May 1996
the monthly newsletter for people who live, work or play on the Upper Mississippi River
Vol. 4, No. 5
$2.75
When a Bridge Tumbles Down
The Misunderstood Bowfin
By Gene Purcell
By Dave Vetrano
When I was somewhere between five and ten
Call it mudfish, grinnel, beaverfish or dogfish
years old my family took a trip. No big deal, as those of you who traveled with their families know. But this trip involved a bridge, specifically a bridge across the Mississippi River. The bridge was narrow with turns in it, and traffic made it shake a lot. People who know about bridges tell me it was probably the old bridge at Wabasha. Despite the assurances of my parents, I was convinced the bridge would collapse, sending the entire Purcell family to its death in the swirling dark waters of the Mississippi. After that, a large bridge of any sort scared me. I would not have been reassured to learn that a portion of the bridge
- the bowfin is probably the most misunderstood and disliked fish swimming the Upper Mississippi. Even the carp, because it is edible (especially smoked), has more value to most anglers. Like Rodney Dangerfield, the bowfin just can't get any respect. Nevertheless, we should respect our elders, and they don't get much older than the bowfin. This species of fish has been swimming around since before Tyrannosaurus Rex walked the earth. Early forms of the bowfin appeared during the late Paleozoic period, 200 million years ago. Today the bowfin is the lone survivor of a fish known only from its fossils in the rocks of Europe and the United States. A bowfin starts life along with several thousand of its siblings in late April or early May. Parents spawn in a small
I would not have been reassured to learn that a portion of the bridge crossing the Mississippi River at La Crosse had collapsed into the river years earlier.
(Bowfin continued on page 3)
wHAT' s INSIDE ... River Map Festivals on the Big River
crossing the Mississippi River at La Crosse had collapsed into the river years earlier. The year was 1935 and the "wagon bridge" spanned the Mississippi at Mt. Vernon St. in downtown La Crosse, a couple of blocks upstream from the current bridge at Cass St. Built by the Clinton Bridge Company at a cost of $100,000, (Bridge continued on page 2)
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Current Events Iowa 150, Brooding Ducks, Towboat Rodeo 5 River Calendar & Almanac Stone Arch Festival, River Cleanup
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(Bridge continued from page 1) the wagon bridge officially opened for business on July 4, 1891. I say "business" because it operated as a toll bridge. It was also an engineering marvel, billed as the largest swing span bridge on the Mississippi. "It was a pain in the tail," one old timer recalled recently. Opening the bridge for steamboats meant delays for the people waiting to cross the river. "In those days there was a certain amount of river traffic, and excursion boats used to come up from St. Louis. The only way they could get past the bridge was to have the
The collasped span of the wagon bridge in La Crosse.
bridge open." Even in those days, traffic could be heavy at times. Use of the wagon bridge rose substantially after tolls were eliminated in 1919. The growing popularity of motor vehicles put an additional strain on the bridge, which was designed when horse and buggies were the norm. An early picture of the bridge shows a sign warning that, "The riding or driving on this bridge at a faster gait than a walk is prohibited by law." By the 1920's and 30's, there was discussion about the need for a new bridge. While people agreed that the current bridge was not adequate for the 20th century, they disagreed about what to do about it - repair it or replace it. Even so, it would take more than just a warning to spur action. The first warning came in the form of a traffic acci-
May 1996
dent in 1933, when a car slammed into a girder, killing the driver and tilting the bridge slightly. The tilting bridge was patched up with a heavy steel plate and reopened. The debate over whether to replace it continued. There was a lot of talk the last couple of years before it went down that it had to be replaced. People realized that the bridge had outlived its usefulness. The beginning of the end came on August 9, 1935, when a 12-cylinder Auburn car carrying four people slammed into the same girder damaged in the 1933 accident. The official description of the accident was printed in the La Crosse Tribune a few days later: "The automobile was forced up the girder 14 feet and four inches above the pin by its speed, shearing off 13 bolts placed in the steel girder when the structure was repaired in July, 1933, after an accident of a similar nature." In his book, Echoes of Our Past, local historian Myer Katz quoted Fischer Blinn, the driver of the Auburn: "It all happened so fast. I missed the curve and lost control of the car and we crashed into the steel girder. The smash didn't seem so terrific, but we immediately began to fall." Blinn and his date escaped the sunken car through an open window and swam to safety. According to Katz's account, they suffered no serious injuries. The other passengers in the Blinn car weren't so lucky. Mr. and Mrs. Francis Landrieu of La Crosse both died in the crash. According to accounts in the La Crosse Tribune over the next few days, the couple suffered head injuries, then drowned. The couple's young children were at home that evening, and did not fully understand the reason for the large number of visitors to their Market Street home. One entire span of the wagon bridge crumpled into the Mississippi River, where it quickly became a grisly tourist attraction. The bridge and the sunken car received a great deal of attention as crowds gathered the next morning to
,
May 1996
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gawk and take pictures. After the auto was pulled from the river, the La Crosse Tribune published a photo of the tangled wreckage. Within several weeks, repairs were in place and the wagon bridge opened for traffic again. However, the calls for bridge replacement continued to grow. The current bridge on Cass Street opened in 1939. Billed as a "no-delay" bridge, it was built well above the Missis-
"The smash didn't seem so terrific, but we immediately began to fall."
