Spring 99

Upper Sugar River Watershed Initiative

DNR Fish Manager Scott Stewart collects data on stream health by surveying the fish that live there. Here he weighs, measures and marks a brown trout

Upper Sugar River Watershed Creeks To Receive Special Attention

Mike Kakuska,
Dane County Regional Planning Commission

Fryes Feeder and Deer Creek (tributaries of Mt. Vernon Creek, southeast of Mt. Horeb) have been selected as a state Priority Watershed Project in 1999. This special one-time funding of $150,000 will be dedicated to streambank fencing and habitat restoration work to improve the potential brook trout fishery there.

Much of the groundwork for the project award is credited to volunteers from Trout Unlimited, the Deer Creek Sportmans Club and the Dane County Conservation League.

Similar work done in 1992 on the Sugar River south of Paoli has had remarkable success. A DNR fish survey conducted last October found 41 brown trout (approx. 206 fish/mile) ranging between 3 and 25 inches! For comparison, there were no brown trout found in a survey in 1994, before the work began to take effect. The stream has since begun to narrow and the increased flow has cleaned the gravel bed of sediment, providing valuable spawning habitat.

It is interesting to note how diverse the Sugar River drainage system is. It contains more than 30 different species of fish, ranging from coldwater species like brown and brook

Trout Unlimited volunteers build “lunker” structures to provide fish habitat in stream and river banks.

trout, to warmwater species such as largemouth bass. Lack of habitat seems to be the limiting factor in many areas of the Sugar River system, with areas of good habitat containing better numbers of fish.

Although the system does not contain a high number of trout per mile like Black Earth Creek, it does contain good numbers of trout while also providing anglers an aesthetic environment to fish, and the opportunity to catch trophy size fish. For more information on these and other projects, call Steve Fix, DNR Upper Sugar River Coordinator, at 275-3280.

Information about the Upper Sugar river Initiative: Marcia Hartwig 224-3746 Mike Kakuska 266-9111 Steve Fix 275-3280

The Dane County Park Commission and Friends of Schumacher Farm members met at the park in January to discuss the new Master Plan.

Schumacher Farm News

There was no time for hibernating at Schumacher Farm over the fall and winter months. The Friends of Schumacher Farm closed out last year’s public events with Harvest Fest in September and two Holiday Teas in December. In October, Eagle Scout Chris Straw completed his requirements by constructing a stone walkway to the farmhouse. Dane County Parks staff removed the deteriorated, 1960’s garage and repaired rotted floor joists under part of the kitchen during November. Throughout the winter months, dedicated volunteer Carroll Holtz restored the pantry area. In January, the Dane County Parks Commission approved the Friends’ new Master Plan, the culmination of a year’s effort by the Friends’ Board of Directors.

Now the pace is increasing even more. When weather permits, old roofing on the farmhouse will be replaced by new “dimensional” shingles that