ABOUT US

The Rock River Rescue Foundation was founded in 2002 to improve the aquatic ecosystem in the river. It became necessary for a private organization to help the Rock River, because it receives no funding for fish stocking or habitat improvement from Wisconsin’s D.N.R., due to its low priority ranking.

The RRRF started with only six original members, but its membership has grown to over 100. The original target area has expanded from the 154 acres between the dams in Watertown to include the 60-mile stretch between Lake Sinnissippi in Hustisford and Watertown as the organization has expanded.

The RRRF uses four key "tools" to improve the river. These include:

• carp removal: removed hundreds of thousands of carp.
  
• fish stocking to introduce predators of carp: stocked over 400,000 game fish and pan fish since 2002.
  
• habitat improvement to increase the carrying capacity (numbers) of beneficial fish species
  
• providing access to those who want to use the river-handicap accessible piers purchased and donated to the City of Watertown in 2003 and 2006. These piers are installed at Fannie Lewis and Riverside Parks.

The RRRF is a participant in the 2010 Rock River Sweep. In addition to improving the river, the RRRF has also purchased and installed bag and size limit signage as well as carp removal receptacles. The RRRF also donates fishing equipment to area children and meets with area youth to teach them about conservation and angling basics.

All RRRF activities are funded through donations from individuals, businesses, and service organizations, as well as our own fundraising efforts. All funds and donations are used to achieve our goal of a healthier Rock River ecosystem. As the organization has done its work, we have noticed a dramatic increase in the numbers of gamefish and panfish being caught within our target area. There has also been a slight increase in the amount of aquatic vegetation, and decreased water turbidity, due in part to reduced numbers of carp.