|
The Yahara River flows through the Village of
DeForest and the town of Windsor southwardly into Lake Mendota in Madison. The Yahara
spans 45 miles (70 km) in total and is the largest tributary to Lake Mendota.
We the residents of DeForest and Windsor
appreciate and enjoy the Yahara River. We are also concerned about the current and
future state of the River. Approximately 6 miles of the River runs through our land and the
combination of litter and fallen trees is hindering the clean flow of this beautiful
river.
In the Spring of 2006,
Village of DeForest staff submitted a grant proposal to the DNR River Protection Grant
Review Committee. The proposed project included forming a self sustaining group to
protect and advocate for the 6 mile stretch of the Yahara River as it travels through
DeForest. The Village was awarded the DNR grant and in March of 2007 the Friends of the
Yahara River Headwaters were born.
Since March of 2007, Friends have
been meeting on a monthly basis to establish their mission, goals, membership and
leadership while holding special events to spread awareness.
Anyone who has an interest or stake in the
recreational, economical or environmental aspect of the Yahara River is encourage to
join! We look forward to meeting new friends. We seek volunteers who can donate their time, offer professional expertise
or assist financially. Donating your time is the most cherished donation. Please contact
Scott Mink at
scott@whosecompany.com or call Scott at (608) 846-5213 with
any questions or concerns.
Special Announcement
The Friends of Yahara River was just notified that we will receive a River Planning Grant by the Wisconsin Deparment of Natural Resources to help us establish our volunteer water quality monitoring program of the Yahara River and its tributaries. This comes on the heels of a generous grant from the DeForest Area Foundation for monitoring equipment. The DNR grant will allow us to obtain additional equipment, select monitoring locations and organize a volunteer training event in the spring of 2011. We look forward to working with our partners, the Village of DeForest and DeForest Area High School, to advance our program. We are also very pleased to have assistance from local DNR biologists and Dane County Land Conservation water quality experts. Stay tuned for further notices on our water quality monitoring program.
|
