Big River - September 1993

September 1993 the monthly newsletter for people who live, work or play on the Upper Mississippi River Vol. 1, No. 9

$2

The Last Straw -

Lookout/-

Can Lessons from the Illinois River Help Save the Mississippi?

A Sampling of Some of the Finest River Views in North America

By Reggie McLeod

By Pamela Eyden and Reggie McLeod

The story of the straw that broke the camel's back

The steep bluffs of the Driftless Region offer

may help explain the near death of the Illinois River ecosystem. It may also contain a warning for the Mississippi and other large rivers. At the turn of the century the Illinois River was a bountiful resource. In 1908 the river provided 10 percent of the total U.S. harvest of freshwater fish, keeping more than 2,000 commercial fishermen busy. Ducks were abundant and the Illinois River and its backwater lakes attracted trainloads of hunters and anglers. The river suffered from the usual pressures. A canal connected it with Lake Michigan, so that Chicago could flush its raw sewage into the the river rather than into Lake Michigan, where it got its drinking water. Locks and dams were built to improve shipping. Farmers drained wetlands and planted row crops near streams that carried eroded soil into the river.

almost as many great views as there are twists and turns in the river. The autumn paints the wooded bluffs crimson and gold, and the river mirrors the flashy display. The sampling of great overlooks on pages 4 and 5 is incomplete, but it includes views from Cassville to Red Wing. Most of the sites are accessible by car, but three require a brisk uphill hike. Most are free or require a state park permit. We are not the first to enjoy these views. From about 2,500 to 1,000 years ago the locals built hundreds of burial mounds along the tops of the bluffs overlooking the river. Many of these were effigy mounds - mounds in the shapes of animals, often bears and birds. Where they remain on the bluffs they offer a view into the past. The exposed layers of rock on the bluffs reveal a much more distant past. The layers of sandstone and limestone were formed when this land was at the bottom of an ancient sea. Much of the river valley was cut by waters from melting glaciers draining southward. You might think the water was pretty high this summer, but only a few thousand years ago it nearly filled the river valley. When you visit overlooks, bring binoculars and a map to help identify landmarks. You may also want to bring a field guide for birds or plants. Watch for eagles, hawks and vultures. If you're hiking up ¡ a bluff, you'll definitely enjoy What's inside. .. a canteen of water when you reach the top. Current Events 3 Flood Map 6 (Lookout!, continued on page 4) River Calendar 8

The commercial fish yield dropped from 178 pounds per acre in 1908, to 38 pounds in the 1950s, to as low as four pounds in the 1970s. The river's wildlife declined somewhat, but not as dramatically as one might expect. Then suddenly, in the early 1950s, the system collapsed. First aquatic plants disappeared. Then the fingernail clams and insects started vanishing, followed by the waterfowl and fish that ate them. The commercial fish yield dropped from 178 pounds per acre in

(Illinois, continued on page 2)

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(Ifllinois, continued from page 1> 1908, to 38 pounds in the 1950s, to as low as four pounds in the 1970s. It appeared that the ecosystem had withstood a variety of environmental stresses for decades, until it reached the breaking point- the last straw. "There were two collapses, first the subaquatic vegetation then the fingernail clams and insects," explained Richard Sparks, director of the River Research Laboratory of the Forbes Biological Station, at Havana, Illinois, on the Illinois River. He works for the Illinois Natural History Survey. "I think the scariest thing is that this system can collapse very quickly." Sparks has been studying the changes in the Illinois River to discover whether other large rivers can suffer a similar collapse and whether the Illinois can recover. Meanwhile, in many parts of the Upper Mississippi River, large beds of water plants, especially wild celery, have all but disappeared during the last five or six years. Game fish, especially largemouth bass, are getting hard to find in some spots where they used to be plentiful. A river ecosystem is very complicated and takes a long time to study, but the Illinois River's story is slowly unfolding.

