SWTU, P.O. Box 45555, Madison, WI 53744-5555 president@swtu.org

Our November 10 workday – Milum Creek, Dane County’s newest easement

Our Stream Team needs you! Join us on Saturday, November 10, for fun, friendship and making a difference for our fishy friends. This is a new easement on a key stretch of water that you’ll get to improve and learn more about.

When: 9am to 12 noon (Chapter Approved Sawyers please arrive at 8:30).

Where:  Milum Creek – located on Fritz Road in Dane County. Traveling from Madison take Hwy 69 south to Paoli. At Paoli turn right on Cty Rd PB and travel 2 miles to Cty Rd A. Turn right on Cty Rd A, travel 3 miles west to Fritz Rd. Turn south on Fritz Rd, travel 3/4 mile to Milum Creek – you will cross the West Branch of the Sugar River in route. (If you take Cty Rd PB out of Madison, the bridge in Paoli is out, so you will either need to take the detour around Paoli and circle back to Cty Rd A or continue on Hwy 69 to Cty Rd A). Here is a map to this location.

What: Milum Creek is a small spring fed tributary to the West Branch of the Sugar River and is the newest Dane County easement. The current edition of the Dane County Water Quality Plan does not describe Milum as a trout stream but notes its cold-water potential.  The DNR recently surveyed a very short section of the stream and found brook trout and brown trout under the bridge, near where we will be working. The brookies outnumbered the browns and it appears the trout were spawned in Milum Creek.  This easement will make it possible for the County to improve Milum over time.  The landowner is also establishing a 94-acre CRP to improve groundwater re-charge and eliminate run off into Milum.

We will be cutting and treating box elders and invasive brush (honeysuckles) on both sides of the stream in order to allow sunshine in and hopefully establishing native grasses and forbs, helping to stabilize the streambanks.

There is lots of work to be done.

Bring: Some areas in the work area may be a bit muddy, so bring rubber boots if you have them. Also bring gloves, sturdy shoes, eye and ear protection, loppers and hand saws; otherwise the chapter has equipment you can use. Also bring reusable water bottles that can be re-filled from our 5-gal water jug.

Parking: Park on the west side of the road

Next Workday: Dec 1 – Continue our work on Milum CreekJim HessConservation Committee Chair