By Topf Wells

Jim Hess and I just walked the completed Hefty Creek restoration (look for it in Green County at the intersection of Disch and Meadowbrook Rds) with Bob Rudd. Bob and Nan own the land, sold the easement to the DNR, and supported the restoration.

It looks fabulous. The stream banks are shaped with lots of on site wood and some rock providing fish habitat. Thanks to Bunny, Bob’s friendly Lab, we got a good sense of the creek’s depth as she bounded in and out. Some nice deep spots and some gravel is already being scoured out. Bunny also spooked some trout for us to watch. Anglers now have great access to either side of the stream. Bob is going to mow paths on both sides so the access will stay good.

Jim and Bob are discussing an SWTU Workday for some touch up work and to make sure some willows and buckthorn don’t get out of hand. That day will be a wonderful opportunity for our volunteers to see the easement and restoration. Stay tuned.

Scott Harpold and Vince Schmitz, the DNR’s crew, did a great job. They’ve already started on the big project at S. Valley Road on Black Earth Creek. Jim and I were pleasantly surprised at how much of the stream the crew worked on – just about the entire length.

Probably the biggest change is to the lower third of the easement, downstream of the Meadowbrook bridge. The corridor was choked with brush and boxelder and the stream was a mess. The crew left some nice trees but cleared much of the corridor and created some great cover. As Bob noted, you could hardly reach the stream, much less fish it. It’s now that rare small stream that has decent habitat and some nice shade. The DNR could not have extended the restoration this far downstream without SWTU’s financial assistance. Terry Geurkink’s donation, in turn, made our help possible. Thank you, Terry, Bob, Nan, Scott, Vince, and Dan!