College students get right into the river during hands-on research experience led by UWRF

RIVER FALLS — While the Kinnickinnic River has been an economic engine for River Falls and the state for quite some time, college students in River Falls this summer are figuring out that there is still a lot they can learn about it.

To be more specific, seven students over the summer are gathering data for an ecological survey as members of the Dam, Analysis and Monitoring (DAM) Crew. With a combination of students from the three different Universities of Wisconsin schools in the Chippewa Valley, the project is overseen by UW-River Falls faculty.

“River Falls community had a need for monitoring ecological conditions on the Kinnickinnic, because they had to make these decisions about removing or keeping their dams,” said Jill Coleman Wasik, UWRF environmental science professor helping oversee the experience. “They went through a long process to make their decision, and eventually decided to at least remove the lower dam.”

Plans later on also included a second dam, meaning that the Junction Falls and Powell Falls dams along the river would be removed, said Coleman Wasik. In looking to see what impact this would have, the community approached UW-River Falls.

“It wasn’t a great match at first, because they needed their data collected during summer and most of our students are off doing internships, summer jobs or they go home,” she said. “We don’t necessarily have that large, consistent crew of students with us during the summer that could spend two weeks collecting all the data that was required for the monitoring plan.”

The solution: Coleman Wasik worked to write up a proposal to create a student experience program to aid in professional development, building resumes and gaining a professional network.

In a program funded by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, the DAM Crew works over a two-week period in early August alongside water science faculty and professionals while researching aspects of the Kinnickinnic River, nicknamed the Kinni. This summer marks the experience’s third year.

Leo Pierce, a DAM Crew member and UW-Eau Claire junior studying biology, said they have focused on points all along the river, as the students’ collaborative work targeted aspects like algae, riverside ecology, water temperature, sediment makeup and more.

“Along with the geomorphology, we are able to judge not only the health of the river, but the health of the river as a habitat for different organisms and plant life in general…” said Cody Helriegel, a DAM Crew member and UW-Eau Claire sophomore studying environmental public health. “Seeing it through the lens of habitat is very important with this because it is a trout river, so we have to look at what the health of it is for that population of fish.”

Part of what makes the Kinni an economic powerhouse for the region is its designation as a class one trout stream, meaning it has sufficient capabilities of sustaining wild trout populations.

Nat Beyerl, a DAM Crew member and junior from UWRF studying ecology, said, “We’re hoping that we get a baseline at the moment before the dams get removed to see what is the current geomorphology, trout habitat, the algae cover… all these sorts of different things and how they are currently affecting the river. And once the (first dam) is removed, see how fast the river health bounces back.”

“It is important to know what the current condition is, but it is also important to keep track of how the health of this system is changing as we affect these really large shifts in how the river is managed,” said Coleman Wasik. “Going from a dam system to a free-flowing system is a pretty big change, so it is important for resource managers and the city to track how those changes are going to be affecting this economically important resource.”

In that regard, research will also go on to benefit the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and other conservation groups by providing data in the future on the impact that dam removal will have on the ecological health of the stream.

Alongside Pierce, Helreigel and Beyerl, researchers in the DAM Crew also include Robert Boss, a UWRF junior studying conservation; Aurora Figard, a UW-Whitewater senior studying environmental science; Vinny Lamantia, a UWRF junior studying ecology; and Alex Kiesler, a UW-Whitewater senior studying environmental science.

While the research will provide the community and conservation groups plenty of valuable data on the Kinnickinnic, the work conducted is also an experience for the students. While each of them may have different majors or interest in different career paths, each took up the DAM Crew opportunity as a chance to strengthen their future.

“What drew me to this is that I really love our streams and rivers — and I really love the Kinnickinnic, so I figured this would be a great program to grow in my path to do river and stream restoration,” said Boss. “This experience is something that I wouldn’t be able to get in a classroom, so this has been a great experience to take part in.”