By Topf Wells
The SWTU work day crews don’t encounter invasive buckthorn as often as honeysuckle. Lucky for us because the thorns can be painful. Careful and undaunted, we eliminated truckloads from the banks of the Sugar River during the 10/12 work day.
The mission was to clear buckthorn and its traveling companions box elder and invasive honeysuckle from a lovely stand of red oaks and open more access to the Sugar River at the Falk Wells Wildlife Area, not far from the STH 69 bridge and parking lot. The clearing improves the growth of the oaks and makes room for native shrubs like dogwood. At the second spot we cleared the river looked fishy.*
A crew of a dozen wielded loppers, brush saws, and chainsaws with the haulers and sprayers cleaning the area up. Treating the stumps is essential. Otherwise the opened areas become perfect spots for the invasives to resprout and grow even denser.
The weather was perfect and spirits were high. We had a great mix of veterans and a couple of most welcome newcomers. Dyan Lesnik’s fresh apple coffee cake was a hit and the brownies and pork sticks were appreciated.
Folks were careful to wear glasses, safety glasses or goggles. Thanks to all for doing so. The smaller brush we were cutting and hauling can easily stick an eye with painful or disastrous consequences. Everyone was safe today.
Kathleen Falk was part of the crew today and the history of how the 400 acre wildlife area came to be was interesting. Thanks to Jim for another great day, well planned and executed.
* Fishing the Sugar is not like some other Driftless streams. Dan Oele’s assessment is on the mark. The Sugar has stretches too wide and shallow and others without adequate cover to hold trout. Where the one finds depth and cover, the trout are there in good numbers and size. A couple of us saw this at the Lincoln School field trip this May. The spot the DNR started the survey had some depth but not cover, wood, or rock and no trout. As they moved upstream they found some wood and snags and rolled some trout out. They ended in a spot with current, depth, and some rock and found a bucket of trout up to 16″.
(Photos courtesy Jim Beecher, Dyan Lesnik and Jim Hess.)
Buckthorn is Well Named – October 12
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Last Updated: November 4, 2024 by Drew Kasel
By Topf Wells
The SWTU work day crews don’t encounter invasive buckthorn as often as honeysuckle. Lucky for us because the thorns can be painful. Careful and undaunted, we eliminated truckloads from the banks of the Sugar River during the 10/12 work day.
The mission was to clear buckthorn and its traveling companions box elder and invasive honeysuckle from a lovely stand of red oaks and open more access to the Sugar River at the Falk Wells Wildlife Area, not far from the STH 69 bridge and parking lot. The clearing improves the growth of the oaks and makes room for native shrubs like dogwood. At the second spot we cleared the river looked fishy.*
A crew of a dozen wielded loppers, brush saws, and chainsaws with the haulers and sprayers cleaning the area up. Treating the stumps is essential. Otherwise the opened areas become perfect spots for the invasives to resprout and grow even denser.
The weather was perfect and spirits were high. We had a great mix of veterans and a couple of most welcome newcomers. Dyan Lesnik’s fresh apple coffee cake was a hit and the brownies and pork sticks were appreciated.
Folks were careful to wear glasses, safety glasses or goggles. Thanks to all for doing so. The smaller brush we were cutting and hauling can easily stick an eye with painful or disastrous consequences. Everyone was safe today.
Kathleen Falk was part of the crew today and the history of how the 400 acre wildlife area came to be was interesting. Thanks to Jim for another great day, well planned and executed.
* Fishing the Sugar is not like some other Driftless streams. Dan Oele’s assessment is on the mark. The Sugar has stretches too wide and shallow and others without adequate cover to hold trout. Where the one finds depth and cover, the trout are there in good numbers and size. A couple of us saw this at the Lincoln School field trip this May. The spot the DNR started the survey had some depth but not cover, wood, or rock and no trout. As they moved upstream they found some wood and snags and rolled some trout out. They ended in a spot with current, depth, and some rock and found a bucket of trout up to 16″.
(Photos courtesy Jim Beecher, Dyan Lesnik and Jim Hess.)
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