River Management Society Supporting Professionals Who Study, Protect, and Manage RMS WINTER 2012 VOLUME 25, NO. 4 North America’s Rivers MIDWEST FOCUS St. Croix River Association ................... 4 Conservation Corps Minnesota ............ 5 National Blueways Program ................. 6 Neotropical Migrant Birds ..................... 7 Partners to Restore the Rum River ...... 8 Minnesota Citizens for Water Trails ...... 9 Midwest Whitewater Parks ................. 10 The Fabric of Our Rivers .................... 14 Indiana Urban Waters ......................... 16 River Crossings - Agenda ................... 22 RMS Chapter News ............................ 24 Call for RMS Awards .......................... 27 The Little Plover River, in central Wisconsin, has dried up every year between 2005 and 2009. Heavy Irrigation Threatens Central Wisconsin Streams and Lakes by Denny Caneff The Central Sands of Wisconsin is crops expanded and production intensified 2005 and 2009. The Friends of the Little a surprisingly productive agricultural on those acres, the number of wells has Plover River and many water experts saw area. Once known for hardscrabble dairy grown to over 2,000 in the past few years. the Little Plover as an aquatic canary in farms scratching out an existence on the The alarm that unmanaged a coal mine – an advance warning that sandy soils of this ancient glacial lake groundwater pumping would someday the intensive irrigation of the area was bed, the area is now ranked in the top affect Central Sands streams, lakes, and depleting surface water bodies. three nationally for a number of crops wetlands was sounded by 1970 by the U.S. University of Wisconsin Stevens Point that thrive in the sandy soil: potatoes, Geological Survey. Pumping impacts were hydrologist George Kraft has tracked the peas, snap beans, carrots, sweet corn, and largely unrecognized until catastrophic fate of the Little Plover and other surface cranberries. In addition, thousands of acres conditions merged in the mid 2000s with waters by monitoring groundwater flows are planted to field corn and soy beans. the drying up of the Little Plover River, a and pumping in the Central Sands for over But those crops thrive in the sand only Class 1 trout stream, in 2005. Like most 20 years. Kraft’s research, which included because they are heavily irrigated by water surface water bodies in this region, the examining the historical rainfall record, from the underlying aquifer. In the 1950s, Little Plover is completely dependent on found that the Little Plover wasn’t drying when vegetable and potato production was groundwater. Indeed, it wouldn’t exist up because of drought (though there have first launched, there were just a few dozen without it. been droughts in the area in recent years) high-capacity wells (wells pumping more A citizens’ group formed to call or a lack of rainfall. Kraft indicated the than 100,000 gallons per day) watering attention the plight of the Little Plover, “missing water” in area lakes and streams those crops. As the land for growing which has dried up every year between (continued on page 18) Executive Director’s Eddy RMS Main Office I write this as a storm named Sandy Risa Shimoda, Executive Director PO Box 5750, Takoma Park, MD 20913 has landed and headed inland, challenging Ph / Fax (301) 585-4677 leaders of towns and cities from South [email protected] [email protected] Carolina to Maine. The scale of the impact at this point has already broken records, National Officers Dennis Willis, President from the loss of power to 10 million Price, UT (435) 650-0850 people and an estimated cost of $50 billion* to the historic 2-day cessation of Linda Jalbert, Vice President Grand Canyon, AZ (928) 638-7909 trading on Wall Street. The damage could have been far Jorjena Daly, Secretary Anchorage, AK (907) 267-1246 worse, if not for the experience and smarts of local and state officials, Lee Larson, Treasurer Sanford, NC (919) 498-1781 federal partners and business owners. For seven days citizens in the Northeast especially resourceful: the systems that Ex Officio Advisors and Mid-Atlantic regions received define your work as a river professional Steve Johnson, Past President Stillwater, MN (651) 436-1475 messaging from government offices and prepare you to deal with unusual acts utility spokespeople almost as often as of nature and human actions. If river Gary G. Marsh Mountain City, TN (423) 768-3621 we heard and saw election campaign managers like you were members of the advertisements, and when mandatory hurricane response teams this week, you Randy Welsh Washington, DC (801) 625-5250 evacuations were issued, safety personnel would have performed ably. were knocking on doors to move stubborn Nobody wants to see the gears and Dave Ryan, Legal citizens from their homes. pulleys that make the attractions work Missoula, MT (406) 728-4140 While the impact of the storm