New Canoe Trail Landing on the Platte River

Keep your eyes open and your paddles ready. A new canoe launch was installed this fall on Platte Road in Harrison Township. The installation of large limestone steps on the stream bank allow for easy access to the river. This spring the site will be seeded and a carpet strip will be added to make canoe launching easier. Much thanks goes out to board member Mark Sethne for spearheading this effort, applying for the necessary permits and working with the contractor to complete this project. Sethne continues to work on canoe trail development. This semester he is working with UWP design students to complete a comprehensive water trail plan for the Platte River and to develop plans for two new launch sites. Attend our annual meeting in March to learn more

UW-Platteville Students Design Sediment Structures for Lower Platte River

As part of a $10,000 grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and through cooperation with a UWP PACCE grant, civil engineering students are working on the design of sediment structures in the lower Platte River. Their efforts will incorporate the recommendations made by an earlier UW-Madison sediment study. The purpose of this project is to produce a plan to restore the lower section of the Platte River to its original channel width before the Eagle Point Dam was completed in 1937. The section of the Platte River between the Hwy 61 Bridge and the Mississippi River is to be evaluated. Wing dams designs will be planned to help narrow the lower section of the Platte River and address issues of sedimentation and flooding. OBJECTIVES: • Provide two initial wing dam options (e.g. woody debris or gabions) and a detailed final design of one option. • Determine the number of wing dams required to adequately solve the river sedimentation and flooding problems using modeling software such as HEC-RAS. • Determine the location and orientation of each wing dam in the project area using HEC-RAS. • Determine the design of each wing dam, including the materials, dimensions, and anchoring system. • Provide an estimated material cost of each of the two proposed designs. Please attend our annual meeting on March 23 to learn more about this project and to comment on the students’ initial design efforts.

Friends of the Platte River contracts 2 UW-Platteville students

Friends of the Platte River has contracted two UW-Platteville geography majors for the summer. Their job is to walk or paddle the Platte River, Little Platte River, and their tributaries to look for invasive species.

Once this field work is done they will go to the GIS lab on campus and produce maps so we know which invasive plants we have in the watershed and where they are located.

The students, Nick Flinner and Abbie Lehman hope to present their findings at the Association of American Geographers Regional Conference this fall in Chicago.

We owe a special thank you to those who have made contributions for this project: Dr. RJ Rowley in the Geography Department for assistance with the mapping and mapping gear, Mark Sethne in the Outdoor Recreation Department for renting the canoe, and Peggy Compton with UW-Extension for supplying hip waders from the Water Education Library.

Pictured above:
*Nick & Abbie with their best friend for the summer, WATER!
*Abbie on the river
*Nick in Trimble heaven surrounded by wild parsnip

Trash Clean Up Day

On Saturday, April 16th the Friends of the Platte River and over thirty local volunteers worked to clean up a hillside location on the Platte River that had been the site of decades of accumulated junk. The site is located on a steep slope along Big Platte Road outside of Platteville. Despite windy and snowy conditions, the volunteers work all day to clean up the site.

The event, planned and orchestrated in large part by Friends board member Mark Sethne, was truly a community effort. Faherty Recycling and Waste Collection of Platteville made the event a huge success with their donation of two large roll off dumpsters for use in the project. Potosi Portable Toilets donated a unit for use in the all day event. Dale Hood and Doug Steinbach/ Steinbach Farms donated skid steers for use in hauling large debris up the steep hill and placing it in the dumpsters.

Jared Marugg, UW-Platteville engineering student and student ambassador for the Friends of the Platte River, organized a group of nine engineering students affiliated with the American Society of Civil Engineers to help with the effort.

There were piles of used tires, many old appliances and computers, hundreds of bottles and cans, bedsprings, wire fencing and other items found on the site. Over 10,500 pounds of debris was removed.

The Friends of the Platte River expresses appreciation to all the volunteers and sponsors for this project.

We need YOUR help--Platte River Clean up Day

The Friends of the Platte River need community volunteers! On Saturday, April 16^th the Friends will be cleaning up a site on the Platte River that has decades of accumulation of junk. There are about 50 used tires and several appliances, not to mention 100’s of beer bottles. The hillside is steep and getting  tires, appliances, and other junk up to the road is going to be a problem that only “many hands” will be able to handle.  

Faherty recycling of Platteville has generously donated a “roll-off” dumpster and there will be a couple skid steers there to help pull things up the hill.  Food and water, as well as a port-a-potty  will be on site.

Plan to start arriving at the site about 8 on Saturday morning.  

Directions: Going west from Platteville on Co “B” a little over 6 miles to Big Platte Rd.  Turn left on Big Platte and it’s about a mile.  We will be at/near the place where the road jogs hard,  (the intersection of Quarry Rd.) is the other landmark.

Things to bring: sturdy work boots and leather gloves, shovels, pry bars, log chains, water bottle, etc.  This site is very steep and sneakers aren’t the best choice of shoes.

Come when you can and stay until you have to go!

2011 Annual Meeting

On March 5, 2011, the Friends of the Platte River held their annual meeting/ raffle/ open house at the Dickeyville community Center. Along with project updates, speaker Todd Johnson with UW extension spoke about various opportunities and resources available for the group. The grand prize raffle item was an Old Towne Otter Plus kayak and a Bending Branches paddle. A portion of this prize was donated by Rutabaga of Madison. Chuck Cornett was the grand prize winner. Other great prizes were donated by Momentum Bikes & Boards, Badger Brothers Coffee, Rollo Jameson Mining Museum, Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, Wal-Mart, Home & Cabin Décor, Stone Cliff Winery, and Wine Down on Main.

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Prairie Enthusiasts

On February 26th 2011, Becky Trewartha attended the Prairie Enthusiasts annual conference. The purpose of the conference was to gain members and educate people on projects that are going on with The Prairie Enthusiasts. Becky manned a booth and presented information to various landowners concerning Japanese hops and other invasive species in the Platte watershed.