News

The annual Namekagon River cleanup event scheduled for Saturday April 30th has been canceled due to high water levels. Contact Larry Mann at Hayward Fly Fishing (715-734-8149) for more information.

The Fourth Annual Namekagon River Cleanup will be held on Saturday,  April 30, 2016 from 8:00 a.m. until Noon.  We will meet at the DNR boat landing in Hayward (on Highway 27) at 8 sharp. We will clean the river from Seeley to Trego.  Boats and canoes will be available for the day.  Bring your own if…

Status Leonard’s Gage is currently operational. Background The Leonard’s Gage is an US Geological Service operated flow and temperature gage (i.e. gauge) on the Namekagon River near the Leonard’s School Road crossing, located about 4 miles (downstream) of Cable, Wisconsin. The Namekagon River is part of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, a unit of…

The Namekagon Confluence 2 September 12, 2015, 7:00 – 9:00 PM The Park Center, 15791 U.S. Highway 63, Hayward, WI What’s Really Happening on the Namekagon River! A note from our President: To our Partners, Stakeholders, and River Users: On behalf of the Namekagon River Partnership, I would like to extend to you an invitation to…

NRP will host an annual meeting on Saturday, June 6th at 7pm at the Sawmill in Seeley. The meeting this year will be a frank and in-depth discussion of the future direction of the organization. There will be an election of officers and a report card for 2014-15. Please join us and share your thoughts. There…

Volunteers Needed for Namekagon River Cleanup on April 25 Celebrate National Park Week by helping the National Park Service and Namekagon River Partnership clean up the Namekagon River on Saturday, April 25. This will be the third annual cleanup and will again focus on four sections of the Namekagon River: Hayward Landing to Stinnett Landing…

Welcome to our Fish and Outdoor Expo at Wesleyan Church in Hayward on Saturday March 28th from 9am to 3pm.  We’ve got some great seminars and displays – and a free lunch.  Please join us. Link to print or view poster (requires Adobe Reader): ExpoPoster  

Thanks for attending and sharing at our “Conversation One” discussion at the September 6th Confluence event.  And special thanks to Beehive Botanicals, Hayward, WI for sponsoring the event. We promised follow-up to your discussion, and here are our first efforts: Link to the Introduction presentation: 2014 Confluence Introduction Link to our initial analysis of the…

The Namekagon Confluence Coming Together to Preserve Our Water September 6, 2014, 9:00 – 12:00 Lakewoods Resort, Cable WI Hosted by the Namekagon River Partnership Conversation One JOIN US at Lakewoods Resort on beautiful Lake Namakagon from 9:00-12:00 on, Saturday, September 6, 2014 for the first in a planned series of conversations to unite the…

The Namekagon Confluence Coming Together to Preserve Our Water Conversation One September 6, 2014, 9:00 – 12:00 Lakewoods Resort, Cable WI Sponsored by The Namekagon River Partnership When the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was signed by President Lyndon Johnson back on October 2, 1968, the Namekagon River a tributary of the St.Croix River,…

Hello Everyone, The 3rd Annual Namekagon River Cleanup scheduled for early May 2014 has been canceled due to continued high water! Last year was a huge success and we anticipate another great cleanup event. Note:  The cleanup was rescheduled this year due to high water conditions. We will be gathering at the DNR boat landing in…

Join us at the Park Theater in Hayward on Saturday, February 8th at 7:30 pm for a wonderful movie.

On Saturday, October 19th, the Watershed Team hosted a tour of the upper Namekagon River for watershed stakeholders.  Dave Thorson, Down to Earth Tours, kindly provided a van to facilitate discussions.  A tour map and list of sites can be downloaded NRP 10-19-13 Tour Sites (requires Adobe Reader). Click on images (below) to enlarge. Tour Objectives:…

A Day in the Life of the Namekagon – 2nd Annual NRP Autumn Photo Contest Important Note:  Photo entries are due by October 15, 2013. Photo Contest Entry Form: (requires Adobe Reader) NRP Photo Contest 2013 Entry Form Photo Contest Update: (requires Adobe Reader) Photo Contest 2013 Update Photo Contest News Release (requires Adobe Reader) NRP…

This station will likely be discontinued October 1, 2014 due to lack of funding. This is the message that now appears on the USGS Leonards Gage site: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?05331833 We are making some progress, as the Leonards Gage will be operational for another year, but only if we can come up with $2,500 in funding within…

This station will likely be discontinued October 1, 2013 due to lack of funding. This is the message that appears on the USGS Leonards Gage site: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?05331833 We need your help! The only river gage on the upper Namekagon River is in danger of shutting down.  This automated gage on Leonard School Road bridge provides…

NRP 2013 Annual Meeting Agenda  (requires Adobe Reader)  

As of the May 19-20 weekend, water levels on the upper Namekagon River are quite high, as seen by these photos taken at the Namekagon Dam.  This is due to late snow melt plus recent rains. Paddling from the Namekagon Dam down to Cable is quite a ride!    

