This spring season we continue to see major changes around the creek. Please join our monthly meetings to become involved or just hear more about our activities. We meet the 3rd Tuesday of each month at Goodman Community Center.
In this newsletter you will hear about our events schedule, updates on the Washington Manor Park Rain Garden and Spring Clean Up events, and a recent article and report about the creek, To get timely updates on projects and outings, check our Facebook page or email us at info@starkweatherfriends.org
The Friends of Starkweather Creek hold events around the creek year round, which are open to the general public. For paddling events, we provide canoes, paddles, life jackets and basic instruction. We hope you can join us!
Friends of Starkweather Creek
2019 Calendar of Events
Saturday, April 20, 10 am - noon - Creek Cleanup
Saturday, May 19, 10 - 11:30 am - Canoe the Creek
Saturday, June 15, 10 - 11:30 am - Ethnobotany Bike Ride starting at Goodman Community Center
Friday, June 21, 5 - 9:30 pm - Annual Solstice Event at Olbrich Park
June 21 - August 16, 10 am - noon - Watershed Wanders Summer Camp at Goodman Community Center
Saturday, July 20, 10 - 11:30 am - Water Critters & Creek Health
Saturday, Aug 17, 11 am - 7:00 pm - Eken Park Festival
Saturday, Oct 19, 10 -11:30 am - Canoe the Creek
Saturday, Oct 19, 10 - 11:30 am - Native Plant Workshop
Stewardship on the Creek: Earth Day Paddle & Spring Creek Cleanup
By Deborah Crabtree
Although the weather was a bit cold, we still had a wonderful time at our annual Earth Day Paddle and Clean Up in April honoring the 48th Earth Day! We hosted this event in partnership with Fit Youth Initiative and Madison FUN Friends of Urban Nature. Sixty people joined us to show the Starkweather Creek Watershed some love. We cleaned up Olbrich Park, Starkweather Creek, and parts of the watershed near the Highway 30 Bridge.
After our clean up, we paddled the creek, had a delicious lunch provided by the Goodman Community Center, and joined in a fun and colorful pop-up photo shoot hosted by Community Unity Arts. It was a day of community and connection, and we are already looking forward to next year! Special thanks to Rutabaga Paddlesports and Brittingham Boats for generously letting us borrow canoes for this event!
Did you know that we host monthly bird and nature outings in partnership with Madison FUN Friends of Urban Nature, Madison Parks, and the Goodman Community Center? We love sharing this urban gem with all of you and hope you can join us on a future outing to learn more about the creek! Outings occur the third Saturday of every month from 10-11:30 AM. Check out Friends of Starkweather Creek’s Facebook page for outing details.
Washington Manor Park Rain Garden
By Board Member, Jeffery Steele
Last summer, in a collaborative effort between the Eken Park Neighborhood Association, Friends of Starkweather Creek, and the Madison Area Municipal Stormwater Partnership & Dane County Land & Water Resources Department, dozens of volunteers planted hundreds of native flowers and sedges in a rain garden at Washington Manor Park.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature had different plans and our native seedlings were severely stressed by the late summer flood that affected Dane County. Many of these species are adapted to deal with flood conditions, but too much of a good thing can be detrimental on newly transplanted seedlings and many of them are not expected to survive.
Luckily, we have many dedicated volunteers to oversee continued rain garden success. The rain garden will be burned this spring which will remove last year’s thatch and dead leaf litter helping to warm the soil and recycle nutrients giving our plants a jump start! We will also be supplementing our rain garden with Swamp Milkweed this spring which will help replace any lost plants from flooding and continue our rain garden’s recognition as a Monarch Waystation.
If you are interested in helping at one of our rain garden work days, please email us at admin@starkweatherfriends.org
Starkweather In the News
Here's a link to a recent article about pollution on the creek
Advocate for the creek with city and county officials,
Lead free canoe/bike/walking tours throughout the year,
Co-sponsor a summer and a winter solstice celebration,
Work with Goodman Center and Madison FUN to get people out on the creek,
Volunteer as water quality monitors for the DNR,
Provide a place for community members to share their concerns and plan projects around the creek,
Publish a semi-annual newsletter.
Work with experts on projects to promote a healthy creek ecosystem.
Feel free to join us at our monthly board meetings and learn more about us and our activities. All are welcome. We meet at the Goodman Community Center, 7pm, 3rd Tuesday of each month. You can learn more about us through our Facebook page, email us at info@starkweatherfriends.org or become a member at our webpage starkweatherfriends.org/membership
Thank you for your support
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting our work to revitalize Starkweather Creek by participating in our canoe tours and creek cleanups, by lending your expertise, and, especially, with your membership. If you have not yet had a chance, please take a moment now at https://starkweatherfriends.org/membership/ to renew your membership and consider making a donation to help us continue our work.
Please make checks out to Friends of Starkweather Creek and mail to Friends of Starkweather Creek, Post Office Box 8442, Madison, WI 53708-8442 or contribute via our webpage athttps://starkweatherfriends.org/membership/
Friends of Starkweather Creek
