Coon Creek Watershed in Wisconsin

I am reading Aldo Leopold's "Sand County Almanac where the Coon Creek Watershed project is mentioned. It took me back to our visits to the Coon Valley community while on our way to visit family at Tomah. Here is the message on this landmark:

"Nations

First Watershed Project

This point is near the center of the 90,000 acre Coon Creek Watershed, the nation’s first large scale demonstration of soil and water conservation. The area was selected for this purpose by the U. S. Soil Conservation Service, then the Soil Erosion Service in October 1935. Technicians of the S.C.S. and the University of Wisconsin pooled their knowledge with experiences of local farm leaders to establish a pattern of land use now prevalent throughout the midwest. Planned practices in affect include improvement of woodlands, wildlife habitat and pastures, better rotations and fertilization, strip cropping, terracing, and gully and stream bank erosion control. The outcome is a tribute to the wisdom, courage, and foresight of the farm families who adopted the modern methods of conservation farming illustrated here."

It was a real pleasure to see Coon Creek running with clear water near the bottom of the Watershed the last time we visited the area. It is a tribute to the early conservation leaders and farmers who have adopted soil and water conservation practices.