Little Yellow River Project – We’re Getting Closer!

By Mark Pfost, Public Lands Ecologist – mpfost@wisducks.org

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s November, 2024 Newsletter edition.

Peter Ziegler answers contractor question as Pfost and Darren Ladwig (DNR) look on.

In mid-October, we met contractors in the Visitors’ Center at the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge to further plan for this large-scale habitat project in the Little Yellow River Watershed Area. While most of the project work will be on Meadow Valley, the last of it will be on Refuge. Brad Strobel (USFWS wildlife biologist) and I led the scoping meeting in which we provided an overview of the area’s drainage history and more in depth project details.

Afterward, all WWA ecologists, DNR staff from Meadow Valley, and the contractors toured the project area. Sometimes this meant stopping at locations where the ditch could be seen from the road, and other times it meant hiking away from our vehicles to give contractors a better feel for variations in ditch characteristics and timber volumes. We had good conversations and contractors asked the questions they needed answers for as they write their bid proposals.

Pfost, Strobel, Zak Knab (DNR) and contractor discuss access to ditch plug locations.

Bids will have been received by the time you read this and WWA will notify bidders by the middle of November. Work cannot start until at least the end of gun-deer season. If it stays as dry as it has been the past few months, work could start shortly thereafter.