The Cable Natural History Museum has a 2013 Forest Lab Intern Program (FLIP) for students in grades 6-12. Call 715-798-3890 for more information.  The canoes for the Namekagon River paddles are provided by Canoes on Wheels.  

Thank you volunteers! Thanks to your amazing volunteer effort, the 2nd annual Namekagon River cleanup on April 27th was a big success. It was a great way to celebrate National Park Week with our friends at the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.     The weather could not have been nicer. While winter still ruled only a week earlier, it was…

Join with the Namekagon River Partnership on Saturday, April 27th for our second annual Namekagon River cleanup event. We are celebrating the river and National Park Week with our friends at the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. Last year’s event was very successful. The volunteers had a good time, and the river benefited greatly. Thanks again:  https://namekagon.org/?m=201204…

Greeting All – YOU ARE INVITED On Saturday, March 16th, NRP and the Wild Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited are sponsoring a Fish Expo in Hayward. The event will be at the Wesleyan Church facility located approximately 1 mile north of the Hwy 63 Hwy 27/77 stoplight on Hwy 27/77. The Expo doors open at…

Hello & Happy New Year! 2012 Newletter download (requires Adobe Reader) I’m so excited to share with you what the NRP has been doing so far. We are a citizen-based organization of enthusiastic people, who have accomplished some amazing things. From the beginning, planners believed that we would be a diverse blend of individuals, organizations,…

The Advisory Group will be meeting at the Seeley Sawmill Saloon on Wednesday, January 9th at noon for a session to discuss our plans for 2013. There will be a Board of Directors meeting after the Advisory Group meeting. Both meetings are open to all. Draft meeting agenda (requires Adobe Reader): NRP-Jan-2013-BOD-Advisory-Group-Agenda1.pdf

The NRP Board of Directors will be meeting at the Seeley Sawmill Saloon on Wednesday, November 14th at 1:00pm for a regular board meeting. This is a public meeting.  All are invited. The download below require free Adobe Reader (www.adobe.com) Meeting Agenda NRP Board Agenda 11-14-12

The 2012 Autumn Photo Contest is on.  Rules and prizes are being finalized.

The Advisory Group will be meeting at the Seeley Sawmill Saloon on Tuesday, September 11 at 2:00pm for a session to discuss our new Action Teams and other topics. There will be a Board of Directors meeting at 1:00pm. Both meetings are open to all.

The pig roast on September 22nd has been canceled. We will get back to you with a new date (2013).

The Advisory Group will be meeting at the Seeley Sawmill Saloon on Tuesday, August 14 at 2:00pm for a session to work on our 2012-13 Initiatives. PLEASE NOTE THIS TIME CHANGE. A draft of the initiatives can be found here: https://namekagon.org/?page_id=867 Downloads below require free Adobe Reader (www.adobe.com) Meeting Agenda NRP Advisory Group Agenda 8-14-12…

Introduction The upper Namekagon River and key tributary streams are being examined in terms of their fish populations and physical characteristics.  Each fish species has a preferred temperature zone, often labeled cold water (not exceeding 72° F), cool water, and warm water (influenced by the temperature of the air). As Lake Namakagon is a warm…

The Advisory Group will be meeting at the Seeley Sawmill Saloon on Tuesday, July 10th at 2:00pm for a session to work on our 2012-13 Initiatives. PLEASE NOTE THIS TIME CHANGE. A draft of the initiatives can be found here: https://namekagon.org/?page_id=867 Downloads below require free Adobe Reader (www.adobe.com) Meeting Agenda NRP Advisory Group Agenda 7-10-12…

On June 10th, Patrick Shirey, University of Notre Dame, arrived in the Cable area along with five students to start monitoring water temperatures in the upper Namekagon River and its perennial tributaries (click on images to enlarge). On June 12th this group, accompanied by two National Park Service staff, completed a recon trip from the Namakagon Lake Dam…

