Wednesdays at 7pm - Paddlin' at the Pits We meet at Ada Hayden Lake on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Wednesday of each month, and at Story County's West Peterson Park on the 2nd and 4th. Until Sept 5 - Diane's "Wild Places and Faces" photography exhibit at the Story County Conservation Center, McFarland Park August 31 - GAAR! Save this date for the Great Ames Adventure Race - a paddle, bike, run event brought to you by members of the Skunk River Paddlers, Friends of Central Iowa Bicycling and the Ames Area Running Club. You'll have a great time partipating, volunteering, or just watching! Sept 3 - Iowa State University chapter of Sigma Xi 'Science Café' to explore the extremes of Iowa flooding and rainfall 7-9pm at Legends American Grill, 200 Stanton Ave. Sept 6, 20, 27/Oct 4 - NAVY DAZE - The Skunk River Navy begins it's 11th year searching for it's 47th ton of trash! "A critical aspect of keeping the navy afloat is our "SRN Veterans Administration", i.e., the admirals, captains, and experienced riverpersons first class who share their expertise (and positive attitudes!) with the new students" Contact Jim at jtcolber(~AT~)iastate.edu to enlist. Sept 13 - Storm Water Management Tour - Ames residents are invited to tour storm water management structures along College Creek. Meet at Daley Park at 9 AM. Sept 27 - "Ames, Be Cool" educational forum, 9am-3pm at the Ames Middle School. The event is free and open to all Ames residents, but pre-registration is required. October 5 - SCC Partners Fall Festival - McFarland Park October 11 - IOWATER Squaw Creek Snapshot (Save the date!) See www.paddleiowa.org/calendar.html for a complete listing of upcoming events. Journey of a lifetime By Todd Burras, Ames Tribune Outdoors Editor (05/09/2008) On May 6th Adam set off for another adventure. This time WALKING. Check on his progress at www.myriverquest.com. Council approves plan to modify low-head dam at River Valley Park By: Laura Millsaps, Ames Tribune 08/13/2008 (for background see Ames city council action form) August 2008 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale Minnesota and Wisconsin Osprey Relocation Going Well - Posted: July 22, 2008 - Follow links to Elk Rock Osprey cam! Must read - The Drowning Machines in Paddler Magazine Chad Pregracke seeking volunteers in Cedar Rapids area. Sign up at www.livinglandsandwaters.org. July 2008 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale ISU AGC Students   coordinate rides and assist in Parkersburg Local Flood photos: Squaw Creek at Cold Water Golf Course and South Duff, SE 16th Street, Skunk at SE 16th, New SE 16th Access, South Skunk at I80 near Colfax June 1-7 The Tacitus Hussey paddle trip June 5 Admiral Colbert, students rescue stranded canoeist on biology field trip June 2008 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale The May 10 Squaw Creek Snapshot data is in. See www.squawcreekwatershed.org/watershed.html. Nessie returns to Ada Hayden Lake - See Research Project Continues at Ada Hayden Lake and www.adahaydenlakeresearch.org. May 2008 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale Kayaks at play Soper's Mill 4/16/08 May 15 at 8:30pm - The IPTV "Iowa Journal" program focuses on Iowa's aging and inadequate wastewater treatment facilities. Guests Susan Heathcote, Water Program Director with the Iowa Environmental Council, and Wayne Gieselman, Division Administrator of the Environmental Services Division of the IDNR. Who speaks for the rivers? - Dave Kraemer writes about the Iowa Rivers Revival Conference (Ames Tribune 04/10/2008) and about keynote speaker Kenny Salwey (04/11/2008) Remedies to Protect Water Quality at Ada Hayden Heritage Park By: Erv Klaas, Story County Soil and Water Conservation District (04/09/2008) April 2008 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale The Pancake Paddle - Seven of us crowded in and around a booth at the Grove Cafe, and a few of us actually had the world-famous pancakes (the Iowa Arboretum breakfast having been rescheduled). Dave suggested paddling below Ames so as to minimize the potential for puncturing his "nylonhyde" kayak (see John's photos at www.riverstewards.org/pancakeweb08/). We all made the trip in one piece - this was a great time of year and flow (700 cfs at Hwy 30 gauge) to