October 21, 2021 THE JOURNAL Page 11

RIVER FALLS Area News

)-1.3(5-'.,.405#14#05"2151%5 Overnight parking
04-02350#23021054.3(502*()/
RIVER FALLS -- An anonymous holiday-
sharing program is gearing up for its 33rd year
of service to River Falls area families in need.
Board members met Oct. 7 to set a schedule
for the 2021 program, which anonymously
matches sponsors with family recipients, said
President Judy Wiff. Past sponsors are being in-
vited by e-mail, and individuals, families or or-
ganizations wishing to sponsor a family can get
in touch via e-mail to
RFsharingfamilies@gmail.com, call 715-307-
0362 and leave a voice message, or visit the
River Falls Sharing Families Facebook page.
Sharing Families board members agreed the
program will aim to help at least 45 local fami-
lies by providing them with gifts of clothing,
toys, household items, and groceries.
Recipient profiles are gathered by volunteers
with The Angels on Earth Giving Tree Program
which partners with Assistance and Resource
Center Inc. (ARC) to provide for families in the
River Falls School District during the Christmas
season.
Family profiles will likely be available early
in November. Sponsors will have until noon,
Friday, Dec. 10, to assemble gift packages and
deliver them to SF's temporary quarters in the
lower level of the Knight Barry Title Group
building, 116 E. Elm St. Volunteers will then
check over the contributions and shop for any
items needed to complete the assignments. Gifts
will be distributed Thursday and Friday, Dec.
16-17.
Cash donations can be mailed to Sharing
Families, P.O. Box 701, River Falls, WI 54022.
Sharing Families is incorporated as a
501(c)(3) non-profit and is run by a volunteer
board of directors. Contributions are tax-de-
ductible. Receipts are available.
Board of directors members include: Angie
Bond, Bonnie Carroll, Dalene Crandall, Pam
Herink, Rosalie Walker, Judy Wiff, and Steve
Dzubay.
Submitted by Sharing Families
restrictions begin Nov. 1
RIVER FALLS - Odd/even parking on the time to un-
River Falls city streets resumes again at 1 a.m. derstand and
Nov. 1, 2021 and runs nightly through March abide by the
31, 2022. City parking
Under Municipal Code Chapter 10.12.020 regulations to
between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. vehicles avoid the in-
must be parked on the odd numbered side of convenience
the street on odd dates and parked on the even and expense of
numbered side of the street on even dates, un- parking tickets
less other “no parking” regulations are in effect and towing.
during that time. Remember to park according If you need
to the date after midnight and note the property assistance or
addresses to determine odd/even side of the information,
street. Vehicles parked in violation of parking please visit our website at www.rfcity.org/park-
regulations may be ticketed and/or towed for ing or contact the police department at 715-
snow removal, street maintenance, or other 425-0909. Stay up to date by following the
public safety needs. This ordinance is enforced River Falls Police Department on Facebook.
regardless of weather conditions. Submitted by River Falls Police Department
The police department urges citizens to take

FOREST
From Page 1
keeping the enthusiasm for the River
Falls School District school forest
moving forward. But to do that, the
district needs some help, Benson
said.
“The SDRF Forest is a legacy
project that will have a long-lasting
impact,” Benson said in a video.
posed a land swap with landowners
Lyle and Roberta Johnson, who had
land adjacent to the school forest.
The school had 20 acres north of the
Kinni and 15 acres south of it, while
the Johnsons had 35 acres adjacent to
the north parcel. The proposal in-
cluded swapping the south school
district land for the Johnsons parcel.
Jorgenson, who attended church with
the Johnsons at Ezekiel Lutheran
Church, worked out a deal with them
and a handshake agreement. How-
for the environment and examine
their own environmental values.
•Connects academic studies to
real-life learning experiences and to
the community.
•Allows students to learn in a va-
riety of ways, including cooperative
learning, mentoring, active learning,
and service learning.
Not just students glean value from
the school forest. Community bene-
fits listed were:
•Brings together organizations,
forest as well.
“We’d like students to see it in a
different light every single time,”
Deziel said.
What’s next?
After the presentation ended, at-
tendees were asked to consider join-
ing sub-committees in order to help
the advisory committee with:
Curriculum/instruction: Develop
lesson plans, grade level learning ex-
periences and activities to allow stu-
campsites, etc.) that comply with
both conservation easements.
Communications and marketing:
Provide communication to school
staff and the community regarding all
things related to the school forest.
Develop infographics, leverage so-
cial media, cultivate partnerships and
share the vision.
Land management: Work closely
with the Department of Natural Re-
sources and KRLT to develop a land
management plan that complies with