Our 1st Annual Meeting is on Saturday, June 16th at the Sawmill Saloon in Seeley.  Social Hour: 5:30pm – 6:30pm       Displays       Refreshments       Door prizes Inside Track: 6:30pm – 8pm       Virtual Tour of the Namekagon River       Slide presentation of river and its history       Book reading: “The Treasure of the…

The Steering Advisory Group will be meeting at the Seeley Sawmill Saloon on Tuesday, May 29th at 1:00pm for a work session to plan for our June 16th Annual Meeting Downloads below require free Adobe Reader (www.adobe.com) Meeting Agenda NRP Steering Group Agenda 5-29-12 A Board meeting will be held at noon, before the work session.…

The Steering Advisory Group will be meeting at the Seeley Sawmill Saloon on Tuesday, May 8th at 1:00pm for a work session including a recap of the April 28th Namekagon River Cleanup event, a discussion of the inter-jurisdictional Namekagon – St. Croix Rivers Fisheries Management Plan, and our plans for the June 16th Annual Meeting Downloads below require free Adobe…

Thank you! Thanks to your volunteer effort, the spring Namekagon River cleanup on April 28th was a great success. It was a great way to celebrate National Park Week with our friends at the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.  While it was a bit disappointing to see the amount of litter that we picked up from…

Join with the Namekagon River Partnership on Saturday, April 28th for our first annual Namekagon River cleanup event. We are celebrating National Park Week with our friends at the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.  Our meeting place will be the Hayward Landing (Highway 27 near the DNR Ranger Station) at 9am.  A river map can be…

The Heritage Initiative – Many Waters, Many Stories, One Special Place The Heritage Initiative is a community project asking our neighbors in the Namekagon – St. Croix River region if a National Heritage Area would be a good fit for our area. The Initiative seeks to identify shared stories and special places, discuss benefits and…

The Steering Advisory Group will be meeting at the Seeley Sawmill Saloon on Tuesday, April 3rd at 1:00pm for a work session to discuss our plans for the April 21st Heritage Discovery Workshop, the April 28th Namekagon River cleanup event, an Executive Summary of the inter-jurisdictional Namekagon – St. Croix Rivers Fisheries Management Plan draft report, and…

The Steering Group continues to refine our mission and goals statements, and to solicit and tabulate public feedback regarding the Namekagon River and the organization. Please share your thoughts and insights with us. Who is NRP?: The Namekagon River Partnership (NRP) is a citizen-based group that supports and promotes educational opportunity, scientific study, and stewardship of the Namekagon River and…

The Steering Advisory Group will be meeting at the Seeley Sawmill Saloon on Tuesday, March 6th at 1:00pm for a work session to finalize our mission, goals, and membership brochure. You are invited to attend and participate. Downloads below require free Adobe Reader (www.adobe.com) Work Session Agenda NRP Steering Group Agenda 3-6-12 Link to Steering Group documents https://namekagon.org/?page_id=40…

The Steering Group will be meeting at the Seeley Sawmill Saloon on Tuesday, February 14 at 1:00pm for a work session to continue 2012 planning (agenda download below). You are invited to attend and participate. Downloads below require free Adobe Reader (www.adobe.com) Work Session Agenda NRP Steering Group Agenda 2-14-12 Minutes from 2-14-12 Steering Group Session…

Namekagon River Partnership Wants Your Ideas & Involvement (Press Release) One of the nation’s treasures, the Namekagon River, flows from and through a 1,000 square-mile watershed here in northwest Wisconsin. The Namekagon, along with the St. Croix River, became one of the first eight rivers to be adopted by the National Wild and Scenic River…

The Steering Group will be meeting at the Seeley Sawmill Saloon on Monday, January 17 at 1:00pm for a work session to discuss organizational start-up tasks and early 2012 planning (agenda download below). You are invited to attend and participate. Downloads below require free Adobe Reader (www.adobe.com) Work Session Agenda NRP Steering Group Agenda 1-17-12 Minutes from 1-17-12…

Namakagon Tales of The School House Gang “A more or less factual account of the meanderings and adventures of a few dedicated, dyed in the wool trout fishermen and how these events led to the close association of these kindred spirits into a close knit association which the natives of northern Wisconsin call “The School…

