By Topf Wells
That was pretty much the response of SWTU Board Members in October when we looked at the Dane County restoration of 2100 feet of the Sugar River on the Falk/Wells Wildlife Area below the Bruce Co. bridge. This stretch has been wide, shallow, featureless, with a sediment/sand bottom. Carp were the fish who enjoyed it the most and not many trout at all. SWTU contributed $5,000 to this major restoration and supported the County’s creation of its own stream restoration crew. This is the crew’s first project.
Sara Rigelman of Dane County led the a multi-agency planning for a restoration that included a really big stream and dozens of nearby acres. The restoration aimed to narrow and deepen the water, scour the sediment, re-introduce some sinuosity, and create good trout and other wildlife habitat. Accomplishing all that meant using massive practices that none of us had ever seen on a Driftless Area stream. Most spectacular were log sills which measured hundreds of feet, contained hundreds of trees and narrowed the stream by 30%. These will trap silt and within a few years will be stable extensions of the stream banks. Massive weirs and rock hooks increased depth and will scour silt off gravel stream beds. Brush bundles and well-placed boulders will provide fish plenty of cover. The log sills made great use of the trees the County has to clear from the old nursery, which will be transformed into prairies and oak savannas. Wetlands created or restored by the US Fish and Wildlife Service will contribute to better water quality and provide excellent wildlife habitat.
Frankly we were stunned by the scope and excellent implementation of the project. The County crew executed a complex project superbly. Hard to believe they were rookies. The DNR will survey trout and other aquatic life for several years after the project. We’re confident many trout will have a happy home in this new habitat. The best current access to see this work is to walk the hiking trail upstream from the Paoli Road parking lot, a distance of about a half mile.
On page one of this newsletter, you can learn about an upcoming appeal for you to donate to help us pursue more projects like this one. If you have any doubt if your donation will be well spent, treat yourself to a streamside stroll and check this project out.
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Posted: November 6, 2019 by Drew Kasel
“Holy smokes! I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”
By Topf Wells
That was pretty much the response of SWTU Board Members in October when we looked at the Dane County restoration of 2100 feet of the Sugar River on the Falk/Wells Wildlife Area below the Bruce Co. bridge. This stretch has been wide, shallow, featureless, with a sediment/sand bottom. Carp were the fish who enjoyed it the most and not many trout at all. SWTU contributed $5,000 to this major restoration and supported the County’s creation of its own stream restoration crew. This is the crew’s first project.
Sara Rigelman of Dane County led the a multi-agency planning for a restoration that included a really big stream and dozens of nearby acres. The restoration aimed to narrow and deepen the water, scour the sediment, re-introduce some sinuosity, and create good trout and other wildlife habitat. Accomplishing all that meant using massive practices that none of us had ever seen on a Driftless Area stream. Most spectacular were log sills which measured hundreds of feet, contained hundreds of trees and narrowed the stream by 30%. These will trap silt and within a few years will be stable extensions of the stream banks. Massive weirs and rock hooks increased depth and will scour silt off gravel stream beds. Brush bundles and well-placed boulders will provide fish plenty of cover. The log sills made great use of the trees the County has to clear from the old nursery, which will be transformed into prairies and oak savannas. Wetlands created or restored by the US Fish and Wildlife Service will contribute to better water quality and provide excellent wildlife habitat.
Frankly we were stunned by the scope and excellent implementation of the project. The County crew executed a complex project superbly. Hard to believe they were rookies. The DNR will survey trout and other aquatic life for several years after the project. We’re confident many trout will have a happy home in this new habitat. The best current access to see this work is to walk the hiking trail upstream from the Paoli Road parking lot, a distance of about a half mile.
On page one of this newsletter, you can learn about an upcoming appeal for you to donate to help us pursue more projects like this one. If you have any doubt if your donation will be well spent, treat yourself to a streamside stroll and check this project out.
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