enjoy this portion of the Skunk River Water Trail! There are only a FEW 2008 PADDLE IOWA CALENDARS remaining! Pick one up at JAX Outdoor Gear or place an order by sending a check in the amount of $12 to "Paddle Iowa Calendar" - 2510 Pierce Avenue, Ames 50010. Proceeds from Paddle Iowa Calendar sales help support the projects and activities of the Skunk River Paddlers. We appreciate your support! March 2008 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale EPA approves Iowa’s water quality standards Posted: February 14, 2008 - DES MOINES — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved Iowa’s new water quality standards, adding protection to thousands of miles of Iowa streams and rivers... February 2008 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale SRN - "The main product isn't the trash, it's the people who participate" Charles City Council seeks grants for riverfront projects By MARY PIEPER, Courier Lee News Service 1/24/08 Fish Beginning to Show Stress From Old-Fashioned Winter Posted to DNR News: January 24, 2008 January 2008 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale DNR seeks citizen input to help determine proper stream designations. There are currently 279 streams proposed to be downgraded to A2, incuding favorite paddling destinations such as the North Fork of the Maquoketa and Whitewater Creek, Buffalo Creek, the English River, and the North and Middle Rivers. See the "Stream Uses Outreach Project" at http://iowa.sierraclub.org/ for state and county maps of all proposed changes. For the streams that you've paddled or otherwise recreated on, have you seen people swim, fish, canoe or tube? Have you seen children playing, or observed ANY evidence of human use? There's a short survey form at the Sierra Club website and the DNR has a similar online survey form at www.iowadnr.com/water/standards/index.html. Please provide as much detail as possible (it's also important to note when nothing has been seen) - the DNR would like to have all available information for a stream be brought forward and considered in this process. The deadline for public comment on these changes HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO JANUARY 2nd. (See the IOWATER Informational email for background information and additional links). River fans fear Iowa will make waters less safe By Perry Beeman • Register Staff Writer • December 24, 2007 THANK YOU to the 27 volunteers that participated in the IOWATER Squaw Creek Snapshot! We sampled 52 sites in the watershed, and in a steady drizzle. The results are in and the E coli readings were significantly higher than those of previous snapshots. See OCTOBER 2007 SNAPSHOT RESULTS or contact rick(~AT~)squawcreekwatershed.org for more information. December 2007 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale Among several recent updates to the IWC website is a new Iowa Low Head Dam Reference guide. The guide lists most of the dams in the state with additional information about each dam. Have a look and bookmark this new resource. State panel suggests waterway cleaning plans A state panel unveiled a plan Wednesday to clean Iowa's waterways by offering an elaborate round of watershed assessments and creating a state council to address water issues. Des Moines Register, Thursday, November 29, 2007 DNR News - DNR Adds Watershed Projects to Note Soil and Water Conservation Week The DNR is recommending that the Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) approve grants for ongoing efforts and six new watershed projects that will improve Iowa's streams, rivers and lakes. Posted: November 20, 2007 DNR - Zebra Mussels Found at Lake Rathbun Posted: October 30, 2007. Zebra mussels are one example of an aquatic invasive species that has hitchhiked its way into Iowa. Information about aquatic invasive species and a list of infested waters can be found online at www.iowadnr.gov/fish. November 2007 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale Searching rivers for redemption "Kayaking down North America's waterways, Adam Brooks lost weight and found his soul"   By Mike Kilen, Register Staff Writer October 17, 2007 Story City dam 8/25/07 - Several of us have been playing at Story City at various levels (800-1100cfs at the Ames gauge), and it seems to