The Kinni from Where I Sit

I recently had an email from a member of the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust inquiring about some wildlife she had recently viewed on the Kinnickinnic River. The question went like this…

“About 4:30 p.m. yesterday, I was in my car at the stoplight nearest your office, and a half-dozen or so enormous white birds took off from the Kinni. The looked like swans (but not trumpeter swans). Are they tundra swans? Or was I hallucinating?”

What a great question! How many of you have wondered the same thing? I have as I have viewed the “enormous white birds” regularly from my office window over the last couple of weeks – at times in groups as large as 6 or more. This question and my recent observations made me want to learn more about this magnificent bird and share it with you.

We know that the Kinni supports a diversity of wildlife species and plant communities – that’s one of the things that makes it so great to live in this community – in this watershed.

I was pleased to report back to this member that she was not hallucinating, it was not the smaller and more arctic based Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus), but she had just observed the great Trumpeter Swan, (Cygnus buccinator).

This grand bird is the largest living waterfowl species on earth. How cool is that? How wonderful that our watershed community is healthy enough to provide habitat for this magnificent creature – right here in the Kinni watershed!

Males (also known as Cobs) typically measure from 57 to 64 inches and weigh 26 lb); females typically range from 55 to 59 in and weigh 22 lb. The average wingspan is 6.7 ft).  Exceptionally large male Trumpeters can reach a length of 72 in, a wingspan of 9.8 ft and a weight of 38 lb – now that’s a big bird! The Trumpeter Swan is closely related to the Whooper Swan of Eurasia, and even has been considered the same species by some authorities.

These birds have white plumage with a long neck, a black bill subtly marked with salmon-pink along the mouthline, and usually has short black legs. Leg colors may vary. The cygnets (juveniles) are gray in appearance, becoming white after the first year.  The Tundra Swan more closely resembles the Trumpeter, but is quite a bit smaller and usually has yellow lores. Although extremely rare, Trumpeter Swans have been known to have yellow lores. Distinguishing Tundra and Trumpeter Swans from a distance (when size is harder to gauge) is quite challenging, and can often be done only with experience and knowledge of structural details.

Their breeding habitat is large shallow ponds and wide slow rivers in northwestern and central North America, with the largest numbers of breeding pairs found in Alaska. Natural populations of these swans migrate to and from the Pacific coast and portions of the United States, flying in V-shaped flocks. In the winter they migrate to the southern tier of Canada, the eastern part of the northwest states in the United States, especially to the Red Rock Lakes area of Montana, and have even been observed as far south as Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Historically they ranged as far south as Texas and southern California.

In recent years, though, the distribution of Trumpeter Swan has changed, with an active and quite successful reintroduction program establishing a breeding population in the Great Lakes region. So now the species shows up regularly in our area in winter. Birders who weren’t considering Trumpeter Swan in their identification process a few years ago now have to do so.

These birds feed while swimming, sometimes up-ending or dabbling to reach submerged food. The diet is almost entirely aquatic plants. In winter, they may also eat grasses and grains in fields. The young are fed on insects and small crustaceans along with plants at first, changing to a vegetation-based diet over the first few months. Predators of Trumpeter Swan eggs include Common Raven (Corvus corax), Common Raccoon (Procyon lotor), Wolverine (Gulo gulo), American Black Bear (Ursus americanus), Brown Bear (Ursus arctos), Coyote (Canis latrans), Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) and Northern River Otter (Lontra canadensis). Most of the same predators will prey on young cygnets, as will Common Snapping Turtle (Chelhydra serpentina), California Gull (Larus californicus), Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) and American Mink (Mustela vison). Larger cygnets and nesting adults are preyed on by Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Bobcat (Lynx rufus), Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) and Coyote. Few predators, apart from the Bobcat and possibly the Golden Eagle, are capable of taking adults when they are not nesting.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Trumpeter Swan was hunted heavily, both as game and a source of feathers. This species is also unusually sensitive to lead poisoning while young. These birds once bred in North America from northwestern Indiana west to Oregon in the U.S., and in Canada from James Bay to the Yukon, and they migrated as far south as Texas and southern California. The trumpeter was rare or extinct in most of the United States by the early twentieth century. Many thousands survived in the core range in Canada and Alaska, however, where populations have since rebounded.

