MUSCATINE, Iowa–After months of planning, fundraising, and hard work, the Friends of the Fairport Fish Hatchery completed work on a bridge that makes up part of the interpretative trail system they have constructed to tell the story of the hatchery first as a biological station, later as a fish hatchery, and in the larger context of ongoing water quality research. With the bridge done, the Friends look forward to opening the trail system this spring and focusing their efforts into other projects that will further illuminate the hatchery’s story.
A project months in the making, work began on the bridge in earnest last fall, when a group of Day of Caring volunteers came to take down the original bridge. With the site cleared, concrete footings went in before the ground froze, laying a sturdy foundation for the rest of the project. Next, Steve Tomfeld of Columbus Junction, who has done many steelwork projects throughout the region, came and created the bridge’s superstructure, graciously donating part of his labor to the project. On Feb. 28, volunteers cut some existing bridge planks to size, making the bridge usable once again. As spring progresses and the ground dries out, the Friends plan to place a pair of roof trusses from the Hatchery’s old pump house, one of the last buildings from the site’s days as a biological station in the early part of the 1900s, along the sides of the bridge as a decorative accent.
With the structure of the new bridge completed, Friends of the Fairport Fish Hatchery member Lynn Pruitt felt pleased with how it turned out. “It’s such an improvement,” he said. “It’s very attractive, in my opinion, and it’s a lot safer.” Fish hatchery staff members Andy Fowler, Melanie Harkness, and Adam Thiese welcomed the improvements too and look forward to continued collaborations with the Friends.
Lynn Pruitt standing by the new bridge at the Fairport Fish Hatchery as the finishing touches go on. Photo by Margaret Hurlbert.
The group also looks forward to completing their pair of interpretative trails within the next two months. They have ordered a number of signs to place along both trails, explaining the significance of the buildings that used to stand there, tying sites to the hatchery’s history, and providing QR codes with additional information. So long as the signs arrive on time and the weather cooperates, they plan to have them installed ahead of the trails’ grand opening on Earth Day, April 22.
In the longer term, the Friends will continue fundraising and finding local partners to help them create an educational pavilion, which will contain additional information about the hatchery’s history as well as possible artifacts provided by the National Pearl Button Museum @ History and Industry Center and some from archaeological exploration at the hatchery as well. Past that, they also hope to create an outdoor classroom near one of the hatchery’s ponds to allow for experiential learning opportunities. An outdoor interactive display of the dams along the upper Mississippi River will also help kids learn about the lock and dam system and how it facilitates river travel. As a capstone, they hope to work with a curriculum writer to create a water quality curriculum that brings their research to a broader audience.
With so much accomplished in the past four or so years and big plans on the horizons, the Friends of the Fairport Fish Hatchery look forward to continuing to share the hatchery’s stories with the world. “One of the reasons we’re s successful is because we know who to partner with,” member Paul Carroll observed.