offer something interesting at many different levels! (new photos) (old photos) Rivers soak up pollution from Iowa's aging sewers By Perry Beeman, Register Staff Writer 8/26/2007 Aug 18 - River Run Garbage Grab a big success! (photos) (summary) Clean Rivers Team - '07 photos Ames draft wastewater permit approved by council By: Luke Jennett 08/15/2007 Mill Artifact found near Hannum Dam - Ames Historical Society Newsletter article by Jim Graham. RIVERKEEPERS - A Des Moines Register Series by Mike Kilen, staff writer: Aug 5 - Iowa rivers receive flood of support, Chad Pregracke, The man who's leading the river cleanups   Aug 6 - A life-changing day on the water soothed Robin Fortney and she was hooked. (Slide Show)   Aug 8 - Native son returns to value Iowa's hushed, tame beauty August 1 - Story City dam conversion project completed! (photos) August 2007 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale July 27 - A new Yahoo Group, skrcatchrelease, advocates for catch and release of Smallmouth Bass on the South Skunk near Ames. "Hello, I'm a meteorological station." Have you met the "monster" on the south lake at Ada Hayden? Iowa State researchers are studying how nutrients and other pollutants from the lake’s boundaries become mixed with its interior. Real-time data, including wind speed and direction, water temperature, air temperature and relative humidity, will soon be available on a web site. The research is being funded by a National Science Foundation Grant. PROJECT AWARE PHOTOS, passed along by Nick! NEW GAAR PHOTOS: Prerace, Paddle, BikeRun, MooseLodge Adam began his Missouri River Journey on May 14th and returned July 7th with lots of great stories - see www.myriverquest.com! He reached KC on the weekend of June 30th, at the same time Dave, Travis & I were in town for the Gritty Fitty. But we were unaware, and missed him. Sorry Adam! PLEASE leave the Skunk for others to enjoy! That is, leave it BETTER than you found it! A month ago Todd Burras wrote in "State's anglers urged to clean up their act" about a DNR Press Release scolding fisherman for their habit of leaving behind beverage and bait containers, fishing line, tackle, and the assorted packaging from such items. The DNR Fisheries Bureau Chief had described anglers as "lazy" and "disrespectful lawbreakers", accusing them of being "the worst of the worst" of outdoor groups in cleaning up after themselves. He'll have no argument from those of us that routinely pick up after such people, but there's another outdoor group which by comparison makes fisherman look GOOD! Those folks who are out for a relaxing day of sunshine on the river, often floating on children's beach toys while enjoying adult beverages, who somehow find it acceptable to leave said beach toys, cans, bottles, and other trash behind - along the river and at the various access points. We're happy to see people out enjoying the river but we also hope that they will be responsible users, and that some of them at least will learn to appreciate the resource and help protect it. Please be responsible adults and properly dispose of your unwanted items! DNR Asks for help in determining how Iowa's streams are used A short online survey requests documentation of existing recreational uses including swimmimng, wading, fishing, canoeing/kayaking and tubing. The DNR will consider these survey results when determining the appropriate level of protection for each stream. Please take a few moments to fill out a form for each of the streams and stream segments you are familiar with! From the Sierra Club, Iowa Chapter: The timing is right for a public outreach campaign in support of the recreational uses made of Iowa's rivers and streams. The Use Attainability Assessment process can be heavily influenced by public input describing specific personal uses of the water resources and these survey results will help determine the level of pollution protection that streams and rivers will receive. The first round of 200 stream assessments and recommended designations will be acted upon during the spring and summer of 2007. (The DNR has posted a status list of current UAA's at www.iowadnr.com/water/files/uaa_log.pdf.)   