Fish Creek Watershed (LS08)

Table of Streams of the Fish Creek Watershed (LS08)

The city of Ashland in this watershed draws drinking water from the lake. Sampling conducted at the wastewater treatment plant for a study on the occurrence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in state surface waters found the second highest concentration of pathogens among statewide outfall samples. Due to this, the study advises that surface water-drawn drinking water treatment plants operate at peak efficiency at all times, and that maintenance work should occur prior to the spring runoff period. In addition to the Ashland sewage treatment plant, Knowles Management Corporation discharges treated effluent from a hotel and residences on the western side of Ashland as does Northern States Power - Bayfront, and the James River Paper Company discharges on the eastern side of Ashland. The James River Company recently closed.

WDNR's Environmental Repair Program recently completed the field portion of a sediment investigation of the former manufactured gas plant on the Ashland lakefront. Manufactured gas plants elsewhere in Wisconsin communities have turned up problems with coal-tar residues in lake sediments. The city of Ashland has closed the area to swimming where high quantities of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals are present. A department consultant is preparing an ecological/human health risk assessment for this site. A feasibility for the cleanup of sediments is slated for completion in May 1998. Upon completion of feasibility study, a determination will be made about funding cleanup (Liebenstein).

The watershed boundary used to be drawn to include Beartrap Creek, Wood Creek Slough and Kakagon River sub-watersheds. The ecological significance of the Kakagon sloughs, their hydrologic connection with the lower Bad River and the fact that the drainage is largely within the Bad River Indian reservation led us to move the watershed boundary to shift these drainages into the Lower Bad River Watershed where they could more effectively be managed as a hydrologic unit.

The Lake Superior fish contaminant monitoring strategy recognizes that a number of game species caught by anglers should be analyzed for human health purposes, though they are not part of a long-term trend program. These species are recommended for inclusion in sampling schedules depending on funding and workload in the district. This includes brown trout, splake, yellow perch, northern pike and smallmouth bass from Chequamegon Bay.

Table 21. WPDES-Permitted Discharges to the Fish Creek Watershed

Resources of Concern (LS08)

WDNR's Natural Heritage Inventory Database indicates that the following water-dependent endangered, threatened or special concern species and/or communities have been sighted in this watershed within the last 20 years. In addition, a coastal wetlands evaluation conducted in 1995 and 1996 identified a number of species and habitats described in a comprehensive report, Wisconsin's Lake Superior Coastal Wetlands Evaluation / Including Other Selected Natural Features of the Lake Superior Basin (Epstein 1997). This report is largely excerpted here.

* For more detailed descriptions of community types, see page 26.

Priority Wetland Sites

Fish Creek Sloughs

The drowned mouth of Fish Creek and its associated wetlands occupy the head of Chequamegon Bay. The site on the outskirts of the city of Ashland, crossed by U.S. Highway 2, has been subjected to many disturbances in the past and remains vulnerable to further deterioration unless efforts to address problems are maintained. The primary wetland communities are emergent marsh, shrub swamp and hardwood swamp. The open waters of the sloughs also constitute an important feature. This wetland is particularly dynamic due to the funnel shape of Chequamegon Bay and the seiche activity that causes frequent and sometimes substantial short-term water level changes.

The emergent marsh of bulrushes, sedges, cattails, bur-reed and arrowheads occupies several hundred acres close to the creek mouth. Beds of submergent and floating-leaved aquatic plants such as coontail, waterweed, yellow water lily and pondweed occur in the open waters of the sloughs and intermingle with the emergents where conditions are suitable. Forked duckweed is abundant in backwaters protected from currents. The exotic and aggressive purple loosestrife is still widespread, but its presence appears considerably diminished following several years of control efforts.

The marsh grades into a shrub swamp of speckled alder and willow to the south. The shrub swamp gives way to an extensive forest of swamp hardwoods composed of black ash, green ash and box elder.

In the shallow waters of the bay, just north of the mouth of Fish Creek, flats of sand and mud are exposed when the water level is low. These areas are used heavily by waterfowl, gulls, terns and shorebirds as loafing or feeding sites. Several uncommon birds have been documented during the breeding season in the marsh and sloughs, including American bittern and redbreasted merganser. A colony of cliff swallows occurs underneath the U.S. Highway 2 bridge. The site hosts large numbers of waterfowl in the spring, especially noticeable when the bay waters are still locked in ice. Ducks, geese, swans, gulls, grebes, terns, and herons are among the groups finding suitable resting and feeding areas here when such amenities are scarce in the region.

