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Sensitive area in Vernon County impacted by manure spill
Wild Rose
THE MANY BARNS OF WILD ROSE DAIRY confined animal feeding operation (CAFO), the source of a manure spill that impacted a sensitive area in Vernon County this week, can be seen at the back of this picture. The wooded area is the top of a dry wash area that runs from below the farm fields, along Kirking Road to County Highway D. This is the path, flowing through an area containing springs which form some of the headwaters for Otter Creek, where the spilled manure flowed on Monday, Oct. 2.
GILLIAN POMPLUN
Updated: Oct 11, 2017, 7:21 PM
Published: Oct 11, 2017, 7:24 PM

VERNON COUNTY - A manure spill at the Wild Rose Dairy in Vernon County last week is suspected of killing 1,300 fish in Otter Creek, according to the Wisconsin DNR.

The DNR confirmed that brook and brown trout in the stream were killed. Trout need parts per million of dissolvable oxygen present in the water to survive, according to Dave Vetrano, a retired DNR fisheries manager. Quantities of manure in the water use available oxygen to decompose. When dissolvable oxygen levels drop, fish die.

The Wild Rose Dairy manure spill in rural Webster Township is currently under investigation. The details of the event are being withheld pending the completion of the investigatory process, the DNR reported.

“Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff continue to monitor the stream quality of Otter Creek, located north of the Village of LaFarge,” according to a DNR statement released on Friday, Oct. 6. “Department fisheries biologists report a kill of more than 1,300 fish, including brook and brown trout, in the headwaters of the stream. The rest of the stream, known for its large fish population, does not currently appear to be impacted by the runoff.  Otter Creek is a tributary of the Kickapoo River, but fish in the Kickapoo have not been affected. The spill was reported to the DNR earlier this week and the source of the spill has been controlled.”

Vernon County Conservationist Benjamin Wojahn acknowledged that the Vernon County Land & Water Conservation Department has been notified by the DNR of the spill, but stated he is not at liberty to comment on the situation.

“Our department has been asked to let the DNR take the lead in communication around this incident,” Wojahn said. “They are the agency that is responsible for conducting the investigation.”

Tom Lukens, the Board Chairperson of Valley Stewardship Network, reported that he understands the spill occurred during the course of a pumping operation involving a manure holding area. The spill likely occurred as the result of a connection failure in the pumping equipment, according to Lukens.

Otter Creek, located in central Vernon County, flows in a southeasterly direction for 4.5 miles before reaching the Kickapoo River at LaFarge. The stream drains forested hillsides with agricultural activity in both the valleys and on the ridge tops. Otter Creek is a Class III trout stream for its entire length.

Wild Rose Dairy

Wild Rose Dairy, an 800-cow, permitted, confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) is situated on Buckeye Ridge on land that drains down into the Otter Creek watershed. It’s location is 3.5 miles northwest of the Village of LaFarge.

The dairy contains manure from the operation in holding areas on the property, and distributes the manure onto cropland on the farm through large hoses.

Vernon County currently has a total of four permitted dairy CAFO operations, of which Wild Rose Dairy is one. Crawford County has one permitted swine CAFO; Richland County has two dairy and two swine CAFOs; and Monroe County has three dairy CAFOs.

VSN’s Lukens said that the spill occurred in a section of the Wild Rose Dairy property that drains down into the headwaters of Otter Creek. The manure travelling down a dry wash along the side of Kirking Road, to its intersection with Vernon County Highway D. The creek is fed by springs from the impacted area, and water only begins to run on the surface on the other side of D.

Sensitive karst geology

While obviously a tragedy for the farmers, Arthur Thelen and David Abt, who own the operation, the incident is also a tragedy for the  community in the area. The impacts to surface and ground water quality are yet to be determined.

“We have taken a sample of water from the creek, and are sending it off to be tested,” Lukens shared. “We also did macroinvertebrate sampling at a location on the creek last October, and are considering pulling another sample soon.”

David and Barb Sarnowski live along Otter Creek, and are water action volunteers with Valley Stewardship Network. They have been involved in water quality sampling of Otter Creek for four years.

Barb Sarnowski reported that she did not observe any noticeable commotion in the area of the spill, and had not seen any evidence of manure in the water visible to the naked eye.

“In my four years of monitoring water quality in Otter Creek, we had been seeing steady improvements in the water quality every year, which speak to the conservation practices being employed by area farmers,” Sarnowski said. “After this manure spill, I don’t know what to expect.”

According to Sarnowski, no well water advisories have been issued to local landowners.

Western Wisconsin

Large areas of the state have an underlying Karst geology. Counties in the state where virtually the entire area is karstic include Crawford, Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette, LaCrosse, Pierce, Richland and Vernon.

Karst is a landscape formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves.

Because of its highly fractured nature, this type of topography can make a region more susceptible to groundwater contamination.

Karst geology and direct conduits to groundwater, such as springs, seepages, sinkholes, caves, fractures, and stream sinks, have been mapped extensively in some parts of the state, and not at all in others.

One of the reasons that the Natural Resources Board’s Groundwater Collaboration Workgroup has not moved to include counties in Southwest Wisconsin in their ‘sensitive areas’ designation is the lack of data and mapping currently available.