Download the Sierra Club survey here. A fishable, swimmable, river Ames Tribune Editorial 06/28/2007 Groups get funding to install rain gardens By: Heidi Marttila-Losure 06/27/2007 Numbers Grow, So Does Trash on Project AWARE by Joe Wilkinson June 26, 2007 CONGRATS AND THANKS to all Great Ames Adventure Race participants and volunteers! Race results have been posted to the GAAR website. Be sure to congratulate Travis, Eric, Diane, Denny, Carolyn, Dave and Jim on their finishes, and all the GAAR volunteers and event organizers for their help in making it such a GREAT event! (Story and photos in the Ames Tribune) Tips for safe canoeing on rivers By: Steve Lekwa, Story County Conservation Director06/15/2007 State's anglers urged to clean up their act By: Todd Burras, Outdoors Editor 06/08/2007 Witnesses to climate change By: Laura Pieper 06/01/07. Ames High and ISU graduate Elizabeth Andre shared stories and pictures of the Global Warming 101 Baffin Island Expedition. Army National Guard airlifts out river junk Chinook helicopter hauls away huge chemical tank - By Perry Beeman, Register Staff Writer May 23, 2007. Anglers Trashing Shoreline is Major Problem Posted: May 22, 2007 to www.iowadnr.com Take steps to increase dam safety in Iowa Put up warning signs, build portage trails. Register Editorial Board May 17, 2007 Iowa's impaired waterways list adds 135 By: Charlotte Eby, Capitol News Service 05/02/2007   (Iowa Section 303(d) Impaired Waters Listings) Iowa River on "American Rivers" endangered list Charlotte Eby, Capitol News Service 04/17/2007 Rains Overwhelm Wastewater Systems Across Iowa Ames 4/27/07: Two lift stations have bypassed in the City of Ames. The Highway 30 East lift station began bypassing untreated wastewater at 8 a.m. Friday and is expected to end bypassing when the South Skunk River recedes. The lift station on Orchard Drive began bypassing Wednesday evening after heavy rainfall flooded the lift station causing a mechanical problem. The Orchard Drive bypass is expected to end Friday evening. The Ames wastewater treatment plant normally receives about 5.5 million gallons of wastewater per day to treat. Following heavy rains, the plant has been receiving about 30 million gallons per day. Reconnect with rivers, our great, untapped asset   By Richard Doak, Des Moines Register April 15, 2007 - "Iowans are rediscovering their rivers. It might be one of the best things to happen here in a long time." No news to us, but it's always great to see it in the paper! Great article. Matt Neznanski: Vacation on the river   Ames Tribune 02/22/2007 WAKING UP IOWA to the gift of it's rivers - Many are catching on to the idea   By David Kraemer, Ames Tribune 02/09/2007 Changes in water quality permit place stricter limits on Story City   By Megan Wahl, Ames Tribune 02/09/2007 February 2007 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale CITY OF BLAIRSBURG DISCHARGING WASTEWATER Jan 25, 2007 Ames and Story City wastewater disinfection update (BRIEFLY!) - The Ames Water Pollution Control (WPC) staff gave a presentation on this topic at the November 28th City Council meeting but no action was taken by council. It makes sense to obtain a new permit before beginning any plant improvements, as WPC staff recommends, but Ames has been operating under an expired NPDES permit since 1999. That 1994 permit, in it's original form, was contested by Ames with the eventual outcome being that the contested limits were removed. Current limits for ammonia and CBDO5 go back to a permit issued in 1986. It's long past time to remedy this situation. We need to ensure that a new NPDES permit is a priority for both Ames and the DNR in 2007, and lobby for the A1 designation. A Use Attainability Analysis (UAA) is currently being conducted to determine the stream designation, A1 or A2, and resulting standard for bacteria (a requirement under the new state water quality standards). The DNR's draft Recreational UAA Protocol explains this in detail and a template for submitting documentation of existing uses is available (email rick(~at~)skunkriverpaddlers.org). It should be noted that over the life of the plant Ames WPC staff have consistently and significantly exceeded permit requirements, and they acknowledge that disinfection will soon be required. - In regards to the Story City permit, there are some concerns with the current draft NPDES permit, but it appears that they will be required to disinfect again beginning in March 2007. Sustainable Natural Resource Funding Advisory Committee - Preliminary Sustainable Funding Report January 2007 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale Water Magic, My First Paddle, Project AWARE 2007, and Liquid Highways to Adventure! Read about them all in the IOWATER Newsletter! 