438:
607:. After many lawsuits and numerous environmental and economic studies by outside activists highlighting the negative impact of the dam, the government elected to halt construction in 1975, after spending more than $ 19 million and building nearly half of the dam and leaving local residents vulnerable to future flooding. The halting of the project also doomed the 1983 attempt by local residents to get government support for a smaller flood control dry dam. Lawsuits by local residents in the valley to force completion of the project were rejected.
627:
573:
701:
654:
flooding and heated largely with passive solar systems. The project became a national model of nonstructural flood control. Soldiers Grove was virtually undamaged by the 2007 flooding that cost well over $ 60 million in the
Kickapoo Valley, and after the 2008 floods, communities are being forced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to move from their historic locations requiring even more unwilling residents to have to relocate.
384:
692:
682:
401:
464:, increasing biodiversity in its territory through creation of beaver ponds and wetlands. Not only are riparian habitats enlarged as the circumference of a beaver pond is much greater than the circumference of the two banks of a stream, but aquatic plants colonize newly available watery habitat. Insect, invertebrate, fish, mammal, and bird diversity are also expanded. Beavers benefit bird diversity in numerous ways.
29:
38:
649:
destruction can be catastrophic. Today, an increasing number and intensity of extreme weather events is sometimes exceeding the design capacity of flood control structures. Because of the abandonment of the La Farge flood control project the
Kickpoo Valley continues to suffer from catastrophic flooding. Major floods have occurred in 1978, 2007, 2008, and 2018. In the mid-1970s,
669:
floods crest at 28.5 feet. In
Readstown, the flood stage is 11 feet with the 2018 flood cresting at just over 23 feet. Though the area faced extensive property damage with villages discussing the high cost of flood mitigation projects up to an including the relocation of entire villages, no deaths occurred during or immediately after the flooding.
668:
After a record-setting 6-12 inches of rainfall at the headwaters of the
Kickapoo River, much of the area around the Kickapoo River faced major flooding between August 28-30, 2018. Villages along the Kickapoo were hit by water 7-12 feet above flood stage. With a flood stage of 16 feet, Ontario saw the
548:
sections, and that beaver ponds provide habitat for larger trout in small streams during periods of drought. The importance of winter habitat to salmonids afforded by beaver ponds may be especially important (and underappreciated) in streams without deep pools or where ice cover makes contact with
360:
word meaning "one who goes here, then there", a fitting name as the river is very crooked, frequently doubling back on itself as it flows through the
Wisconsin landscape. Because of the extremely crooked path of the river, its source north of Wilton is just 60 miles (97 km) from its mouth at
665:. The 2007 flooding cost well over $ 60 million and after the 2008 floods, communities are being forced by FEMA to move from their historic locations requiring even more unwilling residents to have to relocate. After several years of discussion, a planned relocation of the village began in 2010.
648:
Nationwide, the construction of flood control structures has saved lives and property, but in some cases structures have been found to result in greater loss of life and property than if they had not been built. Dams, for example, encourage downstream development; if they fail, as some do, the
653:
residents decided on an alternative to the Corps of
Engineers' plan to build a levee around the village and undertook the relocation of the community's central business district to higher ground. The relocation was completed several years later, with the business district rebuilt out of reach
418:, are good trout habitat due to the baseflow from coldwater springs and watershed and stream projects carried out over the recent decades. The river "contains over 500 miles (800 km) of coldwater streams with populations of
391:
Wetlands have largely been drained for pasture and comprise a tiny portion of the lands in the
Kickapoo River watershed, 0.8%, whereas agriculture accounts for 50.4% of the land use followed closely by forest land at 48%.
595:
to buy 149 farms comprising 8,569 acres (35 km) of land from mostly unwilling sellers. This land would have either been flooded by the dam or used as for the recreational park planned for the area around the lake.
610:
The 8,569 acres (35 km) of land bought by the government remained in the possession of the Corps of
Engineers until 1996, when it was split and parts were given to the state of Wisconsin and the
1117:
Collen P, Gibson RJ (2001). "The general ecology of beavers (Castor spp.), as related to their influence on stream ecosystems and riparian habitats, and the subsequent effects on fish – a review".
1354:
1299:
557:(Salvelinus confluentus) were noted to overwinter in Montana beaver ponds, brook trout congregated in winter in New Brunswick and Wyoming beaver ponds, and coho salmon in Oregon beaver ponds.