The Key Role of Plants Aquatic plants exert a big influence on a river. Many animals eat the plants. They provide shelter for fish and the animals they and ducks feed on. They put oxygen into the water. They absorb energy from waves, thus keeping the water clearer, which in tum helps fish, like bass, that feed by sight. Clear water also allows more light to reach the plants, which helps them thrive. When the plants start to die, wave energy increases, which stirs up more of the bottom sediments, which causes more plants to die, which stirs up more sediment and speeds the cycle, according to Sparks. The increased turbulence probably also uproots plants. When the situation reaches a certain point the plants die very rapidly. The critical factor appears to be sediment washed into the river from farm fields.

There is no certainty that an ecosystem as complicated as a big river can recove:r after a collapse. Plants not only provide food and shelter for animals, they also remove ammonia from the water. They use the nitrogen in ammonia as a nutrient. Ammonia enters rivers in the discharge from sewage treatment plants and the runoff from farmland . It appears that the buildup of ammonia in the Illinois River kills fingernail clams, Sparks said.

September 1993

There is no certainty that an ecosystem as complic::ated as a big river can recover after a collapse. Plant eaters, like Canada geese and muskrats, focus their energy on the few remaining plant beds, making it harder for them to survive. The wind may keep large, mucky, plantless backwater lakes too stirred up for aquatic plants to get reestablished . "It's almost as if they have to come back all at once, or else they won't make it," Sparks speculated.

Can We Fix It? The Illinois River has benefitted from some improvements recently. Chicago is building large holding basins to store water from its sewer overflow and storm sewers for treatment. Fingernail clams, game fish and aquatic plants are returning slowly in some spots. Another important factor may be the dams. "The impoundments have filled up with sediments and the sediments on the bottom don't have a chance to dry out," explained Sparks. Before the dams, water levels dropped drastically during dry summers, exposing the muck on the bottom to the air and sun. The muck dried out and compacted. This process may be important for maintaining water plants. Without this drying out the muck just gets deeper. In an experiment arrowhead plants were planted below the muck into the solid bottom and protected. They thrived. "Rooting may be part of the problem - not being able to get a firm root hold," Sparks said. During a drought in 1976 and 1977 Stump Lake, near where the Illinois flows into the Mississippi, dried out and land plants grew on the former lake bottom. When the water rose, the land plants died, but aquatic plants replaced them. Perhaps this is part of the natural cycle for backwaters. "On a small scale we know it works," Sparks said. He suggests that we may need to draw down the level of a dammed river every few years - perhaps one in five - to keep it healthy. Towboat operators and owners of large recreational boats may balk at this, but it may become a standard practice someday. "I think we're going to have to take drastic action if we want to get a recovery," Sparks said.+

Richard Sparks has written extensively of changes in the Illinois River and the implications for other rivers. He wrote a case study of the Illinois River in Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems, published by the National Academy of Sciences in 1992. His paper, "The Role of Contaminants in the Decline of the Illinois River: Implications for the Upper Mi~sis­ sippi," is included in Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Mississippi River Research Consortium Committee, 1992.

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September 1993

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New Milfoil Infestations 1987 to 1993 (to August) 16.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-,

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141¡ . ..... .

By Reggie McLeod

After the Flood This summer erased many memories of the drought, but not too far to the north and west the drought just ended. The Mississippi River headwaters, from Lake Itasca to Little Falls, are back up to their normal levels for the first time since 1979. Wetlands and potholes had nearly dried out, so it took a lot of rain to fill them up before it started raising the levels of the river and the chain of lakes it flows through, according to an article in Tidings (8-24-93), which is published by the Mississippi Headwaters Board. In the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge,biologistsarekeepinganeyeonaquaticplants.Migrating birds will soon be even more interested in the well being of these food sources. The emergent plants, those that root in the water and grow leaves above the water, appear to be doing okay, though they are behind schedule. These plants, which include arrowhead, river bulrush and cattail, had a hard time getting their heads above water this summer. Layers of silt on their leaves also blocked sunlight. Submergent plants, such as coontail, bladderwort and wildcelery, appear to have weathered the flood, too. In fact, wild celery on the east side of Lake Onalaska is growing in larger numbers than seen since the drought. Trees in the bottoms are holding up well, though high winds uprooted some large trees. The river is finally open to shipping, but dredges are busy clearing out a few shallow spots and new shoals. In the middle section of the river many people are taking a hard look at policies for building dikes. Floodplains used to take some of the pressure during high flows, but the river is so confined that it takes less flow to create a higher river stage. There is a lot of talk among professionals about a paper published by Charles Belt, of St. Louis University, in 1975 comparing a flood in 1844 with the flood of 1973. He calculated that although the 1973 flood crested two feet higher than the 1844 level, the river flow was 35 percent less. The extensive refuge lands in the Upper Mississippi River Valley may put us in a little better position, although we have built many miles of storm sewers and drainage ditches in order to speed the journey of rain water to the river.+