12/13/06 - Dave gave a ppt presentation of the Skunk River Water Trail project(s) to the Iowa DNR's Water Trails Advisory Committee at a meeting in Ames. There were several agenda items of special interest - a new DNR dam signage program and budget, a new DNR program to provide assistance with launch/landing construction, and a proposal for a voluntary alternative electronic registration system for canoes and kayaks. The electronic registration would cost slightly more than the current system but would have several advantages, among them being that the registration number would not have to be displayed. To receive regular updates from the water trails program send an email to "watertrails(~AT~)dnr.state.ia.us". 12/9/06 - Thanks to Adam and Becker Gravel for their time and donation of rock for the Story City project. And thanks to Manatt's Inc. for hauling the approximately 200 tons of rock to two stockpile areas near the dam - also as a donation! Bids for construction should be going out soon. Clean Rivers Team Update - In three public cleanup events the Clean Rivers Team logged more than 113 miles on the river. Total tallies included 98 tires and 5 appliances. More than a ton of metal was recycled! Can't reach "www.paddleiowa.org"? Technical difficulties have caused it to be unavailble at times. If you find this to be the case, try www.skunkriverpaddlers.org/paddleiowa or www.iowawhitewater.org/cip. Waffle Ph-Ph-Phloat Fotos! Mother Nature cooperated Dec 2nd by making the annual event a true winter paddling experience! Temps were in low 20's, and a 20+ mph breeze added to the effect. Part of the group opted to wash their waffles down with a beer in Polk City rather than fight the wind and whitecaps, and you can't fault them for having good sense! December 2006 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale IOWATER_News_Nov_2006.pdf - Informational E-mail from Brian Soenen Skunk River Navy completes fall mission By: Steve Lekwa, Story County Conservation director 11/03/2006 - More on bacteria, and antibiotics, in the South Skunk November 2006 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale Should Ames disinfect? A letter to the Ames City Council. Fall 2006 Skunk River Navy Summary, a letter from Jim to SRN participants. Anglers, hunters could get burned by biofuels By: Bob Marshall, Special to The Tribune 10/20/2006 E. coli levels in Skunk River unsafe in 2000 By: Jeff Raasch, Ames Tribune 10/20/2006 Water woes? By: Jeff Raasch, The Tribune 10/21/2006 October Squaw Creek Snapshot data:   IOWATER_UHL_data_Oct_2006.pdf,   E. coli results_map.jpg,   insetmap.jpg,   UHL_Results.pdf. October 14th Squaw Creek Snapshot - Over 30 volunteers, including 5 paddlers, participated in the first ever Squaw Creek IOWATER Snapshot! We sampled 45 sites in the watershed, from Hwy 175 near Stratford to South Duff Ave in Ames. Snapshots provide a glimpse of an entire watershed at one point in time and can help to identify the source of elevated readings recorded during regular sampling. Snapshot events also help to increase public awareness and involve the local community in water quality issues. Photos of the event are at www.squawcreekwatershed.org. Photos from the 2006 Grove to Grove Lower Wapsipinicon River Cleanup Project - Nearly 6 Tons of trash removed by 25 Wapsi River Cleanup Volunteers! October 2006 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale Newly built trail lets travelers portage around deadly spot in river 9/25/06 (photos) Johnston acts to reduce pollution from runoff (Ames also has a storm water quality management program, a requirement under the EPA's NPDES program) September 2006 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale August 2006 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale Adam made it! (No surprise there) Check www.myriverquest.com for the latest. July 2006 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale Project AWARE