sippi, allowing river traffic to pass underneath. The new bridge opened to great fanfare, and according to the January 2, 1939, La Crosse Tribune, it was designed to meet the anticipated traffic demands to the year 2014. The demolition of the old wagon bridge began the day after the new bridge was dedicated.
Gene Purcell is a freelance writer and program director of WLSUFM in La Crosse.
BIG RIVER Big River (ISSN 1070-8340) is published monthly by Big River, 70 1/ z East Fourth Street, Suite 203, Winona, MN 55987; (507) 454-5949; fax: (507) 454-2133 ; E-mail: bigriver@aol.com; web site: http:/ /www.luminet.net/ ~bigriver.
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editor/publisher
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assistant editor
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assistant publisher
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bookkeeping
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Big River, Volume 4, Number 5, copyrightŠ May 1996. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Printed on recycled paper.
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(Bowfin continued from page 1) area cleared of vegetation. After the female deposits her eggs, the male, identified by the spot on its tail and a bright green color, will guard the eggs and small fingerlings for about 10 weeks. During this time, the males attack anything they view as a threat to their young. Some of the most unusual stories of fish attacks are attributed to male bowfins protecting their young. Growth is rapid, and some bowfins grow eight inches in their first year. During this time, their diet consists mainly of small insects and crustaceans. As it gets larger, the bowfin's diet includes nearly any-
Bowfin thing that's in the water - small rodents, snakes, turtles, frogs and all types of fish. This fish is an opportunist rather than a selective predator, which is one reason the bowfin has been so successful over millions of years. Another reason the bowfin has survived is its ability to breathe air! The gas bladder, an organ used by fish to vary their buoyancy, doubles as a primitive lung for the bowfin. In water that becomes temporarily devoid of oxygen a bowfin will take occasional gulps of air from the surface - a useful survival mechanism, especially in the hot summer months. So what good are they? As in all living creatures, they have their niche. As a predator, they provide a valuable service by munching small fish that can overpopulate an area to the point of stunting their own growth. In fact, they have been used to thin out stunted panfish p opulations in small ponds. Bowfins are frequently caught on tip-ups by ice anglers fishing for northern pike. In open water, these fish strike hard and fight better than some highly rated sport fish . When caught, they should be returned to the water unharmed , as they are an important part of the river's ecosystem. There is no law preventing sport anglers from returning any fish caught back into the river.
Dave Vetrano works for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. For questions or comments, write to Mississippi River Tidbits, Wisconsin DNR, State Office Bldg., Rm. 104, 3550 Mormon Coulee Rd., La Crosse, WI 54601.
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May 1996
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Festivals on the Big River Spring and Summer 1996
St. Cloud,* Mississippi Music Fest, May 5; Wheels, Wings, and Water Festival, July 11-14
Minneapolis, Stone Arch Festival of the Arts, June 15-16; Aquatennial, July 12-21
itage Festival, Aug. 10-11
ice Street Festival, July 29 - Aug. 4
Wisconsin Tourism Info 1-800-372-2737
Minnesota R.