Clean Wisconsin, who together with Midwest Environmental Advocates, filed a petition for emergency action on October 22, 2014, detailing the need for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to exercise its emergency powers under the Safe Drinking Water Act and other federal pollution cleanup laws, included the following language in a statement made in advance of the NRB’s September 2017 meeting:

“We hope these rule changes will start to show results for Kewaunee County, but we know this is only the starting point,” said Scott Laeser, Water Quality Specialist with Clean Wisconsin. “Other parts of the state are still vulnerable to groundwater contamination. For now, the state and the agricultural community must use existing tools to reduce the risk of groundwater contamination in Southwest Wisconsin, but the state must prevent another drinking water crisis like the one facing residents in Northeast Wisconsin from happening elsewhere in the state.”
Special Education has a primary importance
At North Crawford
Special Education
THE NORTH CRAWFORD special education department is an integral part of the district and a point of Trojan pride. The department staff is made up of, from left, Christopher Finnell, Erin Konichek, Olivia Gabrielson, Jen Pedersen, Cara Wood, Sara Troshynski-Fredelake, Melinda Biege, and Emily Patti, as well as Tracy Morovits-Feye and Andrew Watters, who are not pictured. - photo by JORDAN DERRICK
JORDAN DERRICK
Crawford County Independent & Kickapoo Scout
Published: Mar 12, 2025, 7:42 PM

It seems these days, special education plays a vital role in supporting student equity and equality.

In the North Crawford School District, the special education department is extremely important to the staff, students, and community.

At North Crawford, 18.8% of the student population require special education services, according to the 2023-24 district report card. This is a similar figure to most nearby districts.

Despite having similar numbers, the school’s special ed department is often considered one of the best in the area.

“Our department is really dedicated to making sure we get the best out of the kids, and that they get the best out of us,” high school special education teacher Andrew Watters said about the program. “We are willing to try new things and are always adapting our program.”

The purpose of the department is to provide better access to education for students who need more support.

IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) is a federal law that outlines special education in public schools. It is described as a law that “makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children.”

The Act was reauthorized and renamed in 1990, from the EHA or Education for All Handicapped Children Act. The EHA was originally put into place in 1975, to protect the rights of and require meeting the needs of disabled youth. 

Since the EHA, and now the IDEA, schools and services have become much more inclusive and beneficial for disabled students, with nearly 7.3 million students receiving special education services in the 2021-22 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

North Crawford Student Services Director Cara Wood says that she has noticed the negative feelings that many families have toward special education in public schools.

This stigma makes it harder on the students, as they or their families may fear mistreatment or poor services. Wood says that North Crawford is working to fight these fears and continue to provide the best services they can.

Public schools must comply with IDEA, otherwise they may face legal action and/or loss of federal funding.

“Special education is not optional,” North Crawford Superintendent Brandon Munson said about funding the program. “We cannot turn down high needs students, so we pay for the services, whether we have the budget or not.” 

The disability groups covered under the act include:

• autism;

• deaf-blindness;

• deafness and hearing impairment;

• emotional disturbance;

• intellectual disability;

• orthopedic impairment;

• other health impairment;

• specific learning disability;

• speech or language impairment;

• traumatic brain injury; or

• visual impairment (including blindness).

With such a broad range of students, many who qualify for the special education program choose not to participate, as not all qualifying students and their families feel they need the support.

Often times, students with certain disabilities can even grow out of the program.

“Students learn as they function and grow, and, especially with disabilities like autism, certain students may outgrow special education,” Director of Student Services Cara Wood said.

Special education from the district ranges from students ages 3-21. Children with developmental disabilities can participate in the Wisconsin birth-to-3 program, where they offer speech, occupational, and physical therapy before the children begin attending school.

The end of a student’s K-12 services doesn’t end their access to services. Once students reach the end of their K-12 career, they have a right to disability accommodations in many higher-education institutions and workplaces.

Adapting is extremely important for the entire special education department, students and staff alike, whether it is to the next chapter in their life or their next student.

“There is constant change. No day is exactly the same, no student is exactly the same,” Watters said.

The basis of any special education program is the IEP, or Individualized Education Plan.

Every student in the special education program has an IEP. Its purpose is to evaluate the circumstances of and plan for each student’s year.

The meeting includes the parent or guardian and teachers of the student, along with the director of special education. As described by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, “an IEP is a program designed to meet the unique and individual needs of a student that qualifies… under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).” 

The IEP is a written guideline, which is revised yearly, for the special education team to follow. It serves to ensure students are receiving the necessary services and are continually meeting their educational goals throughout the year.

Superintendent Munson says that IEPs can be a key to keeping communication between the district and the students’ families open and consistent.

As the parent of a student in special education, Emily Patti feels that the program at North Crawford has done great work with her son.

Patti’s child is enrolled in North Crawford Elementary School. Throughout his time in the district, he has received an array of services, including extra instruction, emotional regulation, and help with adjusting to the school environment.

“Everybody wants to work with these kids and understand them on a really deep level,” Patti said about the program. “There isn’t one set curriculum that works across the board, in general or special education. Everyone is really adaptive and really cares.”

The feelings Patti has toward the department’s staff are not uncommon.

“We have really great teachers and assistants,” Director of Student Services Wood said. “They are always here and so committed to their roles; it’s what makes the program work.”

North Crawford's special education department has come to be highly regarded because of their relationships and communication with the families of students and their quality of services provided. 

The staff works incredibly hard to create a safe and comfortable learning environment for each student, and hopes to continue evolving the program for the better.

A unique aspect of the North Crawford department is the Trojan Brew Company, a mini coffee shop run by high school special education teacher Christopher Finnell.

Finnell started the program three years ago with his students, selling coffee to a handful of teachers in the building, and they have worked to expand it to be much larger since.

“The students involved in Trojan Brew Co. are learning valuable skills, such as managing check registers, budgeting, inventory, self-advocacy, and more,” Finnell said.

North Crawford works hard to support growth and provide a great education for every student.