will at Disneyland. When done well, much Ken Ransford, Financial not be fully realized until days or weeks of your management is transparent to Basalt, CO (970) 927-1200 from now, there are thousands of bucket the users, by design. People have a great RMS Listserve truck operators, sand bag haulers, and experience, learn about their environment, [email protected] other emergency system staff who we and finish their river trip safely, without Web Page Coordinator must congratulate and thank today for seeing or realizing the hard work that goes Cheston Crowser (406) 273-4747 preventing an even greater level of into it. If something does go awry, they [email protected] damage and loss of life. sure are glad to remember the advice you Pro Deal Coordinator What does this have to do with RMS? provided, your response when they ask Scott Springer (541) 490-5289 [email protected] In early October I had an opportunity to for assistance, or your reassurance at the join the RMS-Southwest Chapter Trip takeout. Merchandise Coordinator Dan Haas (509) 546-8333 through Westwater Canyon and float Ruby If guests and colleagues have [email protected] - Horsethief with our BLM hosts and completed a smoothly run event, trip members of the RMS Board of Directors. or project due to your expertise and RMS Journal Caroline Kurz (406) 549-0514 On both trips, I marveled at the collective professionalism and have not thanked [email protected] experience and current responsibility you recently, pat yourself on the back held by the participants – professionals and accept a shout out. And, if you would RMS is a non-profit professional organization. like you. The chapter members on the like to pat your colleagues on the back, All contributions and membership dues are Westwater trip have worked for and you can do so by nominating them for tax-deductible. led teams on dozens of rivers; play one or more of the annual RMS Awards! instrumental roles in developing and These tributes to your peers’ professional The mission of RMS is to support implementing management plans; greet attitude and accomplishments, and your professionals who study, protect, and hundreds of thousands of guests annually; organization mates, may be incredibly manage North America’s rivers. and are trained to meet adverse conditions deserving of the time it takes you to fill with confidence. out the nomination form online.u Editorial Policy: Articles are not edited for content and may not reflect the position, Thanks to you and your colleagues endorsement, or mission of RMS. The across the country, millions of visitors To a healthy snowpack, purpose of this policy is to encourage the learn about rivers studied by our educators, protected by committed free exchange of ideas concerning river Risa Shimoda management issues in an open forum of stewardship organizations and managed by RMS Executive Director communication and networking among the enthusiastic river planners and field staff. RMS membership. Unless indicated, points of Industry’s recreation planners do their *Source: Bloomburg Business Week tally of utility view are those of the author and not RMS. part also, balancing the needs of private sites and statements as of 7:30 a.m. ET on October industry with the public trust. You’re 30, 2012, J. Polson and J. Johnsson. 2 RMS Journal From the President The Society of a Professional Society This Journal and Journals past saw some great examples of riparian symposia are always a great place to chronicle our hard work and accomplish- restoration projects and discussed the become known in the profession and make ments in River Management. Sometimes management challenges of this very new professional friends. Attending a they document a failed experiment or lost popular 16-mile stretch of river. Several symposium is a good experience. You can cause. In this article we focus on the third SW chapter members, including two river make it a great experience by participating word in our name, society. That word is rangers from the Green and San Juan on the symposium committee, presenting all about associations of people and their Rivers, joined the group. That is what a paper, or just donating an item to the social order. chapter activity is all about. Get people silent auction that reflects your region or In early October, the RMS board from around your region to interact with program. met at a ranch along the banks of the a project, share ideas and take the good Positions have been merged in Colorado River near Loma, Colorado. ones home for implementation. In the many offices adding river management We do most of the organization’s work case of Westwater, it was gratifying to as collateral duty. In some states, through the year by way of conference see a holistic approach taken—rather river managers and rangers have been calls and emails. It is invaluable to meet than simply killing weeds, they are also eliminated entirely.