Early efforts to reintroduce this bird into other parts of its original range, and to introduce it elsewhere, have had only modest success, as suitable habitats have dwindled and the released birds do not undertake migrations. More recently, the population in all three major population regions have shown sustained growth over the past thirty year period. Data from the US Fish and Wildlife Service show 400% growth in that period, with signs of increasing growth rates over time.  Despite lead poisoning in the wild from shotgun pellets, the prospects for restoration are considered good.^[8]

The Trumpeter Swan is classified as a species of greatest conservation need in Wisconsin and information can be found at WDNR Trumpeter Swan.  The Trumpeter Swan is listed as threatened in the state of Minnesota. Minnesota’s Trumpeter Swan restoration efforts.

For a detailed comparison between the Trumpeter Swan and the Tundra Swan check out Distinguishing Trumpeter and Tundra Swans.

2010 Reflections

Protecting a watershed involves working with a complex diversity of interests.   I am pleased to report that during 2010 the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust (KRLT) celebrated 17 years of success working in collaboration and partnership with watershed residents to protect the natural resources and scenic beauty of the Kinnickinnic River Watershed.

In 2010, working closely with the community and our local, state and federal partners, we successfully transferred 476.91 acres of fishery and wildlife habitat to the WDNR for long term protection and on December 29th acquired the new 4.33 acre Olympia Preserve to protect unique urban wetlands in the City of River Falls.

By the close of 2010, KRLT had protected a total of 2,777.32 acres of critical lands in strategic locations within the Kinnickinnic River watershed.  Of this total 1,833.41 acres are protected by conservation easements held by KRLT – these are privately owned lands on which the landowners have chosen to protect conservation values forever by removing  development rights – a significant private commitment to the future.  KRLT has now transferred at total 779.51 acres of land to the WDNR for long term protection as state fishery or wildlife areas.  Finally, we have protected an additional 164.43 acres as KRLT Preserves.  This protection includes almost 9 miles of Kinnickinnic River frontage fully protected and available to all for public access.

We reached a milestone in our ambitious $7 million Protect the Kinni Campaign as we reached the $6 million raised mark – leaving us with $1 million to raise to complete the campaign to protect more than 1,000 acres of land in the watershed.  To help us reach our goal please consider a donation or multi-year pledge to the campaign click the image to the left.

In 2010 KRLT completed a number of land stewardship efforts including honoring the Stephen E. Budd family through the successful completion of the Swinging Gate and River Drive Stephen E. Budd Memorial Fishing Access Site project made possible by a generous bequest to KRLT and the cooperation of our partner the WDNR; completing our first integrated preserve management plan for our flagship Kelly Creek Preserve; and implementing a project to improve signage at our preserves.

On the organizational development front, in 2010 KRLT was recognized by the River Falls Chamber of Commerce as the River Falls Nonprofit of the Year – a recognition that added to the national accreditation and WI Land Trust of the Year Awards we received received last year.  This recognition of our effort by others is an indication that we are on the right track!

After ten years at the Prairie Mill Building location, the Board decided to move our offices to the much more accessible location in the Bye, Goff & Rohde Law Firm building.  We have benefited from increased accessibility and greater functionality of the office space and have had three interns and many more visitors to the office than in past years. Please stop in at the lower level of 258 Riverside Drive for a cup of coffee and an opportunity to talk with us about the Kinni.

Looking Forward to 2011 and Beyond

Although proud of our work to date there is data emerging indicating that to fully accomplish our mission – there much more remaining to be done at the watershed scale.

After years of scientific study and analysis the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin recently issued a draft report that shows that the Kinnickinnic River is a major contributor to the decline in water quality of a portion of the the St. Croix River known as Lake St. Croix and suggest that there is a lot of conservation work to be done in our watershed.