Invading Plant Slowed The invasion of Eurasian watermilfoil into Minnesota lakes and rivers appears to have slowed this summer. The fast-growing, non-native aquatic plant, was first dis-

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1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 covered in Lake Minnetonka in 1987. Since then it has spread to 59 lakes and rivers, recently averaging about 14 new infestations per year. So far this year the milfoil has been discovered in only four new lakes in the Twin Cities area. Meanwhile, six infested lakes that were chemically treated last year are still free of milfoil, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The DNR and sporting groups are urging boaters to wash their boats thoroughly before moving them from one body of water to another, in order to avoid spreading the weed.+

(Current Events continued on page 6)

Big River (ISSN 1070-8340) is published monthly by Big River, 267 E. Sanborn, Winona, MN 55987, (507) 454-6758.

Reggie McLeod Pamela Eyden

editor/publisher assistant editor

Subscriptions are $20 for one year, $36 for two years or $2 per single issue. Send subscriptions, single copy orders and change-of-address requests to Big River, PO Box 741, Winona, MN 55987. Second-class postage paid at Winona, MN. POSTMASTER: send change-of-address requests to Big River, PO Box 741, Winona, MN 55987. Big River, Volume 1, Number 9, copyright <O September 1993. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Printed on recycled paper.

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September 1993

(Lookout! , continued from page 1)

Barn Bluff (Red Wing) If it weren't for the women of Red Wing, who rallied support for Barn Bluff in 1913, quarry workers might have taken the whole thing apart for its limestone and sandstone. In 1960, the Wisconsin bridge was built, which took another 25 feet of the rock, including the profile of a head, which some Indians say was the face of God and the local tourist bureau says was the head of an Indian. Follow signs from Highway 61, park and walk up. The trails start in the woods and emerge at the edge of the goat prairie. From the top, you can see all the way from the white granaries of Hastings in the north to the far end of Lake Pepin, as well as Prairie Island, the nuclear power plant and the town below.

Winona

John A. Latsch State Park {near Lock & Dam 5) Faith, Hope and Charity are the names of the three dolomite-crested bluffs about 11 miles north of Winona on Highway 61. Riverboat pilots used them as landmarks. The park offers campsites and other trails, but the one to the bluff top begins a few steps from the parking lot. Oak trees and ferns give way to cedars and newly restored prairie, where pasque flowers bloom in the spring. The path starts out as an overgrown woodsy walk and ends up a scramble up a rocky chute. From the top you see Lock & Dam 5, just downriver, and the Alma power plant smokestacks, upriver in the distance.

