January 2012

TOPIC:  Impacts of Water Levels on the Upper Yahara River Wetlands

SPEAKER:  Russ Hefty

WHEN:  Tuesday, January 17

TIME:  7:00 pm Refreshments
TIME:  7:30 pm Program

WHERE:  Capitol Lakes Retirement Community -- click for map
333 W. Main Street, Madison

PARKING:  Free – ramp across the street. Enter off Washington Place (between W.Main St. and W. Washington Ave.). Push blue button to obtain ticket and park in spaces marked “Capitol Lakes Reserved.” After the program, Capitol Lakes front desk will validate your ticket.

PRE-MEETING DINNER:  You are invited to join Madison Audubon board members and friends at the pre-program dinner with our speaker beginning at 5:15.

Paisan's 131 West Wilson Street

QUESTIONS?:  Please call the MAS office at (608)255-2473.

Russ Hefty last talked to us about Cherokee Marsh three years ago. The marsh has continued to change in the last three years and Russ has continued his work protecting and restoring the area. It is important to look at Cherokee again since the community is again looking at how best to manage the Yahara Lakes as a system through the work of the second Yahara Lakes Advisory Group. The group has been meeting for most of the year and is expected to seek public input early next year.

Russ will talk about the impact of water levels on the wetlands. The first 1850’s dam raised the level of Lake Mendota approximately five feet. But current lake levels are higher than they were 75 years ago. Wetlands along the river’s edge have broken away from the underlying peat to form floating plant mats. These floating plant communities are unstable in the presence of floods, wind, and ice action erosion.

Russ has been working since 2001 to protect these floating plant mats and restore aquatic plants the marsh. The project goal is to reduce the erosion of the floating shorelines along the Yahara River by establishing an emergent marsh plant community along this interface. Join us to find out how well his projects are working in light of continued high lake levels.

Russ Hefty was the first intern at Goose Pond Sanctuary. Since 1991 Russ has held the position of Conservation Resource Supervisor in the Madison Parks Division. He oversees 14 conservation parks, which total 1600 acres. Madison’s Conservation Park System is managed under a very active land stewardship program. In 2007 he received the Henry C. Greene Award for Innovative Approaches in Ecological Restoration for his emergent marsh restoration efforts in Cherokee Marsh.