When a 4-year-old hooked a powerful fish at the Durand Youth Fishing Contest on the Lower Chippewa River, a longtime fisherman stepped in to help guide the rod. Together, they landed a 32-pound catfish, only for the young angler to later confess she was too young to compete. Contestants had to be five years old to enter. She was disqualified from the competition, but earned an award for honesty instead.
That same fisherman, Bryan Bauer, still returns to the river years later, now fishing alongside his own grandchildren. This story is a simple reminder that public rivers, like the Chippewa, aren’t just places to fish. They’re places where generations connect and traditions are passed down.
A child fishing on a boat next to her grandfather. Photo courtesy of Bryan Bauer
Meet a longtime angler on the Lower Chippewa River
Born and raised in Durand, Wisconsin, Bryan Bauer comes from a family of farmers and grew up on the banks of the Lower Chippewa River. He spends much of his time out in nature and shares his love and respect for the Lower Chippewa River with his grandkids.
I’m teaching my grandkids how to respect the river.
An avid fisherman and outdoorsman, Bryan has been part of the Durand Sportsman Club for over 25 years and is currently serving his third term as president. While fishing is an important part of his life, the most valuable time he spends on the river is with his loved ones. The calmness of the river, being able to cast a line, sit back, and catch up with an old friend is the true joy of fishing for Bryan.
Three young people holding up fish they caught during the Durand Youth Fishing Contest. Photo courtesy of Bryan Bauer
The Lower Chippewa River is a public and ecological treasure
Bryan recognizes how fortunate the community is to have access to such an incredible public landscape. Supported in part by the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund and NRF’s Lower Chippewa River Basin Conservation Fund, Bryan is grateful for the protection of the Lower Chippewa River both for the rare plants and animals and surrounding communities of people that all call the river home.
The Lower Chippewa River has become such a special place for our town. It’s important to protect public lands like this to ensure everyone has a place to go and experience nature.
Bryan’s appreciation for the river goes beyond fishing. The Lower Chippewa River is not only a place for people to gather, it’s also one of the most ecologically important landscapes in Wisconsin.
Bryan and his friend, Jim, fishing on the Lower Chippewa River. Photo courtesy of Bryan Bauer
The State Natural Area’s impressive nature
The Lower Chippewa River State Natural Area (SNA) covers 15,000 acres across scattered sites both north and south of Durand. This SNA contains Wisconsin’s largest remaining concentration of prairie and savanna: 2,000 acres. Prior to colonization, Wisconsin boasted over 7.7 million acres of native prairie. Today only about 8,000 acres remain statewide, which means that roughly a quarter of them are found within the Lower Chippewa River SNA. Additionally, this SNA is home to the largest contiguous floodplain forest in the upper Midwest.
Due to its notable lineup of native landscapes, the Lower Chippewa River is one of the largest and most biodiverse areas of habitat for our state’s wildlife, likely containing the highest concentration of rare animal and bird species in Wisconsin. Many rare species of birds thrive in the floodplain forests including the red-shouldered hawk, northern harrier, Acadian flycatcher, prothonotary warbler, cerulean warbler, hooded warbler, Kentucky warbler, and yellow-crowned night heron. Migratory waterfowl and waterbirds like herons, egrets, and bitterns also travel through this magnificent site.
Northern harrier perched on a wooden fence post. Photo by Eric Preston
To add to the impressive list of stats, 70% of all fish species in Wisconsin find habitat in both the Chippewa and Red Cedar Rivers within this SNA. This includes the rare paddlefish, blue sucker, crystal darter, and goldeye. The Chippewa River is also one of only three places in the entire world home to an endangered mayfly.
Cherish Fund restoration support for the SNA
In 2017, NRF’s Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund supported restoration work on the Tyrone Tract of the Lower Chippewa SNA. Thanks to volunteer workdays hosted by the Lower Chippewa River Alliance, 185 acres of native prairie and oak savanna were restored. This was accomplished through invasive species removal, controlled burning, and understory brush and tree removal.
Foliar spraying at the Tyrone Tract of the Lower Chippewa River State Natural Area. Restoration work at the Tyrone Tract of the Lower Chippewa River SNA was funded by the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund. Photo by Joe Krumrie
This restoration effort dramatically opened up the floodplain savanna habitat, providing enough light for a diversity of native grasses and forbs to grow. The field crew documented red-headed woodpeckers — a Species of Special Concern in Wisconsin — in the restored habitat, and wild lupine, which was previously undocumented at the site, after the prescribed fire. This project also helped restore native habitat for Species of Greatest Conservation Need such as the lark sparrow and northern long-eared bat, as well as for highly-prized game species including white-tailed deer, bear, turkey, and waterfowl.
What is the Cherish Fund?
The Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund is a public-private partnership between the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Founded in 2012, this fund helps create permanent support for the care and management of lands and waters loved by hikers, birders, hunters, and anglers alike.
This endowment provides a permanent source of funding to care for Wisconsin’s public lands for generations to come. The fund improves habitat for Wisconsin’s plants and animals. Furthermore, it is an opportunity for citizens to invest in the public lands and waters where they recreate. The Cherish Fund is built through voluntary contributions from citizens when they purchase their hunting and fishing licenses through the DNR or when they make a donation directly to the Fund.
Male coaster brook trout. Photo by Katie Steiger-Meister/USFWS
Protecting 120+ uncommon plants and animals
In 2010, the Dunn County Fish & Game Association created the Lower Chippewa River Basin Conservation Fund to support wildlife and natural area management and restoration on publicly owned properties within the Lower Chippewa River State Natural Area and the Lower Chippewa River State Basin. Funds specifically support projects within the Department of Natural Resources’ Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation or Wildlife Management Program.
The fund has grown over the years by donations thanks to the Lower Chippewa River Alliance, which has led train ride Field Trips for NRF through the Tiffany Bottoms Wildlife Area.
Field Trip participants on a train tide through Tiffany Bottoms Wildlife Area. Photo courtesy of Laura England
Most recently, funding supported a large prairie and savanna management project at the Dunnville Wildlife Area, led by Michelle Carlisle and Chad Mogen from the Menomonie Wildlife team at the Wisconsin DNR. With support from other funding partners, the team is working to improve a 1,100-acre area throughout the next few years. The project includes oak savanna enhancement and expansion, firebreak establishment, barrens restoration, and a high diversity prairie planting.
The area along the Chippewa River between Eau Claire and the Mississippi River has over 125 species of plants and animals not commonly found elsewhere. Public land managed by the [DNR] is a key part of protecting these local treasures.
Dunnville Wildlife Area in January 2025. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – Natural Heritage Conservation
Building connections on public lands
When we spend time on public lands and create special memories, we begin to understand why protecting these places matters. Whether it’s an experienced angler helping a young child land their first fish, introducing your grandkids to the riverbank where you grew up, or catching up with a close friend beside the steady rush of the water, these moments build connections—to the land and to each other. And those connections are worth protecting.
Thanks to ongoing efforts to care for this remarkable landscape, from prairie restorations to long-term conservation funding, the Lower Chippewa River remains a place where moments like these can keep unfolding, generation after generation.
Lower Chippewa River. Photo by Tom Mrazek
Written by Emma Schatz, digital communications coordinator