Eisele: A heck of a field trip on the Mississippi

Tim Eisele, Correspondent for The Capital Times  —  5/22/2008 8:26 am

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN -- What student wouldn't love to slosh around in the backwaters of the Mississippi River finding "pollywogs," minnows and insects, and still count it as a day in school?

That's what 700 lucky southwestern Wisconsin and northeastern Iowa students did last Tuesday and Wednesday as part of the Upper Mississippi River Festival's "Celebrating a River of Life."

The festival has been held each spring since 2001. It is sponsored by conservation agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wisconsin and Iowa Departments of Natural Resources, Wisconsin State Historical Society, National Park Service, Natural Resources and Conservation Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Audubon Society, Iowater, Clayton County (Iowa) Conservation Agency, and the Crawford County (Wisconsin) Land Conservation Department.

The event alternates every other year between Wisconsin and Iowa, and this year was held at Wyalusing State Park at the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers. There, students learned about aquatic resources, cultural and historic resources, and Wisconsin plant and animal communities.

Tim Loose, wildlife refuge specialist with the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge in McGregor, Iowa, said that the entire event is a partnership centered on a common theme.

"We want to share our enthusiasm for the resource, and all of us who work in natural resources realize how fortunate we are," Loose said. "We want to expose kids to the resources and some of the issues. We want youngsters to be good stewards of the national wildlife refuge, because it belongs to all of us."

Aquatic resources

While half the students spend time on upland resources the other half head down to the boat landing to learn about aquatic resources and the Mississippi River.

Jackie Gautsch, of the Iowa DNR IOWATER program, and Angie Reid, of the Clayton County Conservation Board, led energetic groups on the great bug hunt. They climbed into rubber boots and waders and used nets to dig up invertebrates in the shallow river backwaters.

"The existence of invertebrates gives us an idea of how healthy the environment is," Reid explained.

Kids enjoyed splashing and using their nets to find and then identify a host of invertebrates.

Ruth Nissen, Wisconsin DNR, told students that Wisconsin has 11 species of turtles. She described how turtles lay their eggs in sand in June next to a wetland.

Female turtles deposit the eggs in the nest and return to the wetland and the eggs have to mature and young hatch completely on their own.

"Predators will often locate the eggs by smell, and now only 5 to 10 percent of turtle nests hatch successfully, with up to 20 percent hatching along the Mississippi River," Nissen said. "If you see a turtle crossing a road, please give it a break because they need a helping hand."

Nissen said that she enjoys opportunities like the festival, because it, "allows me to provide the students with a sense of appreciation for the intricacies of nature, and influence some of their actions when these kids are teenagers and may see turtles, which are so vulnerable, along the highway."

All of the students had the opportunity to take a 50-minute ride in boats on the river where they watched birds and learned about fish and wildlife.

Upland resources

Kristin Moe, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, explained about the danger of the Emerald Ash Borer to Wisconsin's ash trees. So far the borer has not been found in Wisconsin but it is present in Michigan and also in northern Illinois and some people think it is just a matter of time before it gets to Wisconsin.

The most common way it moves is in firewood, and that is why campers and outdoorsmen are asked to not bring firewood with them when coming to a park, campground or cabin.

Cindy Kohles, DNR fire control officer in Boscobel, used an analogy in explaining the use of fire to improve land. She said that humans receive prescriptions from their doctor to help them back to health. Similarly, the medicine for restoring some plants and ecosystems is a prescribed fire or burn.

This is often used to restore prairie to the landscape or to regenerate oak trees. Oaks need sunlight to sprout, and without that, forests are instead being taken over by maples, which can grow in shade.

"The prescription for fire must include specific guidelines, such as when to burn, what relative humidity must be reached to burn, how many trained people and what types of equipment must be on site, and what fire breaks need to be installed," Kohles told the students.

Students got to try using backpack water pumps which are used to fight fires in back country. Kids and water always puts smiles on the faces of kids.

Another outing coming up

The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, Wisconsin and Iowa DNRs, and other conservation partners are holding Mississippi River Adventure Day on Saturday, June 21. The event is open to 200 kids, who must be accompanied by a parent or adult, and will get the opportunity to go out on the Mississippi River in search of fish, mussels and "pollywogs."

Tim Loose, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the day will be a true hands-on adventure, with the kids boarding large boats in Lansing, Iowa to learn about frogs, aquatic insects, do some fish seining, and watch an eagle nest that hopefully will have fledging eaglets.

Registrations should be made by June 1 and are limited to the first 200 students and adults to sign-up. To register contact Tim Loose at (563) 873-3423, extension 11 or by e-mail: tim_loose@fws.gov. by Tim Eisele

Tim Eisele (teisele@chorus.net) is a full-time freelance outdoor writer and photographer. He is a founding member and past president of the Wisconsin Outdoor Communicators Association and active member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America.

Tim Eisele, Correspondent for The Capital Times  —  5/22/2008 8:26 am