Eau Claire (WQOW) -
UW-Eau
Claire received a campus visit, from the DNR. It will be working on little Niagara
Creek, which runs through the lower portion of campus.
"It doesn't look
natural anymore and also its value as an educational tool is somewhat lost,"
said Terry Classen, Director of Facilities Management at UWEC.
The Little Niagara Creek will see
some changes before UWEC students return this fall. Restoration work began Monday
with the DNR already removing shrubs and invasive species along both sides.
"We've removed a
number of culverts here along Little Niagara here, and those over the years
have tended to slow the creek down and unfortunately then we've experienced a
lot of silt deposits…and in the silt deposits, the growth of invasive species,"
Classen said.
The new look will help students who
study the creek for environmental reasons, but that's not all.
When the restoration of
Little Niagara is complete, it will give students another unique area to study
between classes.
"The DNR, a couple
of things they hope to accomplish here are to create some rock outcroppings,
make the slope towards the creek a little less severe. So it's easier to
approach, easier to sit by, there would be rocks to sit on," said Classen.
Once all the construction is
cleared, the creek will be part of a new vision of campus green space.
"We
have a huge inter-campus, inter-building mall. A lawn in some parts,
amphitheatre in another part, some performance areas, outdoor performance
areas, and through this large mall now is Little Niagara," Classen said.
The project started yesterday and is expected to take 2-3 weeks to complete. It comes with a price tag of around $125,000.
