KINNICKINNIC RIVER

[gordon p]

Read this:  

https://www.milespaddled.com/2018/06/kinnickinnic-river-ii/

 

The Kinnickinnic is a trout stream but being a trib of the St. Croix I would imagine smallies visit the lower sections at some time of the year.  Either way after you read the article please do this:

https://act.americanrivers.org/page/4994/action/1

 

[gordon p]

Here is an email I got after I sent the form for support of Dam removal on the Kinni. It's from Scott Morrissette an Alderman fro River Falls Wi.  Am I being overly sensitive or do i detect a slight hint of condescension  ?

"This decision was made on February 28, 2018. The City Council took into consideration comments from ALL interested parties with specific attention to the residents and tax payers of the City of River Falls. This decision and plan to move forward represents those wishes. While I appreciate your email and position, I make my decisions with the residents and tax payers of the City of River Falls in mind, not those of  Prospect Heights, IL"

I then replied: "  . Scott, Thanks for your response. I don't know what the "decision" was however. As an avid canoeist, fisherman and..... property owner in Wisconsin since 1950 I could say I contribute to the economy of the State.  The water belongs to no person or entity,  The  Kinnickinnic is a gem. We should do all we can to keep it that way.

Cheers, Gordon

 

His response ( less condencension here )

 "The decision made was to remove the dams over a period of time. The lower, Powell dam, is scheduled to come out in 2026. The upper, Junction Falls dam, is scheduled to come out between 2035-2040. This decision was reached after 2 1/2 years of community involvement/listening/education.  

 

While the rivers are an asset for everyone, the tax payers of River Falls will directly bare the costs of removing the dams and well as other river restoration projects in the Kinni Corridor. 

 

As an elected official, my responsibility is to the citizens of the City of River Falls. It is a balance between all points of view, ecological concerns, public use and financial consideration. This decision took into consideration all those who wanted the dams removed immediately to those who wanted them to remain in perpetuity as well as all points of view in between.  The Council decided, that the decision I mentioned earlier, best represented our community’s desires with regard to the dams and more importantly, the Kinni Corridor. 

 

I would invite you to view the February 27, 2018 city council meeting.  It is available on YouTube. You will be able to see the culmination of the hard work the Kinni Corridor committee, community and council put into this decision"

 

I sent him a thank you email.

 

The dams will come out. Just wish it was sooner.

[Scott Ferguson]

You might be a bit over sensitive. His response is pretty much the same as politicians have been giving over dam removal for years.  You can’t vote for him or live on the river where the dam is.  He’ll push off any decisions until after he is out of office.

[Kev-mo]

I'd go with slightly to glaringly condescending. While his point is valid it doesn't need to be stated that way.

I'd be surprised if the tax payers of River Falls bear the full cost of the dam removal. Isn't there usually state and federal money for stuff like that?

[Mark K]

The first response was honest but unnecessarily dick-ish.

[gordon p]

And it’s “bear” not “bare”. 🤓

[Steve S.]

On 2/4/2019 at 5:51 PM, Mark K said:

The first response was honest but unnecessarily dick-ish.

Dick-ish is a good description. He could have easily left out the comment, “not those of Prospect Heights”.

Perhaps it was a knee jerk response. Do you think he initially objected to an “outsider” voicing an opinion or was it voicing an opinion contrary to his own?

[gordon p]

Steve, good question.   I admit to seeing if I could find something about Mr. Morrissette and I found him on Facebook,  He belongs to the political party which currently seems hell bent on reversing years of progress in safeguarding the environment so your second theory could have some validity. I do think he was not happy that the American Rivers set up the form that went to his office. He probably had to do this more than once.  Pity.

[Mark K]

 

I just looked at American Rivers website for the first time in a long while.

Pretty interesting.

https://www.americanrivers.org/rivers/