Lock &Dam 7

La Cr

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Minnesota Iowa

Garvin Heights (Winona) The road to the city park atop the bluff 575 feet above Winona is a gear-lugging hill for cars and a huff-puffer for bikes. Take your time and admire the ascent through geological time and layers of Franconia sandstone, St. Lawrence shale, Jordan sandstone and Oneota dolomite. The observation platform and benches at the top are carved from dolomite. On a clear day, you can see upriver to the Alma power plant smokestacks and down to Mount Trempealeau and Brady's Bluff. The city is spread out below on a sandbar, like a toy town: lakes and bike path, Watkins Manufacturing Company, the gleaming white dome of Saint Stanislaus Church, the white granaries of Bay State Milling and the bridge to Wisconsin. Apple Blossom Drive (La Crescent to Dakota) You can catch Minnesota's Scenic Highway 1 in La Crescent and descend at Dakota. The high road along the ridge passes several orchards, with many fine views of the river. Buy apples here in the fall or admire the blossoms in the spring. The view is great in all four seasons. There's a scenic overlook near the tower from which you can see straight across to French Island and the La Crosse airport; straight up the La Crosse River valley, which is the course of Interstate 90; upriver to Lake Onalaska and as far as Holmen; and downriver to north La Crosse.

Effigy Mound National Monument {near Marquette) This park has a lot to offer besides four stunning overlooks - a small museum and 191 Indian mounds, 29 of which are effigy mounds. A movie and interpretive panels explain the mounds and the people who built them. Trail signs identify plants and their uses. Guided tours are available. The path from the visitor center to the bluff is steep, but well maintained. Wear comfortable shoes. From the bluffs you can see the Mississippi and Yellow rivers; Marquette and McGregor, Iowa; and Prairie du Chien. The whole deal costs $2 for people over 16, with a maximum charge of $4 per car.

De

Lod

Pike's Peak (near MacGregor) The view from this bluff, which towers 500 feet above the river, includes the Wisconsin River flowing into the Mississippi, and Prairie du Chien. A new observation deck makes you feel like you're in the prow of a ship sailing off into the sky. A lower viewing deck provides cover from rain . When Zebulon Pike stood here in 1805 he recognized it as a great site for a fort, but the U.S. government built one at Prairie du Chien, instead . The park offers camping, picnicking, hiking trails and a concession stand. The park includes many Indian mounds.

September 1993

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Buena Vista Park (Alma)

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You can drive to this city park, then park and walk a short distance along a tree-lined dolomite path to the edge, where three rocky promontories offer dizzying views of Alma, the power plant, Lock & Dam 4 and the wide Zumbro River floodplain across the way. Wabasha is a mere smudge in the distance upriver. This is a great spot for watching boats and barges lock through. The park has picnic tables, swings, and an outhouse.

Wisconsin

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Trempealeau * .... Black R. * "".. Lock & Dam 6 '

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*Genoa

Wisconsin R.

Mount Hosmer (Lansing) Shift into low gear when you turn north off Main St. onto Sixth to drive up to Mt. Hosmer. The 25-acre city park includes a playground, picnic shelter and a view of the river in three states. Across the river in Wisconsin you'll see DeSoto on your left, Ferryville on your right and the bridge and boat harbor below. The Main Channel, 450 feet below, winds among large shallow lakes and long, curvy islands.

Brady's Bluff (near Trempealeau) Perrot State Park is famous for wildflowers. One trail to Brady's Bluff begins near the river and winds through oak and cedars, offering a sample of what Bible-influenced settlers called "hanging gardens" - rock walls moist enough to support lush growth of fems and flowers. Nearer the top, the path ascends by way of 91 dolomite steps before traversing a goat prairie. Acrophobes and agoraphobes may not relish the sensation of being surrounded by oceans of space high over the river, but there is a small shelter at the top. It's a 20-minute hike, one way. From the top you see sandbars, pleasure boaters and barges, and Mount Trempealeau in the foreground, with Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge's pools behind, and Winona in the distance, upriver. Downriver, the view must extend at least to Holmen. Everything's so green, it's hard to tell.

Grandad's Bluff (La Crosse) You can see the flag flying atop Grandad's Bluff from most parts of the city. To get there, follow Main Street to its end, then go another 2.5 miles up the hill, past the Alpine Inn and on to a peak elevation of 1,180 feet above sea level. The large city park features grills and picnic tables, a large picnic shelter and coin-operated binoculars. The view takes in the river from Genoa, Wis., in the south to Trempealeau in the north, including Lake Onalaska and river islands. You can also look down on the Hixon Forest and use a nearby wooden map to locate the hiking trails.