Efforts to maintain the functional values of the site should be continued. Fish Creek Sloughs continue to have high importance and fish and wildlife habitat. Purple loosestrife control is critical here as bay currents and several wildlife species could serve as agents of seed dispersal, affecting other valuable wetlands in the bay ecosystem.

Recommendations

1. WDNR should, if Wisconsin Trout Streams is updated, correct the location of the unnamed Class I tributary to North Fish Creek from T47N R6W Section 23, to Section 13 (Type B).
2. Regional basin management team staff should determine whether the unnamed tributary to Pine Creek at T47N R6W S11 SWSE should be classified for trout (Type B).
3. Regional basin management team staff should determine whether the unnamed tributary to Pine Creek at T47N R6W S11 SWSW is capable of supporting a Class I trout fishery (Type B).
4. WDNR should, if Wisconsin Trout Streams and NR 102 are amended, correct the description of the unnamed Class I tributary to Pine Creek from T47N R6W S10, to Section 11, if it is determined this stream supports a trout fishery (Type B).
5. 5. WDNR should, if Wisconsin Trout Streams and NR 102 are amended, add the unnamed tributary to Pine Creek at T47N S11 SWSE if it is determined this is a stream capable of supporting a Class I or II trout fishery (Type B).
6. WDNR should, if Wisconsin Trout Streams is updated, correct the location of Slaughterhouse Creek to T47N R5W S01 NESE (Type B).
7. Regional fish management staff should collect brown trout, splake, yellow perch and northern pike from Chequamegon Bay for contaminant analysis for human health (Type B).
8. Regional basin management team staff should conduct stream classification monitoring on the unnamed tributary to North Fish Creek T47N R6W S29 to determine if it should be classified capable of supporting a Class I trout fishery (Type B).
9. Regional basin management team staff should conduct stream classification monitoring on the unnamed tributary to Little Pine Creek T47N R6W S10 NENE to determine if it should be classified as capable of supporting a Class I trout (Type B).
10. The Land and Water Conservation Board should consider the North Fish Creek sub-watershed, including Pine and Little Pine creeks, a high priority for selection as a nonpoint source abatement project (Type B).
11. WDNR streambank protection programs should consider the Unnamed Pine Creek Tributary in Section 10 and adjoining portion of Little Pine Creek as high priorities for public ownership or easement to protect spring areas (Type B).
12. The Ashland water utility should ensure that the drinking water utility operates at peak performance at all times, and conduct maintenance before spring runoff occurs, to ensure the public health is not at risk from Cryptosporidium and Giardia (Type C).
13. Regional basin management team staff should conduct further sediment sampling in Chequamegon Bay to assess the levels of metals, pesticides and other toxicants for trends analysis (Type B).

Bay City Creek

This warm water creek with a silt and sand bottom originates in open land near the Ashland airport that was once used for agriculture, then flows northeast through the city of Ashland into Lake Superior. The stream's upper watershed is seeing increasing residential development, which has increased stream runoff. The watershed includes a significant portion of the city of Ashland industrial and residential areas, and empties into Lake Superior in the harbor area. The stream is generally quite turbid, especially after heavy rainfall. This creek was one of the northern Wisconsin sample sites for studying the occurrence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in surface waters. Study data showed that while the stream generally had dissolved oxygen levels above 5 parts per million (ppm) and thus sufficient for the growth and activity of fish, a sample taken at the end of August yielded dissolved oxygen levels of 3.3 ppm and one in October recorded 4.2 ppm. Levels below 3 ppm cause stress to most aquatic organisms. Following a period of rainfall, samples in the creek showed significantly higher levels of fecal coliform bacteria

During survey work conducted as part of the coastal wetlands evaluation, no rare species of macroinvertebrates were found and overall taxa richness was low (0-4 species) (Epstein 1997). Urban pollutants were deemed a significant contributor to impaired habitat quality at the survey site.