Fortunately for the Kinni, many conservation partners just completed a 10-year effort known as the Kinnickinnic River Priority Watershed Program – and a report to the public is due. We are working with Pierce and St. Croix Counties and the WDNR  and others to prepare this report and identify what has been accomplished in the last decade. This will be an important first step in the forthcoming discussion we must have together to scope out what needs to be done in the next 10 to 20 years to improve the natural resources of the watershed and maintain the ecological integrity of not only the Kinni but Lake St. Croix as well.

KRLT has just received a significant grant from The McKnight Foundation to engage the community in a broad discussion about the future of natural resource protection in the Kinnickinnic River watershed.  We re looking for additional funding for this effort which will allow us to focus on encouraging strategic participation in public programs and private efforts designed to reduce water pollution and contribution of nutrients to Lake St. Croix through a variety of mechanisms.  Through this effort we will learn more about the health of our own Kinni and be part of a St. Croix Basin wide effort to improve the health of the St. Croix River ecosystem.

Look for continuing updates on this exciting work in future blogs. In the mean time take a few moments to reflect on a year of great accomplishment – and please join us on the journey we are about to undertake.

Finally, it’s never too late to consider a donation to KRLT to support the work we do. We rely on your support to accomplish our mission – and we thank you for giving to the level of your interest and ability.  DONATE NOW!!!

Thank you for your support.

Welcome to The Kinni from Where I Sit.

I write this from the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust offices overlooking the magnificent Kinnickinnic River (Kinni) in River Falls, where on a daily basis I am able to watch the eagles, hawks and osprey soar over the river – and just yesterday caught a glimpse of a pileated woodpecker in flight over the Kinni.

I am thrilled to start this blog where I plan to provide you with information about the important resource we have in the Kinnickinnic River, the numerous efforts underway by many individuals and organizations to protect the natural resources and scenic beauty of the Kinnickinnic River watershed, and the importance of conservation to sustaining a quality of life that we all have come to expect and enjoy.

What a glorious fall and early winter it has been in the Kinnickinnic River watershed…yes, the Kinni drains a 170 square mile watershed…see the map below and I promise more about the watershed in future blogs.

We have just transitioned from November to December – the fly rods and gear have now been put away for the year and the memories of a wonderful season on the Kinni will carry us forward through the winter.  These memories extend far beyond the far too few fishing adventures, however, as the Kinni provides us with much more than just a world class trout fishery…

As the season moved from spring to summer, and now fall to winter, I was able to watch the changing of the vegetation and blooming of the various prairie flowers on the increasing acres of restored grassland – and celebrate with all of you the mid-summer acquisition by the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust and transfer to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources of the 115 acre Quarry Road property in Kinnickinnic Township.  Over the next 5 years we can all watch and participate in the restoration of this property to prairie grassland and oak savanna which will provide habitat for an array of threatened grassland bird species, restore wonderful wildlife habitat, and provide much needed watershed protection for the Kinni and the St. Croix River.

In reflection I was also able to enjoy some incredible bird watching, take in some relaxing walks along the river – both urban and rural, share the Kinni in all its glory with many people, including nationally renowned musicians Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Scarlet Rivera, and see the realization of the Budd family’s vision of a memorial to Stephen E. Budd through the development of two beautiful public access improvements that will provide access to the Kinni for all.

As a reminder of why we at the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust are in the watershed conservation business, Mother Nature threw several once in a lifetime rain events at us – challenging us to remember the important connection between our river and the land which drains into it.

The Kinnickinnic River Land Trust is now two and one-half years into the Protect the Kinni Campaign, a $7 million effort to protect over 1,000 acres of critical river habitat. This is the largest land protection effort in KRLT’s history and I will share more stories about this effort with you in the future.

It’s all good and through this blog I look forward to sharing with you observations of The Kinni from Where I Sit.