* Prescott, Rockin' on the River, July 4 Hastings, Front Porch Festival, May 18; • Bay City, Bay City Daze, June 8 Rivertown Days, July 19 -21 • ~aiden Rock, Summeriest Day, June 15 Red Wing , River City Days, August 2-4 • • Stockholm, Art Fair, July 20 Frontenac, Villa Maria Audubon Weekend, May 12-14 • • Pepin, Laura Ingalls Wilder Days.Sept. 21-22 Lake City, Water Ski Days, June 28-30 • • Nelson, Good Old Nelson Days, August 9-11 Wabasha, Riverboat Days, July 26-28 • • Kellogg 'Alma, Polkafest at the Silver Moon, July 4; Mark Twain Days, Aug. 31-Sept. 1 * Cochrane-Buffalo City * Fountain City Winona, Steamboat Days, July 3-9; * Trem ealeau, Catfish Days, July 12-14 Art & River Festival, Aug. 24-25 •
Black R.
Minnesota Tourism Info 1-800-657-3700
Dakota • • Onalaska, Sunfish Days, May 23-26 La Crescent • • La Crosse, Riverlest, July 3-7; Log Boom, Aug. 2-4 Brownsville•
______,.,..,,____.:_"""""'""''"~--"""c:='"',__
Iowa
_,=---..,· Genoa, Lions Club Picnic, June 1-2; Legion Picnic, July 28 24-26
Lansing, Fish Days , Aug. 9-11 •
Wisconsin R.
Tourism Info 1-800-345-4692 Marquette, Flea Market, May 25-27, July 5-7 * McGregor, Arts & Crafts Festival, May 25-27 *
/
•Prairie du Chien , Town & Country Jamboree, July 13-14;
Guttenberg, Stars & Stripes River Days, June 29-30 *
•Bagley Cassville, Let the Eagle Scream Independence • Celebration , July 6
· Potosi, Catfish Festival, August 10-1 1 Dubuque, Dubuquefest, May 1 7-19;..1..~----~ Catfish Festival, June 21 -23 • * East Dubuque * Galena, Tour of Historic Homes, June 8-9; Arts Festival, July 20-21 Bellevue, Heritage Days, June 29-30; J. H. Weber Buckskinner's Rendezvous, July 19-21 • Illinois Tourism Info 1-800-223-0121 Sabula, Art Festival, Aug. Clinton, Art in the Park, May 18-19; * Riverboat Days, July 3-7 Le Claire, The Tug, August 2-3 • Bettendorf, Discover the River, May 25 • Davenport, Mississippi Valley Blues Fest, July 5-7 • Rock
* Savanna, Summeriest, July 13 • Thomson , Melon Days, Aug 31-Sept. 2 • Fulton, Dutch Days, May 3-5 • A lbany Moline, Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, Island, Summeriest, July 11-13 July 1-4
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May 1996
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CURRENT EVENTS Along Iowa's Edge By Pamela Eyden, Molly McGuire and Reggie McLeod
Towboat Rodeo
incident, as well as the possibility of closing the river to commercial barge traffic until the high waters subside.
Alma, Wis. - Steering barges the length of a football field is no simple task even when the Mississippi runs calm and low. When the water's high, as it is during spring run-off, it can be as wild as a rodeo out there.
No one was hurt, no damage was done, and no oil was spilled from the barges, which were double-hulled and carried a total of 2,016,000 gallons of fuel oil.
The 2,800-horsepower Dan Brock towboat ran into high water trouble on the morning of April 22. Pushing a tow of three oil barges downstream toward Lock & Dam 6, at Alma, Wis., the Dan Brock was caught in strong outdraft currents that swept the barges away from the lock chamber. The lead barge slammed against a lock wall and broke
Who Cares About the River?
