“Cold, Clean and Free . . . Forever!”
The slogan above was part of the message in a Resolution the KRLT Board delivered to the River Falls City Council at the start of the City of River Falls Kinni Corridor Committee Planning process. It is but part of the audacious challenge KRLT embraced 25 years ago to conserve and protect the Kinni and its watershed for future generations. While the majority of the stream is healthy and supports tremendous numbers of trout, dam removal emerged as the most immediate action that could be taken to assure the long-term health of the river.
During that 25 years, the KRLT board of directors, staff, landowners, volunteers, supporters and like-minded conservation organizations have succeeded in protecting over 3,000 acres of land, 10 miles of Kinni shoreline and over 5 miles of shoreline on key tributaries. As we celebrate our silver anniversary, KRLT and its allies can find hope in a shared vision with the City of a free-flowing river. The issue is when. We are committed to working with the City to find environmentally sound and fiscally prudent means to expedite the dam removal process.
Protecting our landscapes, ground water flow and quality of surface water are key and critical to the health of the Kinni. We can take heart in the fact that we are not alone in fighting the battle to preserve our beautiful river. Numerous citizens, students, elected officials, organizations and agencies have joined in the effort. We are well-known and respected for the work we have done. We will continue to lead conservation efforts by example and actions.
Thank you to all of our supporters over the past 25 years. The success of KRLT is a testament to how strongly the Kinni flows through the hearts of each and every one of you! Please enjoy reflecting upon the Kinni and remember to look ahead to a future where the hope continues to be: Cold, Clean and Free . . . Forever!
2006 – Richard and Finette Magnuson donate a conservation easement on 10 acres of land south of lower Kinnickinnic canyon.
KRLT purchases remaining 14 acres and “Kinni Cabin” from Rasmussen Family and Mary Jane Madden.
2007 – KRLT purchases conservation easement on 195 acres on Lyle and Roberta Johnson’s farm located in Towns of River Falls and Clifton.
KRLT purchases 45.5 acres from Eric and Jerilyn Jackson in lower Kinnickinic canyon to establish public fishing access to the Kinni Canyon.
2008 – As part of the Kinnickinnic River Priority Watershed program, KRLT works to improve the water quality of the South Fork subwatershed by assisting landowners with implementing conservation practices on their properties focused on reducing erosion and stabilizing stream banks. (The South Fork has become one of the best brook trout fisheries in Wisconsin!)
2009 – KRLT is the first Wisconsin land trust to be awarded national accreditation by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.
KRLT, with the assistance of many partnering groups, purchases 204 acres from Vern and Becky Nagel in St. Croix County. KRLT donates the property to the WDNR for inclusion in the Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area.
2010 – KRLT partners with Wisconsin DNR and Kinni Chapter of Pheasants Forever to acquire 232 acres from the Manion family in Town of Clifton. 158.4 acres is transferred to DNR as wildlife management area with the remainder of the property sold to private landowners with conservation easements.
Thanks to partnerships with private individuals, state and federal grants and the support of the McNeely Foundation, KRLT protects 3 strategic land parcels totaling 542 acres both up and downstream from the City of River Falls. The total cost of these properties is $3,630,996. KRLT borrows $801,000 from the McNeely Foundation with payment due March 30, 2018.
2011 – KRLT and WDNR initiate planning process to establish Swinging Gate Fish & Wildlife Area consisting of 158 acres between Highway 65 and Quarry Road. This permanently protects this critical habitat from residential subdivision, thus implementing a key growth control strategy to protect the Upper River Corridor.
2012 – KRLT completes the School District of River Falls’ School Forest Protection Project. KRLT was able to protect the 55 acre School Forest property with a permanent conservation easement and facilitate a protected land exchange with neighbors Lyle and Roberta Johnson.
2013 – KRLT finalizes its first urban project with the acquisition and protection of 4.34 acres of land and 700 feet of Kinni River frontage on Riverside Drive in the City of River Falls. In partnership with attorney Chuck Bye and the City, KRLT secures State Stewardship funding for the purchase and then transfers the property to the City with a conservation easement in place.
KRLT successfully completes monitoring of 32 easements and 3 properties with a team of 20 volunteers. More than 2,000 acres of land were monitoried by volunteers who spent in excess of 150 hours of their time doing the work. Monitoring was previously done by KRLT staff.
2014 – Seven super volunteers product the first annual River Falls Fly Fishing Festival (R4F) and give all $2,410 proceeds to KRLT!
Kinni Guardian memberships are established to provide critical operating support.
2015 – KRLT is the first Wisconsin land trust to be awarded national accreditation renewal by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.
Heavy emphasis is placed on managing operations to retire debt with leadership from Dale Jorgenson and Judie Babcock and other KRLT board members. An active, hands-on board was key to sustaining this organization.
2016 – Michael Miller and Susan Goode donate a conservation easement on 14+ acres of lower Kinni blufflands.
With major support from the McKnight Foundation and Wisconsin DNR, the KRLT completes a Community Report on the Kinnickinnic Priority Watershed Project and a Kinnickinnic River Watershed Strategic Action Plan. The Report summarizes the results of ten years of Kinni watershed work and the Strategic Plan establishes a new Kinni Watershed Partnership and charts ongoing and future efforts to manage the watershed.
2017 – Live stream monitoring technology comes to the lower Kinni through the cooperative funding efforts of KRLT, the US Geological Service and the City of River Falls. The monitoring system is in place just north of the Co. F Bridge. Water depth and clarity in real time can be checked on KRLT’s website.
The Kinni Corridor Planning process is established. KRLT Executive Director Dave Fodroczi is a key committee member.
2018 – Our 25th Year! Thanks to leadership-level gifts from the Wilkening and Drewiske families and other private donors, KRLT is now debt-free and moving forward to ensure our “special places” can be protected and conserved responsibly now, and in generations to come.
It has been an honor to follow in the footsteps of so many who have done so much for so long to help preserve and enhance the extraordinary natural resource we have in the Kinnickinnic River. As KRLT enters its 25th year with full knowledge of the challenges we face to conserve and protect the river for future generations, it is helpful to know we are carrying on work that began in the early 1950’s . . . three generations ago.