Volunteers look for trash along the Iowa River, Iowa City Press-Citizen, June 19. Watch for further reports at www.iowaprojectaware.com The new DNR Land Ownership Guide for Watershed Cleanups provides a good explanation of your rights (and responsibilties) on Iowa's Waterways. If you don't already understand the terms "meandered" and "non-meandered", "navigable" and "activities incidental to navigation", you should take a look! June 2006 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale Photos by Don and John from the May 20 IWC Clean Rivers Team Raccoon River Clean-up May 2006 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale Skunk River Navy receives the 2005 Governor's Iowa Environmental Excellence Award - also http://www.las.iastate.edu/newnews/srnaward.shtml Public Float on Squaw Creek   We had 20 boats (26 paddlers) on Squaw Creek April 9th. Thanks to ISU Rec Services and JAX Outdoor Gear for the boats, and to everyone that helped and participated. April 2006 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale Panel won't block new pollution limits - DM Register 3/13/2006   (more on Iowa Water Quality from the Des Moines Register) Paddle Iowa Calendars still available! Help support our efforts to enhance paddling on the South Skunk and throughout Iowa. Cost is $10, or $12 w/ shipping (contact rick or greg @skunkriverpaddlers.org). March 2006 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale January 2006 Minutes from Annual Meeting February 2006 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale New - Check out Adam's "River Quest" website at   www.myriverquest.com January 2006 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale December 18th Des Moines Register Editorial Adopt stricter standards for Iowa waters December 2005 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale 2005 River Access Workday totals - Over 40 volunteers, including scouts and the Skunk River Navy, contributed 350 hours of labor towards our grant match! Many thanks to these volunteers as well as to SCC staff, the County Engineer and Road Dept, US Filter, Manatt's, First Class Signs, Munn Lumber, and to the local grocers and restaurants that sustained the volunteers. Beverages and food were donated by Cub Foods, Fareway, Hy-Vee Lincoln Center, Hy-Vee West, Wheatsfield, Dutch Oven Bakery, Flying Burrito, Subway (Orion Dr) and Casey's (Gilbert) and the Grove Cafe. We appreciate their contributions and support. November 2005 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale The SRN 2005 season also ended October 8th. From the summary by Jim Colbert: 142 person-days of service on roughly 6 miles of the Skunk and Squaw produced over 9,980 lbs of trash! An additional cleanup of a ravine near the Skunk produced over five pickup loads of trash and appliances. October 2005 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale Rain-Soaked Volunteers Clean Upper Iowa River in the IA DNR news. Good Samaritan pulls nearly 100 tires from Des Moines River! - Read about fellow CIP member Don Propst in the September 13th Des Moines Register article "Officer suspects trouble, catches man doing good" IA DNR Director Jeff Vonk writes about AWARE, river trash, and water trails in the Iowa Conservationist. September 2005 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale August Apostle Islands photos from Scott At their August 15 meeting the Environmental Protection Commission approved a Notice of Intended Action which proposes changes to the state water quality standards. The changes would bring the state into compliance with EPA requirements under the federal Clean Water Act, including the "rebuttable presumption" of "Fishable/Swimmable" on all lakes and perennial streams. We can and should voice our support for these changes. More information at Big Changes on the PaddlingIowa.com forum August 13 - We completed seven more stairs at the Anderson Canoe Access and have just a couple more to go to finish that portion of the project. They look pretty good & have already drawn some compliments! August 2005 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale White Rock...my aching arms, legs and feet - report from the PaddlingIowa.com forum and in the Coon Rapids Enterprise Reports from the IWC Swiftwater Rescue Clinic - on the