2014 Summer Conservation Crew Weekly Report

Report from 5/12/2014 thru 5/30/2014

Starting the week of 5/12 the river crew began preparing for the season by servicing the work truck, doing an inventory of tools and materials in the rental unit, and purchasing necessary equipment for the season. The crew built duckbill anchors since work in the river was not possible due to the high water from spring rains. Logs were cut and staged near the sites the crew planned to work in the following weeks. Richard Bruot showed the crew an area on the Black River where an old structure had come apart and created a log jam. The logs were winched back into place and anchored down. A beaver dam was reported on the Black near Mckinnons Bend and removal was started. Finishing up week 1 the crew began repairing old structures near The Gilmary cabin.

For week 2 starting 5/19, the crew finished work at the Gilmary cabin as well as continued removal on the beaver dam near Mckinnons Bend. A downed cedar just below Town Corner Stairs that was blocking the river was removed and anchored down. Starting from Springs 6 waypoint (just upstream of Gottschalk’s cabin) all the way through to Town Corner Stairs, old structures were evaluated and any frames loosened from the winter thaw and high water were repaired. With the river still high, the crew staged more material and constructed more duckbill anchors.

For week 3 starting 5/24 the beaver dam was fully removed. The river returned to normal flow so the crew continued staging material near Spring 5 on the Black, just upstream of Gottschalk’s cabin. The area is a large floodplain/meadow which makes winching logs difficult. Construction started on new structures in a wide shallow reach but none were completed. During week 4 the crew plans to narrow this reach with alternating LWD and SWD structures.