Introduction

The Upper St. Croix Watershed Alliance was formed in 2006 by river and lake organizations in the Upper St. Croix - Eau Claire Rivers Watershed to protect and improve water quality and habitat within the watershed.

A series of monthly meetings was held from May through October 2006 to better understand watershed-level issues and priorities, and to lay the groundwork for a DNR Lake (Watershed) Protection Grant application.

During the winter of 2006-07, the grant application was drafted by water scientists at UW-Stevens Point who are acting as consulting partners to the Watershed Alliance.  The purpose of the grant is to fund watershed-level information gathering and analysis activities.

The Friends of the St. Croix Headwaters (FOTSCH), a qualified Non-profit Conservation Organization (NCO), was selected to submit and manage the DNR Lake Protection Grant application.

A public discussion of the grant application was held on March 21, 2007 and a review of volunteer match hours was held on April 21, 2007.

The Lake Protection grant application to provide funding for the 2008-10 period was submitted to the DNR in late April 2007 and approved in late June 2007.  The grant-funded project is "Creating regional watershed based groundwater, hydraulic, and nutrient models for local-scale use in the Upper St Croix – Eau Claire Rivers Watershed." 

Project goals and deliverables were updated in January 2008.

What's New  (Look in Library for New Documents)

• St. Croix/Gordon Flowage historic map overlay.
• Upper St. Croix River Mussel Study funded.
• These Watershed Alliance Steering Committee meeting dates have been scheduled:
  • none scheduled at this time
  Meetings are at the Solon Springs Community Center (unless noted otherwise).
• USCL Lake Management Grant 2008 Progress Report
• Watershed Grant - 2nd Qtr 2008 Progress Report
• Watershed Grant - 1st Qtr 2008 Progress Report
• US Army Corps of Engineers participates in St. Croix Headwaters Watershed Study:
  • Project Management Plan - 5/2008
• St. Croix River Basin Conservation Priorities Report - 2006
• Link to St. Croix River Basin information

St. Croix Riverfest 2008

• Citizen-based Watershed Conference was held on Friday, June 13, 2008 in Solon Springs.
  • Butch Lobermeier, Bayfield County Conservationist, was the conference moderator
  • Conference presenters included Friends of the St. Croix Headwaters, Property Owners - Barnes/Eau Claire Lakes Area, St. Croix/Gordon Flowage Association, Upper St. Croix Lake Association and West Wisconsin Land Trust
• Overview of Watershed Study

• Watershed-wide events were held on Saturday, June 14, 2008.
  • Barnes/Eau Claire Lakes Area
  • Gordon/St. Croix Flowage
  • Solon Springs/Upper St. Croix Lake