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From June 14th through June 17th, I was able to paddle on the river each day. On the 14th, LWSRB members Bill Lundberg, Jerry Dorscheid and Ron Leys along with DNR Interim Riverway Forester Mike Finlay and I paddled the Spring Green to Lone Rock segment. On June 15th, Richland County Zoning Administrator Mike Bindl and I paddled the Gotham to Port Andrew segment to review local shoreland zoning issues. June 16th was the annual Sauk Prairie River PAL outing from Mazomanie to Arena with talks from Fred Madison on river geology, Curt Meine on the birth of the State Natural Areas program and me on the Black Hawk War of 1832. The consecutive paddling streak wrapped up on Father’s Day with a trip from Gotham to Muscoda where my son Samuel and I engaged in a minnow rescue. All were wonderful trips, although the stiff westerly winds on Saturday were irksome. Each trip was magnificent in its own way. The LWSRB member trip was important to see the successful application of the Riverway regulations to new structures, utility facilities, timber harvests and other management activities. The showpiece being the new Wisconsin Riverside Resort and banquet facility that is a true demonstration of private sector/public sector cooperation in protecting scenic beauty while stimulating economic development and tourism. The Friday trip with Mike Bindl covered about 15 miles of river and allowed us to review Riverway regulations and county shoreland/floodplain regulations, the former administered by the LWSRB and the latter by Mike’s office. The wildlife show on this trip was amazing, including a lot of cool eagle sightings. On Saturday, the Sauk Prairie River PAL trip was a combo of a fun day and educational opportunity to reward the volunteers who work hard on the upper end of the Riverway with clean-ups, invasive species control and youth education. I was honored to be one of the three guest speakers for the day and had a good time with the fellow river enthusiasts on the trip. Another good wildlife day and outstanding scenery. Sunday was a special Father’s Day treat for me. It was a hot day and what better place to be than the river. Eagles, herons, kingfishers, sandhill cranes, a myriad of song birds, a plethora of turtles and the “minnow rescue.” We stopped on a sandbar and saw a rapidly diminishing pool of water had trapped a bunch of tiny fish which were destined to meet their maker in a short while. We improvised with a water bottle and made a sluice, a modern day fish trap, and released the little guys back to the river where they likely will become fodder for the next step up the food chain. But…at least they have a chance! Take a look at some of the images from the quadruple header!!! 
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