UWRF Equine Program - Casie Bass (Aug 01, 2023)

UWRF Equine Program

Casie Bass from the UWRF faculty provided the club with an overview of the equine science program. The Equine Program is an undergraduate program with 250 students. The University Horse Farm has 100 acres with 60 horses at 1475 Wasson Lane. Casie noted that these large animals are expensive to feed. The farm breeding program has three stallions and nine mares that produce 3 to 11 foals a year. The farm is expecing 9 foals this spring, with six coming in February. Dr. Bass also described the specialties of the three other faculty members in the department.

Corp of Engineers Study of the Kinni

Amy Peterson, Community Development Director for River Falls, described the vision for the Kinni Corridor plan and how the Army Corps of Engineers study that is underway will contribute. In the vision: the river will serve as an asset to the city, provide for economic vitality, improve and provide ecological stability, connect residents and visitors to nature, strengthen a sense of place, balance public use with property rights, promote history and culture, and improve the quality of life for future generations. She described the role of the US Army Corps of Engineers in conducting a study to evaluate proposed changes and how those changes will affect the ability to realize the vision.

River Monitoring Project

Amber Rappl, Maggie Stahley, and Judie Babcock provided an update on the Kinni Corridor Collaborative sponsored work monitoring stream quality and non-game wildlife populations along the Kinnickinnic River. Amber Rappl and Maggie Stahley are paid interns with the Kinni Corridor Collaborative. The Kinni Corridor Collaborative (KinniCC) is a community-led, non-profit organization working with the city and other stakeholders to implement the Kinnickinnic River Corridor Plan (KRCP).

Their work focuses on the River Water Quality monitoring plan adopted and implemented by the joint efforts of Kiap-TU-Wish, UWRF, and KinniCC. Maggie has connected with other volunteer organizations monitoring non-game wildlife in the Kinni watershed, and she told us about recent birding and pollinator events as examples. The non-game species she monitors include snakes, birds, frog and toads, salamanders, turtles, small mammals, and pollinators.

Amber monitors the water quality by measuring pH, temperature, alkalinity, hardness, nitrates (NO3), nitrites (NO2), turbidity, phosphorus and environmental conditions such as fish kill, algal bloom, and pipe/drain outflow.

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This Week's Announcements

Diaper Drive is "going gangbusters" - let's keep it going: Rotary and Ezekiel are collecting diapers and donations for purchase of diapers for St Croix Valley United Way. This is in response to a need Steve McCarthy mentioned in his talk about the work of SCV United Way. Click Read More for the full description of the project. And by the way, the Amazon link works very well if you choose to donate that way!

Joke of the Week Reader Challenge: We're stretching last week's admittedly stretchy joke by asking you to come up with wordplay on the same theme. Thanks to Tony Pedriana for submitting the two that led to this idea; see his first two down below. And be warned, Scott -- more to come!

Club in D5960 Hits the Century Mark! Linda received an email announcing that the current RI President will be visiting Rice Lake as they celebrate their club's 100th anniversary. While they are close to capacity for the event, they have offered us the possibility of attending. Click Read More for details.

Joke of the Week

READER CHALLENGE - Add your to those below! [I'll put a couple of new ones in each week -- in bold]

Lawyers get disbarred and clergy defrocked. So doesn't it make sense that ballplayers would be debased, politicians devoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, Calvin Klein models debriefed, organ donors delivered, and dry cleaners depressed, decreased and depleted -- and Rotarians detested?

From Elaine: Musicians get denoted.

From George: The Lone Ranger gets deranged.

From Bill: Pastors get depasteurized.