Guests gather at the 2025 CCCWC anniversary celebration. This year’s event is Sept. 2nd 2026 in Westby. Photo: Sydney Widell
Sydney Widell | Watershed Coordinator
We’re celebrating our fifth anniversary this fall, as well as the 93rd anniversary of the nation’s first watershed conservation project, which Coon Creek residents helped lead during the 1930s.
We’re marking the occasion with live music, a locally-sourced farm dinner, and a program featuring Coon Creek producers and other conservation partners on September 2nd at the Bakkum Farm in Westby. Like all CCCWC gatherings, the event is free and everyone is welcome.
“In the last five years, we’ve seen so much interest in conservation spreading in the watershed, but we need to see even more people trying to control runoff on their property using conservation and soil health techniques,” said Orlan Bakkum, who is hosting the celebration along with his wife, Denise. “There is no set conservation practice that is going to work for everybody. For me, I’m hopefully avoiding a lot of erosion, and hopefully building more soil.”
Orlan’s farm has been in his family for three generations. He grew up milking cows and harvesting tobacco, but these days he’s switched to cropping corn and hay.
UW Extension’s Agriculture and Water Quality Specialist Sheri Schwert sets up an experiment to measure soil erosion on the Bakkum Farm’s minimally tilled corn fields. She’ll share her findings at the CCCWC’s Sept. 2nd Anniversary Celebration.
This summer, Orlan collaborated with UW Extension Agriculture and Water Quality Specialist Sheri Schwert to measure how much soil runs off his minimally tilled fields and flows through the perennial buffer strips he’s planted in intervals along the contours of his sloping fields. Schwert and Bakkum will demonstrate the low-tech technique they used to measure soil erosion and discuss results from their study at the Sept. 2nd event.
We’re also going to share updates and accomplishments from our fifth year, as well as plans for the upcoming season–including more conservation skills workshops, conservation cost share programming, and watershed planning. The night will feature Vernon County forester Steve Pulaski, who will highlight forestry best management practices, and Vernon County Conservationist David Hettenbach, speaking about county-sponsored cost share options.
The September 2nd gathering will begin with appetizers, drinks, and music at 5:30, followed by the program at 6:00, and dinner at 7:00. The Bakkum Farm is located at E6136 Jore Rd in Westby. Please bring your own lawn chairs and picnicware!