Point Lookout

Nelson Dewey State Park

(near Prairie du Chien) Point Lookout is one of three scenic points above the Mississippi river in Wyalusing State Park. It overlooks the point at which the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi and offers a view of the broad prairie of Prairie du Chien. Both rivers at this point are full of maze-like channels between wooded islands. The 2,600-acre park contains caves, hiking trails, campsites (some near the blufO, picnicking, mountain bike trails, a boat landing, a ball field, a tennis court and a monument to the passenger pigeon. The park also contains many Indian mounds.

(near Cassville) Named after the first governor of Wisconsin, this quiet park offers scenic views of the river, hiking trails, native prairie plants and Indian mounds. This is one of the few spots where you can get a good view of the river valley without leaving your car. The park has camping and picnicking facilities, and Stonefield Village at the foot of the bluff. This recreated village contains more than 30 buildings outfitted in turn-of-the-century fashion. A ferry at Cassville, about a mile south of the park, takes cars to Highway 52, near Millville, Iowa.

(Lookout!, continued on page 8)

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(Current Events continued from page 3)

Tremp Refuge Dikes Proposed The Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge has asked the Army Corps of Engineers for a permit to build 17,000 feet of dikes within the refuge. The dikes would divide the refuge, which is about 75 percent open water and wetland, into four separate pools. A pumping station and portable pumps would allow the refuge to manipulate water levels in the pools in order to enhance the habitat for waterfowl and fish, according to the permit application. The 5,620-acre refuge is immediately downriver from Winona, in Wisconsin. It is separated from the Mississippi by a railroad dike. The St. Paul District of the Army Corps will receive comments on the application until September 15, 1993.+

NSP Stops Construction Northern States Power Company stopped work on its nuclear waste storage facility on Prairie Island in August, after the Minnesota Supreme Court refused to hear its appeal (see Big River, August 1993). Thefateofthefacility, upriver from Red Wing, is now in the hands of the Minnesota Legislature, which begins its next session in February.â&#x20AC;˘

Shhhhh! Conservation officers and sheriff's deputies are using soundlevel meters to enforce watercraft noise regulations. Minnesota's watercraft noise law requires boat motors to be equipped with effective muffling systems and outlaws "cutouts" that allow the exhaust to bypass the system. The law sets specific decibel limits on boats, as well.â&#x20AC;˘

More Birds, Fewer Birds The big surprise for bird watchers this summer was the return of white pelicans to many parts of the Upper Midwest after a 100-year absence. At Granite Falls, on the Minnesota River, crowds watched a flock of more than 400 birds fishing for carp at the foot of the municipal power dam downtown. The huge birds have been spotted on many parts of the Upper Mississippi, including the Twin Cities area. On the other hand, birds native to the North American grasslands have "suffered steeper, more consistent, and more widespread declines over the past 25 years than any other U.S. bird group," according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service researchers. Sevenof12 birds native to theGreat Plains grasslands have declined during the last 26 years; the declines of four mountain plover, Franklin's gull, Cassin's sparrow and lark bunting - were significant.

September 1993

Eastern meadowlark and five sparrows - grasshopper, Henslow' s, lark, Brewer's and clay-colored - considered secondarily evolved to grasslands also declined significantly. Only two grassland species - upland sandpiper and McCowan's longspur - have increased significantly. The reason for the declines are not clear, though the Great Plains have changed dramatically during the last century. Many grassland bird species migrate to grasslands in Central and South America in the winter. The information comes from the Breeding Bird Survey, which estimates the population trends of 500 bird species every year.+

Barging to Brownsville The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) may prove to be a boon to the barge ind us try, according to an article in The Waterways Journal (8-2-93). The Gulf Intercoastal Canal connects the Mississippi River to Brownsville, Texas, via a route along the coasts of Louisiana and Texas. Brownsville is on the border with Mexico. Much of the rail and truck shipping crossing the Mexican border could be shipped more cheaply by barge, according to the article. The article also points out that one of the longest hauls possible on the waterway system is Pittsburgh to Brownsville2,527 miles.+

