UW-River Falls creative writing major Eli Nord fly fishes the Kinnickinnic River. File photo by Kathy M. Helgeson

Kinni Watershed Partnership community forum April 24

April 4, 2018 - The Kinnickinnic Watershed Partnership will host a community forum on Tuesday, April 24, from 5-8 p.m. at Junior’s Restaurant and Tap House, 414 S. Main St., River Falls. The forum is free and open to the public. 

Community members are invited to engage in conversation about current land use activities in the watershed and share their interests for the future of the watershed. The partner organizations will highlight their research, outreach and related activities that are contributing to the sustainability of the watershed.

The Kinnickinnic River known locally as the “Kinni” is a spring fed, cold water stream 22 miles in length.  It is classified as an Outstanding Resource Water and Class 1 Trout Stream by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) due to its exceptional water quality and naturally reproducing trout fishery.  The surrounding landscape features rolling farmland, limestone bluff canyons, and unique plant and wildlife habitats.

In 2016 area organizations and agencies with an interest in the Kinni came together over a series of meetings. They agreed that ongoing coordination was essential to successfully implement a strategic plan for the watershed and created the Kinni Watershed Partnership. The partners, most of which will be represented at the forum, include the City of River Falls, Pierce and St. Croix counties, Kinnickinnic River Land Trust, National Park Service, St. Croix River Association, Trout Unlimited, Wisconsin DNR, University of Wisconsin-Extension and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

For more information, email Veronica Justen, associate professor of crop science at UW-River Falls, at veronica.justen@uwrf.edu.