Special Workday on the Sugar River with SWTU

2026 SWTU Workday

*Special Workday* with STIHL Professional Sawyers

Tuesday, June 9 – Sugar River, Duerst Property

RSVP: Please RSVP to Jim Hess (jimhess5599@gmail.com) by June 5 as STIHL will be providing lunch and will need a count on how much to order. Also let me know of any dietary issues. As always, there will be a break with refreshments around 10 am. And if you are interested in carpooling, contact Dyan Lesnik (dmlgriffin@gmail.com).

Time: 9am to 1pm – arrive around 8:30 to get organized. We will breakout into 3 work zones. (Note: This is on a Tuesday.)

Where: Sugar River, Dane County Duerst property, 7309 Riverside Road. Take Hwy 69 south out of Verona and go about 1 mile from Hwy 151 to Riverside Rd, turn right (west) and go about ½ mile. Coming from the south it is about 3 miles north of Paoli on 69. Here is a Google Map Link to this location:   https://maps.app.goo.gl/9o9sJJ19ZzTJvo8G7

What:  Dan Pherson, with STIHL, and James Brodzeller with the county will be leading this workday. We will be working with professional STIHL sawyers clearing out large box elder trees that are encroaching the river. STIHL is having a regional sales meeting in Cottage Grove and will take a day off for public service. They have been doing this for several years working through TUDARE. We have been preparing for this workday for the past year, dedicating 3 workdays to clearing out the thick understory of honeysuckles and other woody invasives to open up the area for the sawyers. SWTU volunteers will be clearing the debris, building burn piles, spot spraying honeysuckle resprouts from previous work days, and assisting in any way we can. We might even use our portable gas winch to retrieve trees that fall into the river.

A little more background on this workday…SWTU and the Dane County Land and Water Resources Department worked together to secure a grant through TUDARE for this STIHL workday. Dane County purchased this 625-acre property in 2023. It is downstream from where Badger Mill Creek enters Sugar River, which is also owned by the County and open to the public. The county is the process of restoring the Duerst property for public use. After the box elders are cleared, the county’s plan is to open up various sections of the existing berm, which was installed years ago to keep the flood waters off of this property. Opening up the berm will reconnect the river with the floodplain and allow the cold-water springs to again flow to the river

Bring: Work gloves, sturdy shoes, eye and ear protection, and reusable water bottles that can be re-filled from our 5-gal water jug. Stay hydrated. Also, there are always some wet spos, so bring your rubber boots if you have them.

Parking:  Plan to park in the gravel parking lot and along the gravel road.

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Future Workdays: This is our last workday for the Spring. Plans are already in the works for the Fall.