North Fish Creek, Fish Creek Slough

North Fish Creek is part of the South Shore Fish and Wildlife Area, a WDNR land acquisition and management project with a goal of purchasing 4,258 acres from willing sellers in this watershed, encompassing North Fish Creek, Pine Creek, Little Pine Creek, Lake Louise and Fish Creek Slough. This stream has one of the few self-sustaining migratory trout and salmon runs in the state, but is threatened by land use practices in the watershed, primarily extensive agriculture and potential logging activities. Fisheries managers report a declining fishery over the last 20 years; this fishery is thought to have contributed up to 15 percent of the total migratory fishery in Wisconsin waters of Lake Superior through its production of rainbow and brown trout, coho salmon and northern pike (Davis). Fish Creek and its tributaries account for 20 percent of the state's self-sustaining migratory fisheries; a recent survey estimated that 47,000 one-year-old migratory trout and young-of-year coho salmon are presently produced in the river system.

This watershed supports a diverse population of reptiles and amphibians, including rare wood turtles in the slough areas at the river mouth, as well as white-tailed deer, black bear, beaver, woodcock and snowshoe hare, and numerous migratory birds (Davis).

The 1,100-acre headwaters area for the creek is one of the few remaining examples of true boreal forest in Wisconsin. The upper reach of North Fish Creek flows through a severely eroded channel with steep gradient, narrow valley and large, highly erodible bluffs with abundant springs in a reach dominated by boulders, cobble, gravel and sand bottom. A widening floodplain and valley characterize the middle reach, where the stream bottom becomes more sand and occasional gravel. The lower eight miles is characterized by low gradient, a wide valley and predominately sand with minor gravel. The creek drains mostly red clay and sand soils; the clay component of this soil type allows little water to be absorbed. The majority of erosion in North Fish Creek is attributed to 10 steep, eroding bluffs along the main stem above the confluence with Pine Creek (Fitzpatrick 1998¹). These bluffs contribute about 15,000 tons of sediment per year. The bluffs contain about 50 percent sand-sized particles (Fitzpatrick 1998²).

This stream has had a history of devastating floods that almost strangled the stream course and left raw banks and debris that periodically slide into the stream. Most of the streambank pastureland is unfenced (Pratt 1977). In areas, the stream bottom consists of shifting sands. In places, banks have become exposed sand and gravel washes. Farming in the watershed increases the potential for flooding, since rain falls directly on the impermeable clay soils rather than being absorbed in the undergrowth of forested areas, or diffused by the canopy (Davis). In addition, snowmelt occurs more rapidly in areas lacking forest cover. Climax woody species such as firs, pines and maple provide the best erosion control due to stronger root systems, full canopy and the relationship between these tree types and soil moisture (Davis).

The annual sediment load carried by North Fish Creek in 1990, taken from a station in the lower nine miles, was 20,690 tons; in 1991 the load was 33,100 tons, with most of the load made up of sand-sized particles (Rose). Upstream stations registered lower amounts with lower percentages of sand, with the most upstream station measuring only 479 tons as the average annual load with almost all of it transported during snowmelt and rainfall, made up primarily silt and clay particles (Rose).

Pine Creek, Little Pine Creek and an unnamed feeder are trout waters that drain to North Fish Creek. The culvert under Highway 2 at Ino is considered the limit of the trout water portion of North Fish Creek. Past surveys suggested the potential for some trout movement beyond this point. An upper tributary above Highway 2, at T47N R6W S29, supports a Class II trout fishery that could be improved (Pratt 1977). This tributary is not listed in Wisconsin Trout Streams.

Sedimentation in North Fish Creek

North Fish Creek has been the site of a U.S Geological Survey study to understand the changes over time in sediment transport and biology. The stream drains the geologically young region of sand and clay that typifies much of the Wisconsin coast of Lake Superior. Excessive sedimentation observed in the lower reaches of North Fish Creek is attributed to historic logging, subsequent burning and conversion of the land to agriculture during European settlement in the late 1800s.

The 10 steep bluffs, as high as 100 feet, that characterize the middle reach of North Fish Creek are composed of sand overlain by clay; thus, where a stream meander meets the toe of the bluffs, the sand is easily eroded and the overlying fine-grained deposits slump into the stream (Fitzpatrick 1998¹). Since the clear-cutting of the boreal forest from the late 1800s through the turn of the century, the vegetation in the watershed has consisted of hay, pasture and immature forests frequently clear cut for pulp.

It appears that most of the bank erosion in this stream occurs during very large floods. Fitzpatrick reports that local anglers recall major changes in the 1940s after extensive flooding, and also after the 1986 flood that drastically reduced the fish biomass of neighboring Whittlesey Creek. One mission of the U.S. Geological Survey study is to document changes in flooding patterns from before and after European settlement and clearing of the region.

