Bringing more wildlife back to the the region’s river system is just one of  the goals for the Friends of the Porcupine River Watershed.

The group has been steadily applying for environmental permits and recruiting members since mid January and are now taking on their first reclamation plan: Helping walleye spawn in the river again.

Organizer Laszlo Gotz said in January, the group’s mission is to revitalize the Porcupine River and make it a tourist destination for the area.  He says they have the necessary permits to start cleaning the artificial walleye spawning beds.  He says  these beds were installed several years ago and silt has covered the gravel and sand leaning nothing for the fish eggs to stick too.  Cleaning of the beds starts Saturday by putting silt curtains over the beds, the rocks will be washed ans scrubbed down and new boulders are being placed on the river bed.

It was announced earlier this year, the plan to turn the river into a kayak and canoeing paradise with rest areas from Porcupine Lake to Nighthawk lake.