591:. The proposed dam would have created a 1,780 acre (7.2 km), 12-mile (19 km) long reservoir to control downstream flooding. In preparation for the construction, the government used
361:
Wauzeka, although the river is nearly 130 miles (210 km) long. The
Kickapoo, the longest tributary of the Wisconsin River, drains over 800 square miles (2,100 km) of land in
599:
Construction of the dam began in 1971. Questions about the Corps of
Engineers' benefit-cost calculations, its environmental analysis and the prospect of ecological problems like the
583:
The river has a relatively low capacity for water, leading it to quickly and frequently flood after heavy rain. In the late 1960s, the frequent floods prompted the U.S.
480:) often depend on beaver lodges as nesting sites. As trees are drowned by rising beaver impoundments they become ideal nesting sites for obligate cavity nesters such as
1319:
1339:
1329:
853:
380:
There are many small tributaries with the most significant being Moore Creek, Billings Creek, the West Fork of the Kickapoo, Reads Creek and Tainter Creek.
1344:
1334:
561:
759:
955:
1260:
1204:
1185:
1192:, Two Visions of the Kickapoo River: Voices For and Against the Lake LaFarge Dam Project, Cronon and Janowski 2003, Retrieved December 16, 2013
584:
564:
continues to recommend removal of trees and brush from the banks of several Kickapoo river watershed streams to reduce beaver colonization.
414:
and the Kickapoo Valley Reserve form a continuous protected area. Most of the tributary streams and the Kickapoo River itself, upstream of
750:
603:
of the dam's impoundment led to opposition from environmental organizations, some residents of the Kickapoo Valley and Wisconsin Sen.
1152:
1285:
is a community website that serves as a directory of local commerce and nonprofit groups in the Kickapoo Valley and wider region.
828:
229:
755:
299:
1314:
147:
411:
1349:
780:
437:
374:
370:
215:
89:
85:
857:
516:). In addition, beaver ponds have been shown to increase the number of trout, their size, or both, in a study of
211:
1273:
is a nonprofit watershed group working to preserve and protect the natural resources of the Kickapoo River area.
1014:
892:
721:
662:
366:
362:
125:
80:
76:
1279:
is a community website that has a focus on events and news of concern to the residents of the Kickapoo Valley.
745:
1324:
377:
counties. The Kickapoo River watershed encompasses 492,000 acres (1,990 km) in southwest Wisconsin.
988:
956:"Ecological impact of beavers Castor fiber and Castor canadensis and their ability to modify ecosystems"
658:
643:
635:
453:
415:
345:
113:
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626:
572:
1183:
907:
357:
705:
588:
577:
1276:
1134:
1072:
1037:
931:
353:
1090:
Hägglund, Å.; Sjöberg, G. (1999). "Effects of beaver dams on the fish fauna of forest streams".
878:
923:
807:
341:
332:
Indians who occupied Wisconsin before the influx of white settlers in the early 19th century.
109:
1126:
1099:
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1029:
978:
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915:
700:
489:
461:
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1208:
1189:
550:
383:
329:
317:
199:
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691:
681:
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650:
639:
604:
600:
592:
465:
349:
1103:
893:"An ecosystem engineer, the beaver, increases species richness at the landscape scale"
28:
1308:
974:
834:(Report). U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. July 2008
726:
525:
457:
325:
303:
133:
56:
1221:
1138:
935:
473:
404:
560:
In spite of the benefits of beaver to trout and bird abundance and diversity, the
452:
Recently a movement called "Save Taryn's Beaver" was launched to save a family of
37:
544:, that found that brown trout were larger in beaver ponds compared with those in
533:
517:
427:
419:
193:
1130:
919:
554:
441:
244:
231:
162:
149:
497:
481:
400:
321:
129:
66:
927:
1055:
Gard R (1961). "Effects of beaver on trout in Sagehen Creek, California".
352:
of southwest Wisconsin. It empties into the Wisconsin River just south of
983:
784:
611:
1076:
1041:
434:). Half of these streams have naturally reproducing trout populations.
1236:"Summary of Significant Flooding and Severe Storms August 27-28, 2018"
1235:
545:
541:
1068:
1033:
690:
680:
625:
615:
571:
540:). These findings are consistent with a study of small streams in
436:
399:
382:
1293:
1270:
1158:(Report). Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources. Archived from
505:
306:, West Fork of the Kickapoo River, Reads Creek, Tainter Creek
1251:
348:
and flows south through a deep valley cut into the hilly
1222:"Record Crests on the Kickapoo from the Aug 28-30 Flood"
576:
The uncompleted dam with spillway and intake tower near
1294:"Worth a Dam" (beaver information and educational site)
614:
Native American Tribe. The Kickapoo today is a popular
809:
The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States
1355:
United States Army Corps of Engineers proposed dams
829:
Rapid Watershed Assessment Kickapoo River Watershed
293:
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221:
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192:
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139:
119:
104:
95:
72:
62:
52:
47:
21:
1298:An ecological and land use history of the region,
587:to begin a dam project on the Kickapoo River near
316:is a 126-mile-long (203 km) tributary of the
891:Wright, J.P.; Jones, C.G.; Flecker, A.S. (2002).