The sedimentation problem seen today may be the result of land use practices of the distant past, while current land use has improved (Fitzpatrick 1998¹). Sediment cores indicate that the pre-settlement soils are fine grained, consisting of silt and fine-textured sand, where post-settlement soils are mainly composed of fine-to medium-textured sand (Fitzpatrick 1998¹). It would appear from some sites that much of the sedimentation occurred by the 1940s and 1950s, with lesser amounts of sediment deposited since then (Fitzpatrick 1998¹). Based on evidence from past vegetation and the sediment history of the stream, the study concludes:

• That the long-term sedimentation rate has been episodic, dependent upon infrequent large floods occurring during the late Holocene period and post-settlement;
• The channel of North Fish Creek appears to be degrading above river mile 11, while downstream of river mile 12 toward the mouth the channel and flood plain are aggrading (sediment is being deposited at an accelerated rate);
• Post-settlement sedimentation rates are five to 10 times higher than re-settlement rates, although field evidence and runoff modeling results suggest that the rate has decreased during the last 50 years;
• The water table appears to be rising along the lower four to five miles of the creek and at the mouth at Fish Creek Slough, possibly consistent with local streambed elevations caused by aggradation and differential isostatic rebound (Fitzpatrick 1998¹, Fitzpatrick 1998²).

Also noteworthy among Fitzpatrick's findings was the relationship between land use and flood degree. Agricultural activity in North Fish Creek peaked in the 1930s, with about 22 percent of the land in crops and 7 percent in pasture; the rest consisted of immature forest and wetland (Fitzpatrick 1998²). In 1995, the amount of agricultural land in the basin was similar (34 percent), except that only 3 percent was in cropland and 31 percent in pasture (Fitzpatrick 1998²). Runoff modeling of different land use conditions indicated that during peak agricultural activity, floods may have been three times larger and sediment loads five times larger than during forested pre-settlement conditions. Under present land use, floods may be twice as large and sediment two and a half times larger than during pre-settlement periods (Fitzpatrick 1998²).

Fish Creek Slough

The mouth of North Fish Creek empties into a one-mile stretch of river known as Fish Creek, which flows through open marsh known as Fish Creek Slough. Most of the flow comes from North Fish Creek, with South Fish Creek providing largely intermittent drainage. Migratory trout and salmon species pass through this slough on their way to spawning beds in North Fish Creek (Pratt 1996). In addition, Fish Creek here serves as a nursery area for nearly every variety of fish found in Chequamegon Bay, and a spawning area for northern pike (Davis). While Fish Creek was once considered a Class I trout fishery, it is now only capable of supporting a Class II trout population due to the excessive sand bedload and absence of large woody debris in the stream (Pratt 1981).

Shifting sands in the channel bed along the lower eight miles of North Fish Creek limit potential habitat (Fitzpatrick 1998²).

This sub-watershed has more agricultural activity than most of the streams in the Bayfield Peninsula area (Pratt 1996). Most of the watershed is in private ownership.

Fish Creek slough is one of the state's most-favored locations for bird study because of its accessibility. Bird life includes shorebirds, terns, waterfowl and gulls with up to 271 bird species using this rare coastal wetland (Davis). In addition, threatened wood turtles are found in the slough along with some 28 other species of reptiles and amphibians (Davis). Endangered bird species are known to use this area. (See discussion of the endangered resources and wetland values under Resources of Concern, above).

Emergent, floating and submergent vegetation in Chequamegon Bay off the mouth of Fish Creek is an area of significant value to the fishery. A wildlife study is ongoing to restore some aquatic vegetation destroyed by past activity. Purple loosestrife stands have been a problem, with some 60 to 70 acres of the slough containing large densities of this exotic plant. The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission has treated stands of loosestrife with some success using herbicides.