PaddlingIowa.com forum Report on July 17 Squaw Creek Paddle from Jim Colbert. The Squaw Creek Watershed Coalition had a good turnout & successful Public Float on Squaw Creek. With the creek "raging" at 26 cfs, it took (only) 2 1/2 - 3 hours to paddle from Brookside to the Youth Sports Complex. We were out of the canoes quite a lot, walking shallow riffles, but the water was clear, and the streambed sandy (or gravel). What better way to spend a hot July afternoon? July 2005 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale Eaglets could fly on the Fourth - Ames Tribune 07/01/2005 Manatt's builds portage as tribute to one of their own - Ames Tribune 06/28/2005 and Low-head dams must be removed, Ames Tribune 07/05/2005 Little Sioux Shines after Weeklong River Cleanup - Project AWARE Press Release! and Project AWARE finds many problems in the Little Sioux River - by Jim Colbert June 2 - IWC members meet at River Valley Park in Ames (photos) SCC Canoe Raffle & Ames eaglet update - Ames Tribune June 2005 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale May 28 - JAX Outdoor Gear will sponsor a canoe and kayak demonstration from noon to 4pm at Ada Hayden Heritage Park. Representatives from Mad River Canoe and Wilderness Systems will be on hand. For more information, call Marshall Toms at 292-2276. May 23 - New legislation signed by Vilsack May 21 - Six area paddlers have a succesful 27+ mile round trip to the caves on Devils Island, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (photos) May 14 - Four stalwart paddlers met on a wind-chilly Saturday morning to place a new "DAM AHEAD" sign near the US Filter Dam. Maybe it was just as well that Manatt's couldn't be there, because the river (at 2150 cfs) would have somewhat limited what they intend to do. We did cut some small trees and brush, and cleared the area of an historic bridge abutment. We'll plan to finish up after Manatt's has reshaped the bank and portage path. And we'll get back to finish up at Askew (2430 cfs). (I was curious & had to see how it looked!   - rd) May 7 - We had 19 paddlers on the annual Skunk River Float! Friday night rains brought the river up to a peak of 430cfs at mid-day, but the weather cooperated for us & local historian Jim Graham shared some of his knowledge of the Soper's and Hannum's Mill sites. It was a great day to be out! Scott has shared a few photos at Skunk River - May 2005.   (See Skunk River Water Trail) Eaglets spotted along South Skunk River Ames Tribune 5/2/05 May 2005 Skunk River Paddlers Monthly Update by Greg Vitale May 1 - Eight paddlers assisted well over 50 guests into canoes at the SCC Partners Spring Festival. We were surprised by the turnout, given the cold, wintery conditions. Don, Travis, and Dan were giving rides most of the afternoon - those people were wise to accept the help! Thanks to all! April 23 - As part of the annual Stash the Trash event, seven paddlers spent part of their Saturday morning cleaning up our adopted park, Sleepy Hollow. While at the dam we discussed options for portage paths and dam modifications. (photo) As a result of the tragic death of Tom Manatt at the US Filter dam, we've been asked to complete our work there as soon as possible. Manatt's Inc will assist in making improvements to the portage path and we'll be installing warning and portage signs. The work will be scheduled for May 14th.   Dave wrote a thoughtful column about Tom's death in the April 19th Ames Tribune, and Nate has posted it to the Paddling Iowa forum. WAPSI PHOTOS BY JOHN!   John wrote: Wow! What a fabulous time it was paddling with all of you. To you wonderful women from Illinois, I would like to say "ROCK ON!" It was so great paddling with you! Thanks for helping clean our rivers, too!   