Sturgeon habitat to be installed

NEW LONDON – The New London Common Council approved an agreement with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to have a sturgeon habitat installed in the Embarrass River along the shoreline in Pfeifer Park.
The agreement was unanimously approved at the council’s June 16 meeting.
The matter was discussed at the June 2 New London Parks & Recreation Committee meeting. At that meeting, Ginger Sowle, director of the New London Parks & Recreation Department, told the committee that Parks Superintendent Luke Hammons and she had met with DNR sturgeon biologists and fish habitat biologists in March to review the process to install the sturgeon habitat.
“Pretty much everything is on the DNR for cost, permitting, labor,” Sowle said. “They’re doing 99% of it. The one thing that we will do is remove any of the brush and the trees that are cut down by DNR staff and take them to our yard waste site.”
Sowle said the ash trees that would be cut down for the habitat project are currently listed as “removable” on the city’s tree inventory.

“So, they’re definitely slated for removal anyway,” Sowle said.
She added that she thinks the habitat project is a great project and is glad the DNR recognizes the need for a sturgeon habitat in Pfeifer Park.
The project would include removing current stone rip rap in the area and replacing it with large sturgeon spawning rock to enhance and promote the lake sturgeon habitat.
The project is slated to be completed between August and October.