A town dump operated in the Fish Creek Sloughs in S36 T48N R5W, serving the towns of Barksdale and Eileen. The dump was used beginning in about 1953 and appears to have closed in 1968. The site may have been used for some dumping up to 1990 (Davis). The land is now owned by WDNR as part of the Fish Creek Sloughs Fishery Area. Complaints filed during the dump's operating period reflected citizen concerns about trash blowing into the lake visible on surface waters and shoreline of the bay and Fish Creek, nutrient enrichment along the shore adjacent the dump, open burning and aesthetic considerations. Correspondence with the town reveals the site also was used for disposal of pumped septage. This site, just a few yards inland from Lake Superior, was evaluated under the Environmental Repair Program. A consultant's report in 1991 concluded that the site received household and other domestic wastes including car bodies and appliances, and possibly some industrial boiler ash. The site never operated under an engineering plan. Waste was simply spread in the swamp, much of it burned prior to filling, pressed into the wetland muck with earth-moving equipment, then covered; apparently, none of the waste was dumped directly in to the slough (Wilhelm). The engineering report noted that while the dump has probably affected the wetland at the mouth of Fish Creek, the overall impact is not devastating. The pressing of the wastes down into wetland organic soils and muck has resulted in waste occurring all the way down to the surface of underlying lean clays (Wilhelm). The site covered about an acre, with debris ranging from about three to almost six feet deep, an estimated 16,700 cubic yards of material, most of which rests beneath the on-site water table (Wilhelm). The soils underlying the dump appear to be the natural red clays that have a low permeability, which minimizes vertical migration of water and dissolved contaminants from the dump debris down into groundwater below (Wilhelm). It is also a groundwater discharge area (Fitzpatrick 1998²) While there are obviously contaminants in the dump, levels of these contaminants have fallen either below the Method Detection Limits or are barely over the Preventive Action Limits for these substances (Wilhelm). Tests for volatile organic compounds also reflected low levels of contamination.

The engineering firm suggested there is a low risk of contamination from this site because the relief of the dump would prevent ponding and percolating, off-site drainage doesn't appear to be occurring and vegetation appears to be limiting potential erosion. The consultant does, however, suggest that the existing cover material is sand and silty sand soils that allow water to enter more readily than clay; the gradient toward Lake Superior likely will always exist except when the lake is high; and the investigation was not exhaustive and thus pockets or containers of contaminants may exist that weren't discovered during the assessment (Wilhelm). Wilhelm Engineering Company recommended semi-annual monitoring of the site and placement of a clay cap, with or without a slurry wall, to better contain the dump debris.

The Environmental Repair Program has not implemented either monitoring or capping due to the relatively low hazard apparently presented by the site. These monitoring recommendations are included in the proposal for the Fish Creek Fish and Wildlife Area; mitigation was expected to cost between $52,000 and $75,000 with annual maintenance of $2,500 (Davis).

WDNR determined that the dump occurs in the water, and thus a cap would have no appreciable effect on water moving through the waste. WDNR samples of groundwater in the waste collected in 1994 and 1995 showed no contamination; thus the department determined removal of the waste would cause more harm than good (LaValley 1996²).

During survey work conducted as part of the coastal wetlands evaluation, one rare species of macroinvertebrate was found in Fish Creek and North Fish Creek and overall taxa richness was moderate (5-24 species) (Epstein 1997). Bank erosion, point sources, livestock, barnyards and cropland were significant pollutant sources and significant silting affected habitat quality at the site on North Fish Creek. Bank erosion was a significant pollutant source to Fish Creek Slough with cropland a potential problem and silt a threat at the survey site.

Unnamed North Fish Creek Tributaries

A small, spring-water stream containing brook, brown and rainbow trout fully supports a Class I trout fishery and is classified as an outstanding resource water. The stream is described in Wisconsin Trout Streams as meeting North Fish Creek in Section 23 of T47N R6W. The stream actually enters at Section 13. The stream's gravel bottom provides a spawning area. Another unnamed tributary at T47N R6W S29 is currently supporting a Class II trout fishery according to the best professional judgment of the area fisheries biologist, but has the potential to support a Class I trout fishery if water quality impacts are minimized (Pratt 1977). The stream experiences impairments as a result of streambank pasturing, eroding banks, beaver activity and barnyard runoff.

South Fish Creek

This creek was one of the northern Wisconsin sample sites for studying the occurrence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in surface waters. The stream flows through a severely eroded channel and experiences many large floods that destroy bank cover. The stream drains a large area of red clay, causing flashiness. More than 65 percent of the watershed upstream of mile two is agricultural land, with dairy farming the primary land use. This may be an important contributing factor to erosion in the watershed; pollutant sources can be attributed to sediment and organic inputs from poor management practices (Archer). This creek is intermittent during dry periods and thus its fishery value is likely poor. Of 11 samples, one sample exceeded state recreation standards for fecal coliform bacteria.

During survey work conducted as part of the coastal wetlands evaluation, no rare species of macroinvertebrate were found in South Fish Creek (Epstein 1997). Bank erosion is a significant pollutant source, with livestock, barnyards and cropland posing a threat; significant silting affected habitat quality at the survey site.