More comments from Sandy Mid April 2005 Skunk River Paddlers Update by Greg Vitale April Water Trail workday - Askew Bridge Work Report by Greg Vitale   Work days are scheduled for the second Saturday of each month through October. Locations to be announced. Squaw Creek float - On Sunday April 10th the Squaw Creek Watershed Coalition co-sponsored a public float on Squaw Creek. JAX Outdoor & ISU Outdoor Rec made boats available free of charge, and over 35 people floated approximately 5 miles from Veenker Golf Course to the Youth Sports Complex. The purpose of the float was simply to get people out on Squaw Creek to have fun, and thanks to the cooperation and assistance of everyone involved, the event was a great success! (We anticipate sponsoring another on July 2nd or 3rd)   (Canoe Trip Flier) 3/2/2005 Upcoming March Events & February's Recap, by Greg Vitale Impaired waters - What does that mean? by Steve Lekwa, Story County Conservation Director (Ames Tribune 3/04/05) February Water Trail workday - 2/19/05 GREAT DAY! Much was accomplished on this first water trail workday, thanks to the many volunteers that participated. The reward for some of us was an early season float, Soper's to Sleepy Hollow (photos).   Story County Conservation Director Steve Lekwa wrote of the accomplishments in Pining to get outdoors (Ames Tribune February 25, 2005). Water Trail workdays will be held throughout 2005 on the second Saturday of each month (May - October), as part of the "match" for the Federal Trails Grant awarded to Story County Conservation. Paddlers will meet at Sleepy Hollow for a clean-up of our Adopted Park before traveling to the worksite. Plan to join us for an early breakfast at the Grove Cafe, 124 Main, downtown Ames. Pohl State Preserve workdays   Work days will take place at the Pohl (High School) Prairie every Saturday throughout March, plus April 16th and 23rd beginning at 9am, weather permitting. Volunteers will be removing buckthorn and honeysuckle and burning brush piles. Contact Erv Klaas, (515) 233-3327, eklaas(~AT~)iastate.edu. Squaw Creek Watershed Coalition Annual Meeting, 6:30pm Monday March 21st, Ames Public Library Minutes from the Skunk River Paddlers 2005 Annual Meeting 2/4/2005 SRP Monthly Update, by Greg Vitale PaddlingIowa.com   January 1st marked the launch of an all new community website for Iowa paddlers.   Check out this new project by Nate Hoogeveen and Brian Stroner. (And don't miss Waterwatch: Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation & other great articles in The Iowa Paddler)! Admiral in charge   Jim Colbert recently was named the 2004 recipient of the Olav Smedal Conservation Award 2005 Paddle Iowa Calendar   Still available in limited quantities - the Paddle Iowa Calendar featuring photos of Iowa streams and all the 2005 Iowa paddling events we could predict. Proceeds will help fund river-related recreation and conservation projects. Contact greg or rick @skunkriverpaddlers.org. Iowa's Rivers Cookbook   The Iowa Whitewater Coalition's cookbook is available at CanoeSport Outfitters, JAX Outdoor Gear, and from IWC members. Proceeds from the sale of this book will be used for river-related recreation and conservation projects in Iowa. Iowa Master Conservationist Program: Story County Conservation and Story County Extension will again sponsor a Master Conservationist Program, beginning Tuesday April 26th at 6pm. The Iowa Master Conservationist Program was developed by Story County Conservation in 1997 for citizens interested in the sustainability of Iowa's natural resources and becoming better stewards of Iowa's resources. Register now - you'll be glad you did it! The Iowan   The September/October 2004 issue features great articles by Nate Hoogeveen and Larry Stone on The State of Iowa's Water. Pick up a copy or subscribe at the above link. NEW: The Iowa Bicycle Coalition, INHF expands Upper Iowa River protection Project AWARE "Fair Catch" sculpture story by Bob Modersohn, Des Moines Register. Skunk Navy dives for trash, by Mike Kilen, Des Moines Register Keeping water clean, by Matt Neznanski, Ames Tribune   Protecting Ada Hayden Lake Paddling Iowa by Nate Hoogeveen   This must-have guidebook is available at CanoeSport Outfitters and at JAX/Ames Outdoor Gear. Packed with 96 top trips, detailed maps, and tons of useful information and resources, you'll need only this book and a road map to begin exploring Iowa's wild stream corridors. The ads finally became too much and SRP has moved to a paid web-host. You'll see a few changes here and may find links that take you back to the old site (or nowhere at all). Consider it a work in progress.   Be sure to check out the "hotspot" links in the new Rivers and Lakes map! (also a work in progress) Cool sites: Portrait of Iowa's Vegetation Communities, Iowa Gap Analysis www.skunkriverpaddlers.org