600-member organization has no dues and finances its activities with grants, member donations and limited fund raisers. More information and a membership application can be found online at friendsofpool9.org.
Pictured , Nancy Springer accepts a Friends of Pool 9 Volunteer of the Year award from FOP9 President John Verdon in memory of her husband, Glen. On right, Verdon awards Darrin Thran the Friends of Pool 9 2012 Volunteer of the Year award. Submitted photos.
Article as seen in Allamakee County The Standard on 10/03/2012
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Friends River Ed Day a “Steamy “Experience
The 6th Annual Friends of Pool 9 Mississippi River Adventure Day took place on Monday, July 16th. While temperatures soared well into the nineties, a water temperature of 85 degrees and a fairly brisk westerly wind kept things cool on the beaches north of Lansing. 150 kids and adults made the area their adventure camp and had a “cool experience” on a really hot day.
The comment of a few years ago that it “takes a village to educate our children” was never more true. 95 adults were engaged throughout the day to give 65 children a Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn kind of adventure on the river. Organizers divided children (ages 5-13) into six groups based on age. Groups of 10 to 12 children became Tadpoles, Crawdads, Muskrats, Foxes, Otters, or Eagles for the day. An adult had registered for each child, but if one was not available, a Friends of Pool 9 volunteer was assigned to accompany that child for the day. For many this was their first time on the Mississippi River and some had journeyed from California and Maryland to take part.
Kids wore life jackets all day and progressed through six different activity sites located on the beaches and spent most of the day, as you would expect, in the water. All the sites were located at the waters edge or in it. And the kids loved it. They were introduced to pollywogging for mussels and seining for fish, collecting aquatic invertebrates with dip nets, identifying fur bearing animals and learning to cast. They walked in a eel grass bed along the shore and stood beneath an eagles nest. They learned to use a GPS unit, and went on a backwater cruise to learn about birds. They watched a commercial fisherman pull in his nets filled with fish and water splashing; they had the opportunity to touch the smoothness of the moist skin of a 20 pound flathead catfish with their fingers.
Hopefully, the day will not be forgotten and will live on in the minds of children and will kindle dreams and thoughts of the days that Tom and Huck must have spent exploring the backwaters of the Mississippi. The river adventure day is sponsored by Friends of Pool 9, Upper Miss Refuge, Inc. with assistance from US Fish & Wildlife Service (McGregor District), US F&WS Fisheries Resources Office La Crosse, Genoa National Fish Hatchery, Allamakee County Conservation Board, and Clayton County Conservation Board. Donations to support the event were received from: Dairyland Power Cooperative, Cabela’s, Jack Libbey and Mississippi Explorer Cruises, City Meat Market, and the Lansing VFW.
One family commented, “What a great day for the kids and families to participate in together! Our kids had a wonderful time learning and swimming in the river. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Friends of Pool 9 and all others who worked so hard to make this Mississippi River Adventure Day possible for all of us!”
Another family emailed this note with quotes from their three children, “Thank you for giving us a wonderful trip and planning all of those wonderful activities for us. Also thank you for letting us get in the water and playing around with other kids. But most of all thank you for devoting your time and attention to an awesome day for kids”…… “I learned how to cast in one small area and other very interesting things”…… “I liked looking for the birds nest with the GPS and casting the rods. I liked the time when we searched for bugs and learned their names.” ….. “Each of the kids told me what they wanted me to type--so I did. Thank you from the grandparents; we learned new things even though we have been on the Mississippi all of our lives. It was a great experience. I hope we get to do it again.”
Plans are already being made for another Mississippi River Adventure Day in July, 2013. Mark your calendars and check the Friends website. 42 members of FOP9 volunteered their services for the day-long event this year. Friends of Pool 9, Upper Miss Refuge is a 501©3 charitable not-for profit organization with over 600 members in 16 states and three foreign countries. There are no membership dues to belong. Projects and activities are financed through fundraisers, donations and grants. More photos on the MRAD event, and information about FOP9, are available at www.friendsofpool9.org.
Foxes stalk critters with a dip net through a bed of eel grass at the GPS and eagle nest site. |
Crawdads inspect a pile of mussels they’ve collected at the mussel site with George Buening (Genoa National Fish Hatchery). |
Otters search for aquatic invertebrates under the tree stump with Abbey Harkrader (Clayton County Conservation Board). |
Eagles cool off and pollywog for clams. |
Muskrats trying to identify “the bird” at the GPS and animal site with Lisa Maas (US Fish & Wildlife Service, McGregor District).
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