The Initial (interim) Board of Directors will be meeting at the Seeley Sawmill Saloon on Wednesday, December 28 at 1:00pm to discuss organizational start-up tasks and early 2012 planning, and to approve bylaws. You are invited to attend. NRP Board Agenda 12-28-11  (requires Adobe Reader) Link to meeting minutes https://namekagon.org/?page_id=26

Photo courtesy of John Simonson. There is an introductory article about Namekagon River Partnership in the December 13th edition of Bottom Line News and Views.  Our thanks to Alan Ralph. The article can be viewed here: NRP – Bottom Line December 2011   The current edition of Bottom Line News and Views can be found…

Image and text from The History of Wisconsin’s Northwoods – 350 Years in the Seeley Hills by Jim Schirott. Reprinted with permission. “Wisconsin Highway 24, now called U.S. Highway 63 is pictured running north through downtown Seeley around 1915.  Electric poles reflect the height of civility. On the left is the Uhrenholdt farm, which was located…

The Steering Group will be meeting at the Seeley Sawmill Saloon on Monday, November 21 at 1:00pm for a work session to discuss organizational start-up tasks and  some early 2012 planning. You are invited to attend and participate. Downloads below require free Adobe Reader (www.adobe.com) Link to Steering Group documents https://namekagon.org/?page_id=40 Work Session Agenda NRP…

“The Listening Post” article in the November-December issue of Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine has a Seeley connection.  It is available below, with permission from the publisher (requires Adobe Reader to download). The Listening Post – Minnesota Conservation Volunteer – NovDec 2011 Or visit the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer website: www.mndnr.gov/magazine for this and other great conservation articles.

Image and text from The History of Wisconsin’s Northwoods – 350 Years in the Seeley Hills by Jim Schirott. Reprinted with permission. “The 9-foot diameter tree pictured here was probably 500 years old, before being cut by the North Wisconsin Lumber Company boys.  Venerability did not matter to Freddy Weyerhauser.  The only thing that mattered…

The Wild Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be meeting at the Sawmill Saloon in Seeley on Wednesday, October 12th.  There will be a presentation introducing the Namekagon River Partnership organization at 7pm.

A research project “Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway Understanding Fish Habitat History in the Namekagon River—Cold Water Zone” was conducted in 2008-09 to compare the current upper river fishery with pre-European and pre-logging times. Project information including a link to a study website and the full project report can be found on our website at: https://namekagon.org/?page_id=154

The results of the public survey e-mailed on September 29, 2011 are available below(requires Adobe Reader).  This was a pilot survey created to get some initial thoughts about the river and to test our survey process.  Note that responses to the discussion questions start on page 6. Survey 1 Results 10-9-11 p1-12

A meeting will be held in Seeley at the Sawmill Saloon on Thursday, September 22nd at 7pm to announce our organization, answer questions, and listen to comments and suggestions. The general public is invited.  Please attend and invite a friend. Downloads require Adobe Reader Namekagon River Partnership AgendaA 9-22-11 Namekagon River Meeting Ad 9-14-11    (9-14-11…

“…Great Fish Trap, a short ways above the mouth of the Namekagon River…  Here many huge rocks had been placed across the head of the rapids, about 10 feet apart, presumably done by early man.  How or when this had been done and by whom is not known.  The first engineers that build this obstruction…

The following have agreed to be a stakeholder in our organization (as of August 15th): Bayfield County Lakes Forum Bayfield County Land & Water Conservation Department Bayfield Regional Conservancy Cable Natural History Museum “Canoes on Wheels” program Friends of the St. Croix Headwaters Hayward Fly Fishing Company National Park Service / St. Croix National Scenic…

The following time line of Steering Group tasks has been proposed (as of August 9th): August-September 2011- talk with stakeholders September-October 2011- hold public meeting(s) October-November 2011- organization planning meeting- before winter departure December 2011-  Write Articles of Incorporation December 2011-  Submit WI Nonstock Corporation application (Chapter181) January 2012- Meet with DNR staff to discuss…

If you have images taken on the Namekagon River that you’re willing to share on this website, please send them to us (.jpg format preferred). E-mail to namekagonrivergroup@gmail.com

There was an initial gathering of individuals interested in forming a Namekagon River organization.  The meeting was held at the Cable Natural History Museum.  A decision was made to proceed, and to form a Steering Group to define and start-up the group. Downloads (require Adobe Reader) Namekagon River Group Agenda 8-8-11 Namekagon River Group Draft…