A Hands-on Education

Six biology students from Michael Alfieri’s classes volunteered to help the Coulee Region Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources repair a section of Mormon Coulee Creek (located between La Crosse and Coon Valley) that was damaged by flooding. After two hours of removing rock and gravel that had collected to form a dam, participants succeeded in restoring proper flow to the stream and improving the spawning habitat for brown trout. Participating were students Amber Miller, Du Wayne La Fountain, Logan Kiekhafer, Janet Wuensch, Carlson Thwing, and Daniel Katzenberger; Michael Leonard of the Wisconsin DNR; biology faculty member Michael Alfieri; director of the Ethics Institute Rick Kyte; and Cy Post of Coulee Region Trout Unlimited.