The lead barge slammed against a lock wall and broke free, its steel cables rebounding with enough force to shimmy a lock railing loose and dent the steel. free, its steel cables rebounding with enough force to shimmy a lock railing loose and dent the steel. As the barge began to rotate in the current, lock workers managed to lasso it and tie it fast before it ran sideways into the dam roller gates. The Dan Brock pinned it against the wall of the dam, while another boat hurried to assist. The 5,600-horsepower E. Gene Fournace untied its own barges and helped the Dan Brock move its barges away from the dam. This impromptu river rodeo began at 8:45 in the morning and was over by 1:30 p.m., when the Dan Brock locked through and continued on toward Chicago. The Coast Guard is investigating the
College educated women and blue collar men who enjoy outdoor pursuits are the people most likely to be concerned about and interested in the Mississippi River, according to a study done for the McKnight Foundation. The study, done by a public relations firm to help river conservation groups target their messages more clearly, also found that: •Urban residents in the Twin Cities and Quad Cities are the best audiences. • Although most educational campaigns are designed with men in mind, women are more receptive, especially in rural areas. • Almost everyone is concerned about river water quality and the threat to safe drinking water. • People (89 percent of us) do feel a responsibility to protect the environment for ourselves and future generations. The attitude of stewardship cuts across all demographic lines, appealing to people from all regions, generations, genders and political parties. • People admit they don't know very much about rivers and natural resources, and wish they knew more. • Most people see industry, not agriculture, as the culprit responsible for pollution. These results were reported in River Voices (Spring 1996), the quarterly publication of The River Network.
Iowa will celebrate its 150th birthday this August with a 311-mile canoe trip down the Mississippi River, from New Albin to Keokuk. Called the Iowa 150 Mississippi River Adventure, the trip will pass through 10 counties and 10 locks from August 4 to 17. According to the promotional brochure, the trip begins in the "Little Switzerland" of Allamakee County, then continues through the high bluffs of Effigy Mounds National Park near McGregor, then on down through Guttenburg, Dubuque, Bellevue, Sabula, Clinton, LeClaire, Buffalo, Muscatine, Oakville/ Wapello, Burlington, Fort Madison and Keokuk. The river goes through a lot of
Called the Iowa 150 Mississippi River Adventure, the trip will pass through 10 counties and 10 locks from August 4to17. changes in that 311 miles. As it broadens, canoeists will have a chance to explore thousands of acres of backwaters. The flotilla of canoes and kayaks will be led by Rex Klein, Camaraderie and Cruising Director for the U.S. Canoe Association. The American Canoe Association also endorses the event. Each landing site will sponsor tours, festivities and ethnic food fairs. The cost of $210 for two weeks, $160 for one week, $90 for three days or $30 for one day includes baggage transpor-
(Current Events continues on page 6)
Visit the Big River on the Web Our World Wide Web site includes stories from past issues of Big River, an updated River Calendar, River Forums and links to other interesting resources. http://www.luminet.net/-bigriver
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(Current Events continues from page 5) tation, safety support boat services, camping fees, showers, shuttle service and community event tickets. The Mississippi River Revival will set up river educational exhibits at community celebrations along the way. The group is also sponsoring a flotilla within the flotilla, to accompany a 26-foot birchbark canoe (seats 6 to 10 people). Paddlers and support crews are welcome. For more information about the Iowa Adventure, call (319) 652-5104. For more information about the Mississippi River Revival, call 1-800-957-4837.
Preserve a Life Minnesota - Beginning May 1, Minnesota boaters must have at least one personal flotation device (otherwise known as life jackets) on board for each passenger. Boats 16 feet or longer, except canoes and kayaks, must also have at least one Coast-Guard-approved throwable flotation device (otherwise known as a seat cushion or ring buoy). The new rules do not require that a line be attached to the throwable device. The new rules follow federal regulations implemented last year by the Coast Guard, Wisconsin and Iowa. Actually, the Minnesota Legislature seems in no hurry to upgrade boating safety; it passed a one-year grace period that will have officers issuing only warning tickets until 1997. Nevertheless, boaters may want to go a step further than the law demands by actually wearing the wearable devices. If you get thrown from or fall out of your boat you probably won't have the time or presence of mind to put on a life jacket. The Coast Guard says that about 80 percent of boating fatalities would have been prevented if the victims had- warn a life jacket. For more information on the new law or for the free brochure "Minnesota's New Life Jacket Regulations" call the Life
May 1996
Jacket Hotline, (612) 297-1726, or during regular business hours call the Minnesota DNR at 1-800-766-6000.
nesting on posted islands, and once again the public is asked to allow the ducks their privacy.