.
“Developing trails with educational ever, the land swap wasn’t made of- businesses and educational institu- dents to learn specified units of study conservation easements. Identify

stations, a learning shelter, and an en-
vironmental curriculum will provide
impactful and sustainable educa-
tional opportunities for generations
to come.”
Students will also gain a greater
appreciation for natural resources,
ficial until 2012, and at that time, the
Johnsons also received $10,000 since
the land parcels swapped were un-
even in size. on
Although this was a step in the
right direction, the school forest was
still landlocked and would remain so
us l,
tions to form partnerships for stew-
ardship.
•Provides a place for families and
community members to explore and
connect with nature.
•Contributes to the ecological
health of the area by offering water-
ly
connected to the school forest. Grade
level and course specific units of
study will be designed with related
equipment, materials, supplies and
resources.
Handbook: Develop a handbook
that contains details related to the
specific land use and land manage-
ment strategies.
Finance/fundraising: Organize
and coordinate funding efforts based
on identified needs.
“Preserving the beauty and in-
tegrity will be paramount,” Benson

become advocates for the planet, ex- until 2019. shed and habitat protection. school forest such as the mission said. “We do not want to commer-
plore career opportunities and better JoAnn Ailport Dreistadt owned •Provides educational, cultural statement, philosophy, goals, poli- cialize it.”
al a

understand the interconnectedness of
human life to the environment, Ben-
land adjacent to the school forest that and recreational opportunities. cies, procedures and guidelines. Jorgenson echoed Benson, and
e
included a 66-foot-by-half-mile ac- •Demonstrates effective natural Trails, signage, maps: Determine said the Johnsons wanted to leave a
ci on

son added.
The renewed school forest activity
is thanks to the Kinnickinnic River
Land Trust’s purchase of property
next to the school district’s land that
cess road from County Road F. The
district wanted to purchase the land,
but a price couldn’t be agreed upon.
However, when Dreistadt died in
2019, her three daughters reached out
er rs
resource management techniques and
planning.
Ideally, K-12 students would visit
the forest three times per year: Fall,
Winter and Spring. The curriculum
appropriate trails (universal access)
and related signage. Coordinate labor
and equipment to create trails. De-
sign learning stations and informa-
tional kiosks as seemed appropriate.
legacy for schoolchildren and this
group has a chance to do the same.
Students are welcome to join the
sub-committees. To learn more about
the sub-committees, contact Jennifer

will allow access to the landlocked
parcel, which had been inaccessible
for decades.
“That’s what’s really spurring this
to retired teacher Carole Mottaz and
informed her they wanted to sell the
property. The family developed a re-
lationship with KRLT Executive Di-
m e
and forest will be designed to be ac- Develop maps for the trails and Ames at
cessible to all students, Deziel said. learning stations that comply with jennifer.ames@rfsd.k12.wi.us To
The curriculum will be estab- conservation easements. watch school forest videos or learn
lished to align at every grade level, Facilities: Identify and crate draft more about “Dream Big” efforts,

amazing activity,” Benson said. “It rector Charlene Brooks and arrived not just in science but in all content plans for any/all facilities on the visit www.rfsd.k12.wi.us/commu-
preserves acre upon acre of some of at an understanding which kicked off areas. Teachers will be encouraged to school forest property (learning cen- nity/rfsd-school-forest.cfm
m rp

the area’s most pristine lands along
the Kinnickinnic River. We have
some mojo going here.”
History
In the 1930s or 1940s (the exact
a fundraising drive by the KRLT. find creative additional uses for the ter/building, restrooms, firepits,
On Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, the
KRLT announced it had reached its
$500,000 fundraising goal to fully
purchase the 40-acre old growth
forested parcel from the Ailport-
co Fo