Free Fishing Maps If you're looking for new places to fish in the Twin Cities metro area, a free map listing more than 180 shore fishing sites should help. The map - which includes information on piers, fish species, restrooms and parking - is available from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for free by calling the DNR Information Center, at (612) 296-6157 or 1-800-7666000. Other free publications show DNR piers and boat ramps statewide.+

Do you have river information to share? Let Big River help. Send press releases, letters to the editor, news dippings and meeting notices to Big River, PO Box 741, Winona, MN 55987. And remember, the deadline for calendar information is the 15th of the month before the meeting or event.

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September 1993

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Comparing the Floods of 1993and1965 High Water Levels and Dates

Lower St. Anthony Falls 750.0 project pool elev. 750.5 July 9-10, 93 751.4 April 17, 65

Monticello*

St. CroixR.

Upper St. Anthony Falls 799.2 project pool elev .•• 802.0 July 9 & 11, 93 ••• 803.4 April 17, 65 Dam 1 ············M'iiiiia~·p~1r; 725.1 project pool elev. 728.6 July 10-11, 93 734.5 April 17, 65 Dam 2 687.2 project pool elev. 690.3 June 28, 93 697.7 April 18, 65

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Dam 3 675.0 project pool elev. 683.2 June 29, 93 688.2 April 19, 65

Dam4 667.0 project pool elev. • 671.7 June 25, 93 / 676.5 April 19, 65

•• Dam 6 Dam 5 Wabasha * 645.5 project pool elev. 660.0 project pool elev. • • Alma 650.4 June 26, 93 662.8 June 26, 93 • •• • •• •• 654.7 April 21, 65 668.6 April 20, 65 •• •••• Dam Sa ••••• ••• •••• 651.0 project pool elev. 658.8 June 26-27, 93 663.7 April 20, 65 Dam 7 •••• 639.0 project pool elev. Dam 8 643.8 June 26-27, 93 ••••••••• 631.0 project pool elev. 648.2 April 21, 65 : Genoa 634.8 June 28, 93 639.1 April 22-23, 65

Lansing*

Iowa

Wisconsin R.

Dam 9 •••••• 620.0 project pool elev. 629.5 June 30, 93 633.8 April 24, 65 Dam 10 • ••• •••• 611.0 project pool elev. •• ••••• • 620.7 June 30, 93 624.2 April 24, 65

Dam 11 603.0 flat pool elev. • 611.19 July 1, 93 •• 614.50 Apn126, 65

The records set during the flood of 1965 still stand for the dams listed here. The flood of 1993 was the highest summer Dam 12 ••• ••• •••••••• 592.0 flat pool elev. flood, but it was not as high as the flood in the spring of 1969. 602.20 July 1, 93 The Army Corps of Engineers operates the dams to maintain 604.48 Apn1 26, 65 the navigation channel for shipping. During flood conditions the dams are wide open and have little effect on water levels. The St. Paul District of the Corps, which operates the dams from the Twin Cities down to Dam 10, adjusts water levels based on a gauge approximately midway between dams. The target water level is called the "project pool elevation." The Rock Island District of the Corps, which operates Dam 11 through Dam 22, adjusts water levels based on a gauge at each dam. The target level is called the "flat pool elevation.''• The information on this map was collected and compiled by the St. Paul District and Rock Island District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Illinois

•••• Dam 13 583.0 flat .P09I elev. 591.38 July 7&8, 93 593.73 April 28, 65

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September 1993

Lake Activity Center, Anoka, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p .m. Sept. 22 Ramsey County, Como Lake - DNR Metro Headquarters, St. Paul, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

OCTOBER

SEPTEMBER 1 Upper Mississippi River Basin Association Quarterly Meeting, Radisson Hotel, La Crosse. Call (612) 224-2880. 2 Lower St. Croix Management Commission, Prescott (Wis.) City Hall, 9:30 a.m. to noon. Call (612) 436-7131 or (715) 3869444.