Urban Trout Stream Saved
Keep Your Distance
Savage, Minn. - Urban trout may continue to swim in one of the last natural trout streams in the Twin Cities area, thanks to the efforts of local conservation groups. Eagle Creek will be partially protected from development by a 400-foot-wide corridor owned and managed by the Minnesota DNR. This spring the Trust for Public Land purchased 46 acres of the west branch and resold it to the DNR; the city of Savage has plans to do the same to 161 acres along the east branch. Whether the buffer will be wide enough to preserve trout levels in the stream isn't known, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press (4-10-96).
Rock Island, Ill. - The barge season has finally opened and recreational boaters will soon be out in full measure as well. The Army Corps of Engineers reminds us to give tows a wide berth, warning that anyone caught within 1,000 feet in front of a moving towboat has less than one minute to get out of the way before being run over or sucked under. Also, the minimum safe distance away from a dam is at least 150 feet below and 600 feet above.
Staying Afloat Marquette, Iowa - Unlucky gamblers at the Miss Marquette riverboat casino weren't the only ones who lost money last year, according to a report from an independent auditor. Although the boat apparently lost over 2 million dollars in 1995 and is in default to its creditors for 27 million, representatives say that operations will continue as usual, and there is no threat of losing the boat. Miss Marquette officials blame a too-compressed repayment structure for their financial state and are working to spread out payments, according to the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald (4-15-96).
Brooding Ducks -
Back Off
Onalaska, Wis. -To allow nesting ducks freedom from human interference, some islands between Trempealeau and Genoa, Wisconsin, are posted as Voluntary Closed Areas until July 15. Islands include Cormorant Island and Old Cormorant Island on Pool 7, and Grassy, Heron, and Trapping islands, and portions of Turtle and East islands on Pool 8. Past surveys have shown successful
Also keep in mind that after four hours of boating, the combination of sun, wind, noise and rocking around produces a fatigue that can make an otherwise sober person feel intoxicated. Because of this, drinking and operating a boat creates a double risk.
East Channel Dispute Closer to a Settlement Prairie du Chien, Wis. - A dispute involving barges, historic buildings and endangered mussels moved closer to resolution this spring. The East Channel, next to Prairie du Chien' s St. Feriole Island, is home to about 30 species of mussel, including the endangered Higgins' eye pearly mussel. Two companies load barges on the East
The East Channel, next to Prairie du Chien's St. Feriole Island, is home to about 30 species of mussel, including the endangered Higgins' eye pearly mussel. Channel: Didion, Inc., loads grain near the south end of the island, and Prairie Sand and Gravel loads barges on the north end.
May 1996
Moving Didion' s operation to the north end of the island would reduce traffic over the mussel beds, but would send more railroad cars rumbling past four historic buildings (see stories in August 1994 and August 1995 Big River). The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Army Corps of Engineers have released an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a channel maintenance plan and for the permit application to move the Didion terminal to the north end of the island. From four proposals considered by the study, the EIS recommends expanding terminal facilities on the north end of the island and limiting the southern terminal to handling about 15 barges per year, prohibiting the loading or unloading of hazardous commodities, maintaining a spill contingency plan for the facility, restricting barge access to the site only by way of the north end of the channel and requiring funds for a program to monitor the mussel beds.
Farm Bill Washington, D.C. - The effects of the new Farm Bill won't be clear immediately, but some environmental provisions were retained, notably the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which pays farmers to take wetlands and erodible land out of production. The Wetland Reserve program will greatly expand the wetlands protected by easements. New incentives will discourage farmers from farming flood prone land.
Other provisions open new loopholes to rules that protect wetlands and erodible land. Because many protection programs rely on incentives to encourage farmers to do the right thing, when support payments are phased out in seven years many conservation programs might be too.