1300:"A Thousand Pieces of Paradise" by Lynne Heasley
954:Rosell F, Bozser O, Collen P, Parker H (2005).
460:, a tributary of the Kickapoo. The beaver is a
657:The Kickapoo River flooded over its banks in
8:
823:
821:
819:
36:
1258:Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
982:
562:Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
448:) attracted to Weister Creek beaver pond
1015:"Canada geese nesting on a beaver lodge"
949:
947:
945:
783:. U.S. Geological Survey. Archived from
760:United States Department of the Interior
699:
1320:National Natural Landmarks in Wisconsin
737:
18:
1119:Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries
7:
1340:Rivers of Richland County, Wisconsin
1330:Rivers of Crawford County, Wisconsin
630:Kickapoo River in Gays Mills in 2010
751:Geographic Names Information System
1345:Rivers of Monroe County, Wisconsin
1335:Rivers of Vernon County, Wisconsin
1252:Kickapoo Valley Reserve, main page
14:
16:River in Wisconsin, United States
1153:Middle Kickapoo Valley Watershed
975:10.1111/j.1365-2907.2005.00067.x
812:. Govt. Print. Off. p. 174.
340:The river begins midway between
27:
756:United States Geological Survey
549:the bottom of shallow streams.
1289:Site for "Save Taryn's Beaver"
1057:Journal of Wildlife Management
223: • coordinates
141: • coordinates
1:
1104:10.1016/S0378-1127(98)00404-6
1092:Forest Ecology and Management
96:Physical characteristics
407:breed in the Kickapoo Valley
262: • elevation
180: • elevation
42:Kickapoo River watershed map
661:in 2007 and again from the
412:Wildcat Mountain State Park
207: • location
121: • location
1371:
1271:Valley Stewardship Network
1254:, Retrieved April 29, 2010
633:
553:(Oncorhynchus clarki) and
216:Crawford County, Wisconsin
184:1,200 ft (370 m)
1267:, Retrieved July 22, 2007
1211:, Retrieved July 22, 2007
920:10.1007/s00442-002-0929-1
881:, Retrieved July 22, 2007
879:Wildlife Service PDF file
854:"The LaFarge Dam Project"
188:
100:
35:
26:
722:List of Wisconsin rivers
663:June 2008 Midwest floods
446:Haliaeetus leucocephalus
396:Ecology and conservation
387:West Fork Kickapoo River
295: • right
266:623 ft (190 m)
1202:Army Corps of Engineers
1131:10.1023/A:1012262217012
806:Gannett, Henry (1905).
585:Army Corps of Engineers
285: • left
1013:Brenner, F.J. (1960).
708:
695:
686:
631:
580:
568:Demise of La Farge Dam
449:
408:
388:
328:. It is named for the
703:
694:
684:
644:2007 Midwest flooding
636:Gays Mills, Wisconsin
629:
575:
522:Salvelinus fontinalis
440:
432:Salvelinus fontinalis
403:
386:
346:Mill Bluff State Park
245:43.07667°N 90.88306°W
163:43.89806°N 90.45750°W
114:Mill Bluff State Park
198:Confluence with the
1315:Rivers of Wisconsin
912:2002Oecol.132...96W
589:La Farge, Wisconsin
578:La Farge, Wisconsin
530:Oncorhynchus mykiss
271:Basin features
250:43.07667; -90.88306
241: /
168:43.89806; -90.45750
159: /
1263:2007-08-10 at the
1207:2007-07-26 at the
1188:2016-03-03 at the
781:"The National Map"
709:
704:Kickapoo River by
696:
687:
632:
581:
450:
409:
389:
354:Wauzeka, Wisconsin
212:Wauzeka, Wisconsin
1350:Dams in Wisconsin
860:on March 30, 2008
713:
712:
478:Branta canadensis
470:Cygnus buccinator
356:. Kickapoo is an
342:Wilton, Wisconsin
310:
309:
1362:
1240:
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1098:(2–3): 259–266.
1087:
1081:
1080:
1052:
1046:
1045:
1019:
1010:
1004:
1003:
1001:
999:
994:on March 4, 2012
993:
987:. Archived from
986:
969:(3–4): 248–276.
