Welcome! The Little Plover River recently made state and national news when the combination of drought and groundwater pumping dried-up stretches of the stream and caused a die-off of fish and other aquatic animals, The Friends of the Little Plover River have written Community Currents to provide information on just what the Little Plover River is and why it is important to our community in an effort to save and restore the River to its former health. ‘The Little Plover starts in the town of Stockton, just below the terminal moraine, flows west through the village of Plover, forms the Springville Pond, and then joins the Wisconsin River. This river gets about 90% of its water from groundwater, which bubbles up from the ground to wetlands and springs along the river corridor. The cold groundwater allows the stream to support a ccoldwater ecosystem that includes a native, naturally reproducing Brook Trout population. This, combined with its scenic beauty and recreational opportunities, thas made the Little Plover a community treasure for decades. “Between 300 and 500. men ‘and boys fished the Little Plover River when the season opened at midnight last night. Gazette, April 15, 1896 ) But the stream seems to have deteriorated, especially over the last few years, and concems are arising about what the Little Plover will look like in 20 years. The time is now for good community stewards to ‘work together to restore the river to its former health, Line Plover Rint Ag 205 dri te esd Ion pn ner rte ed ee se) ae ammn OeY TTT SOLER EL Summer of 2005 The Little Plover River faces a serious problem of reduced flow that has been getting worse over the years, and was highlighted by events last summer. Predictions that the Little Plover mi up came to pass in the summer of 200! when the effects of drought and high- capacity well pumping caused parts ofthe river to dry up. Since flow measurements began in the 1950's, never before have flows been so low, despite the other severe droughts that occurred over the decades. The 2005 dry-up was so severe that brook trout died in the pools where they congregated as the stream dried-up around them. The health ofthe fishery will likely be affected for years. The catastrophic event of summer 2005 is a sad chapter in Little Plover history, but has also served as a wake-up call. With action now, we can save this gem of a stream for the future generations that will live here.What's the Cause? ‘The dry-up and fish-kill of 2005 were dramatic events that spotlighted how the Little Plover River flows hhave become unhealthy. What's the cause? Certainly drought conditions in 2005 naturally reduced flows compared to average, but drought never before dried-up the stream completely. What was different in 2005 is that the amount of groundwater being pumped by high capacity wells in the Little Plover watershed was probably at an alltime high. Pumping from high capacity wells diverts water from streams (see box to right) and puts it into our ‘municipalities, homes, and farms. When too much ‘water is pumped, too much flow is taken from the stream, No flow means no fish, nor other aquatic Flow =Fish The questions has been raised, “should we just write- off the Little Plover River as the price for growth?” ‘The answer, we think, is a plain and emphatic “NO!” By being a little smarter in the way we pump and use water, we CAN save the Little Plover while fueling a reasonable amount of community growth. No question about it. Please Join Us! Saving the Little Plover is solvable problem, but its, going to take the involvement of the community. A. group of concemed citizens, the Friends of the Little Plover River, have come together to work towards the goal of protecting this gem of a stream for future generations. We need you to join us! Please contact us at: Name: Barb Gifford Phone: 715.344.3539 E-mail: barbaragifford@charter.net corte Actes