Congressman Ron Kind and Staff with Senators Kohl and Feingold Tour Aquatic Habitat Restoration Site and Attend Refuge Visitor Center Ground-Breaking Ceremony
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in coordination with the Wisconsin DNR and Trout Unlimited, hosted Congressman Ron Kind (WI-3) and congressional staff with Senators Kohl (WI) and Feingold (WI) on a tour of an aquatic habitat restoration project at Big Spring Branch in southwestern Wisconsin (Iowa County) on August 25, 2009. Prior to restoration activities, heavy agricultural pressure had contributed to severe erosion of stream banks and high sediment loads to the stream, which negatively impacted habitat quality and the local trout fishery. 
(Photo: left to right) Congressman Ron Kind, Acting USFWS Director Rowan Gould, Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius and Necedah Refuge Manager Larry Wargowsky break ground on Necedah National Wildlife Refuges new visitors center.
The partnership restoration project is a direct application of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP), a national investment strategy to maximize the impact of conservation dollars on the ground. During the site visit, Mr. Kind and congressional staff learned how efforts to improve land management practices in recent years have led to improvements in groundwater recharge, water quality and the local fishery. As part of the Driftless Area Restoration Effort (DARE), the Service and its partners continue to plan and implement projects to stabilize eroding banks, install natural structures in-stream to scour out pools, increase stream velocity and sinuosity, and provide diverse habitat for fish, amphibians and reptiles.
Under NFHAP, Federal, State, Tribal, and privately-raised funds are leveraged through regional partnerships to address the nation’s biggest fish habitat challenges. Congressman Kind introduced the National Fish Habitat Conservation Act of 2009 in the House of Representatives in May of 2009, and this legislation aims to conserve the Nation’s fish and aquatic communities through partnerships that foster fish habitat conservation and would act as organic legislation for the NFHAP program.
Later in the same week (August 27), Congressman Kind and staff with Senators Kohl and Feingold also attended an unveiling of the architectural design and a ceremonial ground-breaking for a new visitor center at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. Congressman Kind, who has played a key role in helping to obtain funding for the new visitor center, praised the ecological values of the refuge and emphasized the economic and educational benefits that the new facility will offer residents of the area and visitors from outside the region. Construction of the visitor center will be funded in part by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
The ground-breaking ceremony was also attended by Rowan Gould, the Service’s Acting Director, and Tom Melius, the Service’s Midwest Regional Director. The event included a light lunch provided by the Friends of Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and was attended by approximately 150 members of the public.
(left to right) Congressman Ron Kind (WI-3) and USFWS Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius discuss a recently completed partner-based aquatic restoration project in southwestern Wisconsin.