Riverfront Revival St. Paul - Ambitious plans for St. Paul's riverfront development got a
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couple of big boosts this spring: a $7 million gift to the Science Museum of Minnesota, and the University of Minnesota's proposal to renovate its showboat and move it to Harriet Island. The McKnight Foundation will give $4.5 million and the 3M Foundation $2.5 million to the Science Museum, which will begin construction of a $77-million complex on the St. Paul riverfront next October, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press (4-12-96). The U. of M. has raised more than $700,000 for a $2 million facelift of its 1899 sternwheeler.
Economy Class St. Paul - William Constandine dreamed of travelling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, but he couldn't afford to - not while he was alive anyway. On his 73rd birthday, May 17, his daughter, Cheri King, plans to launch his remains, five pounds of ashes in a Coke jug, from Harriet Island, in St. Paul, according to an article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press (4-17-96). Constandine, who died of cancer on Easter Sunday, planned the journey when he knew that he would not live long enough to make it. The jug will be sewn into a net held afloat by several empty gallon jugs. A note on the jug will ask anyone who finds it to put it back in the channel and let it continue the journey. When it reaches New Orleans, the note asks that it be sent back to his daughter so his remains can be buried with his mother's.
Resources • Pollution fact sheets are available free from the Coast Alliance, (202) 5479534. Drawn from EPA and industry data, they d etail the amount and type of pollution directly discharged into the Mississippi, by state. • If you missed the "Mississippi
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River and her People" symposium in Memphis last March, you can order copies of the talks from the National Archives Southwest Region, (817) 334-5525. Topics include steamboats, river structures, geology, and floods. • A report from the General Accounting Office highlights nine watershed projects around the country, showing how different states are dealing with agricultural nonpoint source pollution. Single copies free, $2 for additional copies, (202) 512-6000.
• Wisconsin Groundwater Research and Monitoring Project Summaries covers statefunded groundwater research from 1989 to 1994. Call Jeff Helmuth, Wisconsin DNR, (608) 266-5234 and ask for WR 42395. • Have even more fun on the river this summer: Order The Little TowWatcher's Guide and identify towboats as they ply the big river. Filled with descriptions, river jargon and towboat facts, this handy 48-page book will be entertaining wherever you go. Only $5.95 (plus 6.5 percent tax for Minnesota residents), from Big River, PO Box 741, Winona, MN 55987, or call 1-800-303-8201 for credit card orders. • A new, 17-minute video on the Blufflands of Southeastern Minnesota, created by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, is available for loan through libraries, state parks, some DNR area offices, or by calling Marcella Jerome at (507) 285-7437.
Call Us for Subscriptions! If you want your own subscription to Big River or have a friend who would, we can now take subscription orders over the phone. Just call 1-800-303-8201 during normal business hours. We can bill you for your subscription or charge it to your VISA or Maste rCard. 1-year subscriptio n $28 2-year subscription $50 Or mail your subscription order to Big River, PO Box 741, Winona, MN 55987.
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May 1996
Meetings & Hearings
RIVER CALENDAR Special Events & Festivals May 3-5 Dutch Days Festival, Fulton, Ill., (815) 589-2310. 4 City-wide garage sale, Bellevue, Iowa, (319) 872-5830. 4-5 85-mile garage sale, twelve Lake Pepin villages. 5 Mississippi Music Fest, St. Cloud, Minn., Riverside Park, (612) 255-2205. 5 Mississippi River Revival celebration, Dubuque, (319) 557-1777. 10-11 War Eagle Days, Riverside Museum, La Crosse, (608) 785-1980. 11 International Migratory Bird Day celebration, Winona Mall, 10 a.m.-4 p .m., videos, bird identification. 11 Minnesota fishing opener. 11-12 Take a Mom Fishing, Minnesota. 12-14 Villa Maria Audubon Weekend, Frontenac, Minn., (612) 345-4582. 12-18 Wis. Archeology Week, statewide events, (608) 264-6495. 17 Memorial Service for Bob Pohl, volunteer and conservation activist, Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge Headquarters, 11 a .m . 17 Storm Water Separation project celebration, St. Paul, (612) 229-2100. 17-19 Dubuquefest, (319) 583-2296. 18 Front Porch Festival, Hastings, Minn., (612) 437-9855. 18 Savanna (Ill.) Summerfest, (815) 273-3754. 18-19 Art in the Park and Craft Fair, Clinton, Iowa, (319) 259-8308. 23-26 Sunfish Days, Onalaska, Wis., (608) 783-0440. 25 Discover the River, Bettendorf, Iowa, (319) 359-7531. 25 Scott Cty. Sesquicentennial parade, Davenport, Iowa, 1-800-747-7800. 25-27 Arts and Crafts Festival and Flea Market, Marquette/McGregor, Iowa, 1-800-896-0910. West Coon Rapids Dam programs, Brooklyn Park, Minn., (612) 424-8172. May 11 Spring floodplain forest, 1 p .m . 12 River critters, 1 p .m . - 4 p.m. 19 Warbler walk, 1 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. 26 Wild edible weeds, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. 31 Songs of the river, 7:30 p.m.
