Haulin' on the River

George haulin' it in.

Legendary George Richtman, third generation commercial fisherman shared seining on the river for the Naturalist program. We got to go out on the river and watch him haul in giant specimens of carp, sheephead and catfish. You might remember him from a previous blog "Fish Nets".









The Catch

Barry and Linda transported by George's son.

They transported us by boat out to the site they had set their nets. Here's a couple of happy campers from the east coast of Wisconsin enjoying their week on the west coast of Wisconsin.



  

Softshell Turtle

The fish are then stored in live traps until they go to market. Other creatures from the muddy bottoms is the Spiny Softshell Turtle. George handles the turtle carefully since this aggressive turtle can inflict a painful bite. I guess these are good eats too.












Enjoy a short video, I hope it plays for you.



Dam No. 6

Located at Trempealeau since 1936 the lock and dam helps regulate the flow of the Mighty Mississippi River. Why you ask, because the Army Corp of Engineers with other agencies strive to keep the rivers main channel at 9 feet for the purpose of navigation. Since the river is a valuable resource for the transportation of goods.  Lock and Dams are installed river from St. Paul to St. Louis creating 29 steps in the river.

Check it out for yourself, there's an observation platform where you can view the activity. If a barge is coming through stay and watch while they lock through. It's also amazing to see the small recreational boats go through while they hold onto ropes to keep from capsizing as the water levels can drop 6-8 feet.

When recreational boats approach a lock they signal they would like to come through by pressing a button that signals a horn. Then they back away as the gates are opened. You may see recreational boats racing towards a Lock and Dam to get ahead of a Barge. This is because pleasure boats have to wait as the commercial boats go first.

Camp Art

After a week long stay at Perrot I found some time to let the creative side of me explore my surroundings. Kinda like tramp art I had to use what was available. I borrowed a pencil from the shop and my source of paper was the "china" paper plates we had stored in the"HaRvey the RV".

Then I just had to sit there and look at my surroundings. I hope you enjoy what I saw.

4th of July Celebrations

Perrot State Park celebrates the 4th of July with a Fur Trade Encampment. While visiting the site near the Nature Center you'll feel like Nicolas Perrot has returned.

Lots of stuff for kids and adults from Native American Games to Voyageur Canoe Rides. Learn about the fur trade and what how they cooked their meals over an open flame.

The Encampment runs all day Friday and Saturday, details on other specific events are posted at the visitor center. If you want to be in the know for future events sign up for emails by calling 608-534-6409.

Have a safe 4th of July. Sorry no fireworks in the park.