Who We Are

Why the Friends of the Little Plover River Formed

 In 2005, the Little Plover River made state and national news when the flow in sections of the river dried up completely.  Since then the river has dried up or been reduced to a trickle every year through 2009.

Predictions that the Little Plover might dry up came to pass in the summer of 2005 when effects of drought and high-capacity well pumping caused sections of the river to dry up.  Since flow measurements began in the 1950’s flow has never been this low despite the severe droughts which occurred over decades.  The 2005 dry up was so severe that Brook Trout died in the pools where they congregated as the stream dried up around them.  The health of the fishery will likely be affected for years and may never make a significant recovery.

The catastrophic event of 2005 was a sad chapter in the history of the Little Plover River, but served as a wake up call for us all.

How We Formed

In 2005, a group of concerned citizens came together to form The Friends of the Little Plover River in order to improve the health and flow levels of the Little Plover River and promote wise management practices of water, land resources and the groundwater within the Little Plover River watershed.  The formation of the Friends was an old-fashioned, grass roots effort; the organization has grown substantially since that time and continues to be very active and effective.

Our First Group of Friends Meeting at the Plover Library

September 14, 2005

Front Row: Barb Gifford, Jennifer Hunt, Jay Krienitz 

Second Row: Jen McNelly, Barb Feltz, George Kraft, Paul Bergman,  Jake Macholl

Jodi Hermsen LPR Appreciation Day 2009

In 2007, Jodi (Weiber) Hermsen joined the staff of Golden Sands RC&D becoming an integral part of the Friends of the Little Plover River helping to move the Friends forward to fulfill their mission

Initial Objectives of the Friends

During our first meeting, the Friends were in agreement that the group would focus on five educational components:

1. Organizing the first LPR Appreciation Day Event to be held on the River for fourth grade students from Roosevelt and Plover/Whiting Schools
2. Publishing the LPR Community Currents.  The newsletter would be mailed to approximately 2100 watershed residents
3. Facilitating the formation of a LPR Community Workgroup which would bring together all interested parties
4. Working with the State Legislature to improve and expand existing groundwater regulation
5. Developing a user friendly comprehensive archival Friends of the Little Plover River website

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