960:
951:
940:
939:
897:
888:
882:
876:
870:
869:
867:
865:
856:. Archived from
850:
844:
843:
841:
839:
833:
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814:
813:
803:
797:
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792:
777:
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770:
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762:. 29 August 1980
746:"Kickapoo River"
742:
677:
676:
462:keystone species
320:in the state of
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1265:Wayback Machine
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1209:Wayback Machine
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1190:Wayback Machine
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1165:on June 6, 2010
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1116:
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1069:10.2307/3797848
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1034:10.2307/4082428
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634:Main articles:
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551:Cutthroat trout
466:Trumpeter swans
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318:Wisconsin River
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200:Wisconsin River
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108:Midway between
90:Crawford County
86:Richland County
84:
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17:
12:
11:
5:
1368:
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1358:
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1352:
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1325:Driftless Area
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1246:External links
1244:
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1241:
1227:
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1194:
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1144:
1125:(4): 439–461.
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1063:(3): 221–242.
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1028:(4): 476–477.
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685:Kickapoo River
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651:Soldiers Grove
640:Soldiers Grove
623:
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605:Gaylord Nelson
601:eutrophication
593:eminent domain
569:
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494:Bucephala spp.
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350:Driftless Zone
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314:Kickapoo River
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289:Billings Creek
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984:11250/2438080
980:
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964:
963:Mammal Review
957:
950:
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946:
942:
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906:(1): 96–101.
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787:on 2012-03-29
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727:Weister Creek
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531:
527:
526:rainbow trout
523:
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511:
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495:
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487:
483:
479:
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467:
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459:
458:Weister Creek
455:
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405:Palm warblers
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304:Weister Creek
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126:Monroe County
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81:Vernon County
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77:Monroe County
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57:United States
55:
51:
46:
39:
34:
30:
25:
20:
1230:
1216:
1197:
1179:
1167:. Retrieved
1160:the original
1147:
1122:
1118:
1112:
1095:
1091:
1085:
1060:
1056:
1050:
1025:
1021:
1008:
996:. Retrieved
989:the original
966:
962:
903:
899:
886:
874:
862:. Retrieved
858:the original
848:
836:. Retrieved
808:
801:
789:. Retrieved
785:the original
775:
764:. Retrieved
749:
740:
667:
656:
647:
609:
598:
582:
559:
538:Salmo trutta
537:
529:
521:
513:
509:
501:
493:
485:
477:
474:Canada geese
469:
451:
445:
431:
424:Salmo trutta
423:
410:
390:
379:
339:
313:
311:
534:brown trout
518:brook trout
502:Mergus spp.
428:Brook trout
420:Brown trout
300:Moore Creek
276:Tributaries
248: /
166: /
1309:Categories
1283:Kickapedia
766:2010-04-29
733:References
659:Gays Mills
555:bull trout
498:mergansers
490:goldeneyes
486:Aix sponsa
482:wood ducks
442:Bald eagle
416:Gays Mills
358:Algonquian
236:90°52′59″W
233:43°04′36″N
154:90°27′27″W
151:43°53′53″N
900:Oecologia
838:April 29,
514:Strigidae
510:Titonidae
336:Watershed
322:Wisconsin
130:Wisconsin
67:Wisconsin
1277:KickTime
1261:Archived
1205:Archived
1186:Archived
928:28547281
864:July 22,
716:See also
706:La Farge
622:Flooding
616:canoeing
612:Ho-Chunk
375:Crawford
371:Richland
330:Kickapoo
48:Location
1139:8713798
1077:3797848
1042:4082428
1022:The Auk
936:5940275
908:Bibcode
791:Feb 17,
673:Gallery
618:river.
504:), and
454:beavers
53:Country
1169:May 3,
1137:
1075:
1040:
998:Mar 1,
934:
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642:; and
546:riffle
542:Sweden
532:) and
472:) and
426:) and
373:, and
367:Vernon
363:Monroe
279:
110:Wilton
105:Source
73:Region
1163:(PDF)
1156:(PDF)
1135:S2CID
1073:JSTOR
1038:JSTOR
1018:(PDF)
992:(PDF)
959:(PDF)
932:S2CID
896:(PDF)
832:(PDF)
194:Mouth
63:State
1171:2010
1000:2010
924:PMID
866:2007
840:2010
793:2011
506:owls
344:and
312:The
112:and
1127:doi
1100:doi
1096:115
1065:doi
1030:doi
979:hdl
971:doi
916:doi
904:132
524:),
496:),
488:),
456:on
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