June 1 Pond walk, 1 p.m., reservations Full moon walk, 8:30 p .m ., $2, res. 2 Minnows, 1 p.m. - 4 p .m., ongoing.
June (American Rivers Month) 2 Minn. State Parks Open House 8-9 Take a Kid Fishing, Minnesota . 15-16 Stone Arch Festival of the Arts, Minneapolis, (612) 378-1226. 22 River cleanup, Winona, (507) 4521375.
May 15 Coulee Region Sierra Club, Environmental Mgmt. Technical Center, Onalaska, 7 p.m., National Geographic filmmaker Neil Rettig of Prairie du Chien, visitors welcome. 22 Upper Mississippi River Basin Association Quarterly meeting, Bettendorf, Iowa, (612) 224-2880. 30 Conservation easement forum, Minn. Land Trust, Minneapolis, (612) 522-3743. June 13 Minn.-Wis. Boundary Area Commission, Alma, Wis., (715) 3869444, e-mail, mwbac@aol.com
Workshops & Conferences Wisconsin DNR Field trips, reservations, (608) 266-1430. May 18 Trout mgmt., Vernon Cty. June 17 Canoeing on Lower Wisconsin, Gotham, 10 a.m . - 3 p.m. July 13 Mississippi backwaters, La Crosse, 7:30 a.m. or 9:30 a.m. July 20 Goat prairie hike, Hager City, 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. July 27 Merrick State Park, Buffalo County, 10 a .m. - 4 p.m. July 24 & 27 Alternative Lawn Tours, Twin Cities, non-polluting lawn care, spons . by Friends of the Mississippi River, (612) 222-2193. August 4 -17 Iowa 150 Mississippi River Adventure canoe trip, (319) 652-5229.
ALMANAC
May 8-10 Inland Rivers, Ports & Terminals, Washington, D.C., to further the development of inland rivers transportation system, discuss reform of Endangered Species Act, Corps of Engineers funding, (573) 634-2028. 16-18 Friends of Trashed Rivers, Chicago, spons. by Coalition to Restore Urban Waters, (312) 939-0490.
June 8-12 Watershed '96: Moving ahead together, Baltimore, Water Environment Federation, EPA and others, 1800-666-0206. 13 Project WET educators workshop, Monona, Wis., (715) 346-3366. July 12-13 Spirit of Survival, annual Mississippi River Basin Alliance Conference, St. Louis, (314) 822-4114.
By Kenny Salwey, Pool 5A
The big river has gotten bigger, deeper, broader and swifter since the mid-April snow melt began along its tributaries. Water has inundated every island, lowland meadow and backwater marsh, as it has done for eons. The big river is seeking its own course. One can once again smell the earth and the waters and the green things. Bloodroot, skunk cabbage, marsh marigolds and many varieties of sedge grasses are springing up. Nice, fat bullheads are being pulled from the flooded backwater sloughs by anglers of all ages and sexes using folding chairs, campfires, lanterns and everything from cane poles to ultralight spinning rods. Spring peepers, chorus frogs and green frogs give new meaning to the words "stereophonic sound." In May the big river promises new life, h.. shness and growth by scouring, cleansing and rejuvenating all that its homeless waters touch.