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on Linen Mill Dam Removal The River Alliance of Wisconsin is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the rivers and streams of the state. The organization began a little over eight years ago when a group of people came together because they believed that the rivers of our state did not have a voice. Since that time the organization has grown to be one of the largest statewide river groups in the nation and we have also become known as the most active statewide organization advocating for selective dam removal as a river restoration tool. As I stand here today looking at the free flowing Baraboo River I realize that the best way that I can begin my remarks is to do so on behalf of the river. If the Baraboo River could speak to you today it would say thanks. Thanks to the many, many individuals and groups who have made this day possible. Thanks to John Exo, in his capacity as head of the Baraboo River Canoe Club, John was one of the first in the community to ask what was then a most difficult question, "Maybe we should just take them out and let the river run free?" Thanks to Rick Eilertson, Joe Van Berkel and the other folks with Citizens for Waterfront Revitalization, a group formed in the wake of the first dam removal at the Waterworks site who are working hard to help the community of Baraboo to turn back to this beautiful waterway. Thanks to the local Kiwanis Club for their help with the river walk and other projects that enhance the quality of life for everyone in this area. Thanks to Karl Franz, Mayor Steinhorst and the City of Baraboo for all of their help and vision to realize the opportunity that could be found below the concrete, silt and sediment. Thanks to Steve McCarthur for his willingness to consider dam removal on its merits. His decision to allow the two dams he owned to be removed were obvious keys to this effort. Future residents of this area will hopefully look back at these times and recognize Mr. McCarther as a man who understood the great contributions that these dams made to this community and to his family but who also understood that the time had come to give the river a chance to be a river once again. Thanks to the Sand County Foundation for their leadership at the LaValle site and their assistance with the river restoration sites here in Baraboo. Thanks to numerous funders from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, to Patagonia, the George Gund Foundation and to the membership of the River Alliance who funded our work here at a time when the idea of dam removal as a river restoration tool was just beginning to be discussed - long before Bruce Babbitt took a sledgehammer to any dams. Thanks to the support of the River Alliance members and board, people like Tom Miller and Bill Berry, current board members who are here today and former board members like Gordy Sussman, who has also joined us for today's events. Thanks to Sara Johnson, the first Executive Director and founder of the River Alliance for her tenacious pursuit of dam removal as a river restoration tool and for her vision to see what the Baraboo could become if were allowed to flow freely. I know how much that she wanted to be here today. The picture of her sitting on the rubble of the just breached Waterworks Dam, arms raised in triumph, speaks volumes about a person who I believe understood this issue long before most of us even knew it was an issue. Thanks to Representative Tammy Baldwin, for her help in securing funds to improve the health of the Baraboo - always nice to have a partner in Congress to lend a hand. And most importantly, a special thanks to the DNR. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is the lead state agency in the nation recognizing the benefits of dam removal as a river restoration tool. Here in Baraboo people like Bob Hnasis, Rich Vogt, Andy Morton and Tom Bainbridge have been there every step of the way providing the catalyst to make this whole project a reality. Make no mistake about it, as important as all of us have been as partners to this effort, the DNR is the reason that we are standing here today. Thankfully, Tom, Rich, andy and others are not the only DNR employees that recognize the opportunity that selective dam removal offers to our rivers. There are 3800 dams in Wisconsin, several hundred are in disrepair and communities all over our state are grappling with whether to repair those dams or remove them. Dam removal is not the right choice in every community but when the issue is considered on its merits often removal is the best option. Over the last 35 years, nearly 100 dams have been removed from Wisconsin waters - far more than any other state in the nation. These removals have restored river stretches for the Willow River in northwestern Wisconsin, the Iron River near Ashland, the Prairie River in the north central portion of the state, to the Sheboygan and Milwaukee Rivers on the eastern side of Badger land, all the way down to Turtle Creek near Shopiere. From Colfax to West Bend to Franklin communities are witnessing the rebirth of their rivers. In every instance where a dam has been removed the river has told a story, a secret to many people even today who don't understand the damage that is done to flowing waters when chunks of concrete block the natural functions of streams. The story the river tells is loud and clear. The river whispers, "If you remove the dam, the fish will come." If you remove the dam, the fish will come - and come they have back to the Baraboo. From the LaValle to right in this stretch of river behind us the story is the same. Data from tests conducted by the DNR before removal showed waters with too high nutrients, habitat where only the most hardy of fish such as carp could survive. Today, more than twice as many kinds of fish are found in the stretch of river right behind us as were here when the dam was here and anglers all over Wisconsin now hear good small mouth fishing and the Baraboo River in the same breath. Dam removal here, as has been the case in many Wisconsin communities, has also had a wonderful positive impact on the community. Groups like Citizens for Waterfront Revitalization, working with the city, the Kiwanis Club and others are helping to turn the community back to the river - making this river - this ribbon of life - a cornerstone to the great quality of life that the residents of this community enjoy. The song of the river ends not at her banks but in the hearts of those who love her - I don't know who Buffalo Joe was but when he made that statement he captured the essence of what captivates us about rivers. These vibrant, complex, dynamic watercourses teaming with life - especially when they are allowed to do what they do best - to surge, to meander, to gush and ebb - and to flow, freely&ldots;.. So on behalf of the Baraboo River and her recently reexposed rapids let me say thanks to all of you who have done so much to make her a true model for the nation - the longest mainstem of river returned to free flowing in our nation's history&ldots;.
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Todd Ambs, Executive Director, River Alliance of Wisconsin
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