Little Pine Creek and Unnamed Tributary

This tributary to North Fish Creek is a Class I trout stream considered an excellent coho salmon spawning and nursery ground (Davis) and classified as an outstanding resource water. Lake Louise, a privately owned impoundment with numerous bottom springs, serves as the headwaters of this stream. The sand and gravel stream bottom provide spawning areas for Lake Superior migratory trout and salmon species. This watershed has largely been cleared for agricultural purposes, and the headwaters area includes portions of the Chequamegon National Forest that have the potential for forestry activity. At least 14 springs were counted along an unnamed tributary entering Little Pine Creek in Section 10; the tributary supports a self-sustaining trout population according to the best professional judgment of the fisheries manager (Pratt 1977). Cattle crossings and grazing streambanks, barnyard runoff and trampling of the streambank have degraded portions of this tributary; some gravel areas may become silted due to cattle activity. This tributary has degraded habitat and possible polluted runoff from barnyards (Pratt 1977).

Pine Creek

This is a major spring feeder stream to North Fish Creek, formed by a number of small spring-fed tributaries that originate on the south edge of the Moquah Barrens. The stream is a high quality Class I trout fishery that includes migratory species of trout and salmon. The soils in this watershed are the typical red clay and land use is more than 60 percent agricultural, with wooded pasture along streambanks. Creek banks generally lack cover and are damaged by grazing and cattle crossings. Sources of water pollution are primarily barnyards and poor land use practices. The watershed supports abundant white-tailed deer, bear, beaver, mink and ducks. Topographic maps indicate gravel pits have been excavated in the headwaters area of the stream, which is just outside the bounds of the Chequamegon National Forest. The potential exists for the forested areas of the headwaters to be harvested. The creek was a target of a red clay study that proposed land management projects to limit erosion. The creek served as a northern Wisconsin sample site for studying the occurrence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in surface waters.

During survey work conducted as part of the coastal wetlands evaluation, one rare species of macroinvertebrate was found in Pine Creek and overall taxa richness was moderate (5-24 species) (Epstein 1997). Bank erosion was a significant pollutant source and significant silting affected habitat quality at survey sites.

Unnamed Pine Creek Tributaries

A Pine Creek tributary at T47N R6W S10, flowing from west of Lake Louise between the Pine and Little Pine Creeks is described in Wisconsin Trout Streams as supporting a Class I trout fishery and is classified as an Outstanding Resource Water. U.S. Geological Survey 7-minute series topographical maps show the stream as intermittent. Compilers of the GIS database of streams were told that the best professional judgment of the local resource manager indicates the stream is perennial. The stream actually enters Pine Creek, according to topographical surveys, just over the section line in Section 11, which is confirmed somewhat by the Master Waterbody System location of an unnamed stream entering Pine Creek in the SWSW of Section 11. Where such discrepancies occur in various data sources, it would be useful to field check locations (See discussion under Data Management in the Basinwide Issues section of this plan).

This stream has suffered extensive damage to stream banks as a result of cattle (Pratt 77). Surface Waters of Bayfield County describes a stream at T47N R6W S11 (SWSE) as being a Class I trout stream. This stream is described as originating in Section 1, south of the Moquah Barrens. From the map, the stream could actually originate in Section 1 or 2. This stream occurs several miles from the other stream, to the east of the community of Moquah and appears on the map to be perennial. The documentation claims the stream has a baseflow of five cubic feet per second, a significant discharge. It is possible the two streams have been confused, since there are a number of streams entering Pine Creek in Section 11, or that more than one unnamed trout stream flows into Pine Creek and this stream may need to be added to the code. According to Surface Waters of Bayfield County, brown, rainbow and brook trout are common in the stream, many of them migratory from Lake Superior. The stream is described as having poor bank cover due to grazing along streambanks. It would be useful to field check the streams in this area to be sure all streams that should be managed to protect cold water communities are accounted for.

Slaughterhouse Creek

This stream is described in Wisconsin Trout Streams as occurring in the eastern half of Section 12, T47N R5W. According to topographic maps, it originates near the John F. Kennedy Memorial Airport in Ashland County, then flows northwest into an unnamed Lake Superior slough in Section 1. The stream is listed as being an exceptional resource water for its entire length. One mile of the stream is described as supporting a Class I brook trout fishery. The Master Waterbody Listing identifies this stream as three miles in length. No data exists for this stream.