By Topf Wells

SWTU members and allies worked together clearing and brush bundling along Hefty Creek. The creek’s brown trout and anglers will be happy with the result.

We were at the top end of the Rudd easement where the DNR had not been able to work during the big restoration we helped fund. This location had a stream bank with old rip rap that had been back cut. As a result the bank was badly eroding. It also had the three woody amigos we often encounter: invasive honeysuckle, invasive buckthorn, and box elder.

Key players were Vince Schmitz and Pat Gorman, DNR project biologists. Vince has helped us plan and worked with us on many projects while Pat is new to the team. They were in the water along with SWTU members Ben Mechelke and Zach Oluf. Bob Harrison and Jim Hess handled the chainsaws while the rest of us hauled and trimmed brush.

We learn something new every work day; the trimming came with today’s lesson. The combination of the deteriorating rip rap and the clay soil of the bank caused Vince and Pat to modify the usual bundling process. They used small brush and tied it down even more frequently and thoroughly than usual. That meant they needed the brush trimmed and shaped more than usual. We thought of ourselves as Vince’s Custom Shop.

By the end of the morning, we had another world class brush bundle that will stabilize the bank, deepen a sweet little run, and offer happy homes to bugs and small trout.

We also made a dent in a thriving population of woody invasives. For the angler, while the top end of the easement was clearly signed, most would not want to penetrate the mess at the bridge. Our work makes a long and valuable easement more accessible (which, after all, is the point of an easement).

T he weather was brisk, which prevented any overheating and whetted our appetites. We polished off a bag of cheese curds, 3 dozen brownies, and 2 packages of pork sticks. Vince noticed an increase in productivity after our break so the calories acted as fuel.

Thanks to all but, as always and especially to Jim Hess (running the chainsaw pictured at right). Once again he planned this carefully with visits with Vince and Bob Rudd, the landowner (who also helped today). With the trailer unavailable he brought all the equipment. He ended the day by tracking down an elusive grove of buckthorn. He had started the day by brush sawing a trail into the work site, which increased our productivity.

Two recommendations: think of fishing Hefty. It has miles of easements and this restoration will be maturing by next season. In addition the easement upstream was restored probably via NRCS several years ago. Secondly, if you have small kids or grandkids, visit the Black Earth Creek Children’s Museum. Sally and I stopped by this afternoon and were blown away. It’s lovely, well laid out, with many different rooms and activities. The manager said it’s popular with parents of young children who want to visit an excellent Children’s Museum but without the crowds one often finds in Madison’s.

Top photo is from Jim Hess, lower one from Dyan Lesnik. See more (and a few from Jim Beecher) below.