3-6 American Indian Pow Wow, Ft. Snelling State Park, St. Paul. 4-5 Alma Mark Twain Days, arts, crafts, food, music, rides, parade, displays; Alma, Wis. 4-6 Fur Trade Rendezvous, Historic Ft. Snelling, St. Paul. 8-10 Status and Management of UMRS Nongame Wildlife Focusing on the Future, Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee, Radisson Hotel, La Crosse. Call Craig Thompson, Wis. DNR, (608) 785-9014. 9 Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area Commission committee meetings. Call (612) 436-7131 or (715) 386-9444. 9 Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board meeting, Sauk City. Call 1-800-221-3792 or (608) 739-3188. 13 St. Croix Valley Sierra Club, monthly meeting, 6:30 p.m., Stillwater Public Library, Stillwater, Minn. 15-17 National Waterways Conference, annual meeting, Peabody Hotel, Memphis, Tenn. Call Verna M. Boucher, (202) 296-4415. 17-18 Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen, annual meeting, Hotel Lafayette, Marietta, Ohio. Call J. W. Rutter, 126 Seneca Dr., Marietta, Ohio 45750. 18 Prairie Restoration workday, St. Croix Savanna State Natural Area, Bayport, Minn. Call Ron Stoerzinger, volunteer coordinator, (612) 296-6157. 23 La Crosse Area River Biologists and Managers, Heileman Hall, La Crosse, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., $3. Call Pam Thiel (507) 452-4390. Sept. 27 to Oct. 1 American Association of Port Authorities, annual convention, World Trade & Convention Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Call (703) 684-5700. A series of public meetings will review experimental bass regulations on Metro Area lakes. Call Dave Zappetillo, (612) 772-7950: Sept. 14 Washington County; DeMontreville, Olson and Jane lakes - Lake Elmo City Hall, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sept. 15 Hennepin County; Bush, Hyland, Snelling, Round and Rebecca lakes - French Regional Park, Plymouth, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sept. 16 Dakota County, Rebecca Lake - American Legion Hall, Hastings, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sept. 21 Anoka County; Crooked and Golden lakes - Bunker

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Prairie Restoration workday, St. Croix Savanna State Natural Area, Bayport, Minn. Call Ron Stoerzinger, volunteer coordinator, (612) 296-6157.

14 Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area Commission meeting. Call (612) 436-7131 or (715) 386-9444. 15-16 Midwest Riverboat Buffs, fall meeting, Keosaqua, Iowa. Call John R. Miller, (319) 524-6491 .+

(Lookout!, continued from page 5)

Lookout! Quiz Now that you've read about these 12 fine river views, go see for yourself. While you're at it, collect answers to the questions below. The people who send us the five highest scores by the end of October will each receive a somewhat valuable prize. In case of ties, the earliest entries win. 1. Barn Bluff What's the story behind the steps at the start of the trail? 2. John A. Latsch State Park On which bank of the river is the lock? 3. Garvin Heights What kind of citizen was Herbert Garvin? 4. Apple Blossom Drive How many runways are there at La Crosse Airport? 5. Effigy Mound National Monument How many switchbacks are in the trail up the bluff? 6. Mount Hosmer What is the barrier along the bluff edge made of? 7. Pike's Peak Does the large bear-shaped effigy mound nearby face upriver or downriver? 8. Buena Vista Park What is the path to the overlook made of? 9. Brady's Bluff What feature is south of the shelter on the bluff? 10. Grandad's Bluff What does it cost to use the pay-per-view binoculars? 11. Point Lookout The capacity of a barge equals the capacity of how many trucks? 12. Nelson Dewey State Park What are the large smoke stacks to the south part of? Send your answers to: Lookout! Quiz, Big River, PO Box 741, Winona, MN 55987. The answers will appear in the November Big River.+

Pamela Eyden is assistant editor and Reggie McLeod is editor of Big River.

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