date is unclear), a tax forfeiture re-
sulted in a parcel being deeded to the
River Falls School District. In 1947,
the school forest was registered with
the state of Wisconsin, making it one
of the oldest school forests in the
state.
“It will be 75 years next year and
we’ll finally have access,” ddddddd
said.
The school forest, while an asset,
was “landlocked” on all sides, sur-
Dreistadt Estate. The parcel, located
in the lower river canyon down-
stream from River Falls and adjacent
to the school forest, contains 1,500
feet of river frontage and includes the
mouth of the Rocky Branch Creek.
“Now seems like an opportune
time” to start focusing on student ed-
ucation and restoring the district’s re-
lationship with its forest, which is
described as a 70-acre gem of forest,
prairie, bluffs and pristine land, Ben-
n-

rounded by private property owners. son said.

From 1940-1980, little to nothing
was done with the forest because it Vision
couldn’t be accessed. The RF School Forest Advisory
no

In 1980, a group focused on gain- Committee is comprised of teachers,

ing access to the property and in
1983, negotiated a gentlemen’s
agreement with a neighboring
landowner to gain access to the prop-
erty through the north side (the
school land was divided by the Kin-
nickinnic River). Thanks to an
$87,000 grant and School Adminis-
trator Bernie Abrahamson, a Youth
Conservation Corps was imple-
mented and teaching stations, trails,
benches and an open shelter were
constructed.
Unfortunately, some “shenani-
gans” in 1986 ended the gentlemen’s
agreement and the school district’s
access to the forest. For the next 30
to 35 years, the school forest sat
silent with only the wind in the trees
and the squirrels rustling through.
The trails cleared by the Youth Con-
servation Corps grew in again, and
the open shelter deteriorated as the
decades marched by.
School district staff member Rick
Cleary took up the vision, along with
Dale Jorgenson and others, in the
1990s. When a land purchase agree-
ment in 1992 fell through, it was just
more than a decade before dreams
turned into action again.
In about 2003, Jorgenson said
conversations with an adjoining land
owner to purchase or swap land
stalled, yet again. Then, RFSD pro-
posed a land consolidation.
“At least 20 people touched this
project, too many to count,” Jorgen-
son said.
When Kinnickinnic River Land
Trust Executive Director Nelson
French left in 2009, Jorgenson took
on the role of interim director. He
collaborated with then District Ad-
ministrator Tom Westerhaus and pro-
school administrators, school board
members, city officials and River
Falls Rotary Club members. The
group of 15 has met about six times
to hammer out a vision, next steps
and school forest needs.
The RFSFAC’s mission is to en-
sure alignment with the goals of en-
vironmental education, and to
develop a sustainable plan to help
students become environmentally
knowledgeable, skilled citizens who This timeline shows the River Falls School Forest’s history, beginning nearly 75 years ago. It’s taken a long time
are connected with nature through to get to the “Dream Big” moment in 2021 and a lot of perseverance. Timeline courtesy of River Falls School Dis-
exploration, wonder, and questioning trict
while promoting a sustainable future.
Teachers Mallory Deziel and Nate
Brown shared the committee’s vision
with event-goers and helped them
see what the school forest could truly
mean to students and the community.
School forests, of which there are
many across Wisconsin, can help
schools meet state education stan-
dards, integrate environmental edu-
cation into the curriculum, connect
teachers and students to place,
demonstrate sustainable natural re-
source management and strengthen
school and community relationships.
The benefits to students are many,
Brown said:
•Fosters a sense of pride and be-
longing.
•Encourages the development of
research, communication, problem-
solving, critical thinking and leader-
ship skills.
•Offers students real-life, hands-
on experiences.
•Demonstrates the complexities
within the natural world.
•Develops a working knowledge
of natural resource conservation,
management and stewardship. Stu- This map shows the location of the River Falls School Forest, a 70-acre parcel that can now be accessed through
dents will develop care and concern land owned by the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust. The forest was landlocked for many years, surrounded by
private landowners southwest of the city. Map courtesy of River Falls School District