Lake Superior Basin Special Projects

Habitat Rehabilitation

Habitat Restoration

Information & Education

Planning

Pollution Prevention

Research

Bayfield Peninsula and Bois Brule River APHIS beaver control program

Contact Organization   WDNR  

DNR role:   Funding

Location   Bayfield and Douglas

Project summary   Wisconsin Trout Stamp funded program to contract federal APHIS trappers to control problem beaver on South Shore Migratory Coldwater Trout Streams of Douglas and Bayfield Counties.

Project Cost  

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Whittlesey Creek Priority Watershed

Contact Organization   ABDI Land Conservation Dept.

DNR role:   Funding

Location   Whittlesey Creek, Bayfield County

Project summary   Implement a management plan developed by a project steering committee for the project area. Restore hydrologic integrity to the watershed, restore and improve habitat and reduce high volumes and velocity flows to Whittlesey Creek. Provide technical assistance to private landowners

Project Cost  

Project Start      Project End  

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Coastal Land Acquisition Projects in Bayfield County

Contact Organization  

DNR role:   Implementati

Location   Lost Creek Number Two and Lost Creek Number Three and Siskiwit Bay

Project summary   DNR proposes to acquire 256 acres of coastal riparian parcels along Lost Creek Number Two and Lost Creek Number Three, which flow into Siskiwait Bay.

Project Cost  

Project Start      Project End  

Type of Project   Land acquisition for habitat and water quality protection

Report Available:  

Product/Format  

State Natural Areas Restoration (L. Sup. & L. MI coasts)

Contact Organization  

DNR role:   Implementati

Location   Bark Bay Slough, Port Wing Boreal Forest, Bibon Swamp

Project summary   Restore degraded wetlands at ten Coastal State Natural Areas along Lakes Superior and Michigan, by removing invasive herbaceous species. Three of the ten SNAs are in the Lake Superior Basin.

Project Cost  

Project Start      Project End  

Type of Project   Habitat restoration

Report Available:  

Product/Format  

Lake Superior Basin Community Awareness Review and Development

Contact Organization   Northern Initiatives

DNR role:   Partner

Location   U.S. and Canadian side of basin

Project summary   Facilitating and coordinating the "Community Awareness Review and Development (CARD) Project." This is a project of the Lake Superior Binational Program Lakewide Management Plan group. It is a survey of community attitudes around the basin regarding pollution, development, habitat issues.

Project Cost   0

Project Start   03/2003   Project End   06/2005

Type of Project  

Report Available:  

Product/Format  

Habitat Rehabilitation

Contact Organization   Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

DNR role:   Funding

Location  

Project summary   Restoration of stream habitat on Reservation

Project Cost     0

Project Start   07/2002   Project End   12/2006

Type of Project  

Report Available:  

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Bark River Coastal Brook Trout Experiment

Contact Organization   WDNR

DNR role:   Implementation

Location   Bark River and its watershed: Town of Clover, Bayfield County

Project summary   Coastal Brook Trout Population Rehabilitation Experiment, Rehabilitate the Bark River brook trout population by multiple means (beaver control, angler regulation, instream habitat improvement, watershed planning etc.) and monitor brook trout population response with the ultimate goal of increasing population size, enough to reconnect the riverine population with its shoreline habitat and produce a coaster life history.

Project Cost  

Project Start     Project End  

Type of Project   Fisheries Rehabilitation Project

Report Available:  

Product/Format  

Bois Brule River Coastal Brook Trout Experiment

Contact Organization   WDNR

DNR role:   Implementation

Location   Brule River State Forest, Douglas County: Bois Brule River and headwaters

Project summary   Coastal Brook Trout Population Rehabilitation Experiment, Rehabilitate the Bois Brule River brook trout population by multiple means (beaver control, angler regulation, instream habitat improvement, watershed planning etc.) and monitor brook trout population response with the ultimate goal of increasing population size enough to reconnect the riverine population with its shoreline habitat and produce a coaster life history. Returning Coasters are counted as they pass by the Brule River Sea Lamprey Barriers Video Monitoring System.

Project Cost  

Project Start     Project End  

Type of Project   Fisheries Rehabilitation Project

Report Available:  

Product/Format  

Habitat Restoration

Superior Coastal Wetlands Initiative

Contact Organization   USFWS

DNR role:   Partner

Location  

Project summary   The goals of the Superior Coastal Wetland Initiative are to protect all coastal wetlands in the Lake Superior Basin in Wisconsin, and improve the ecological functions of those wetlands, especially degraded ones. The project is funded through the North American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA) funds. Phase I was completed in 2003, and included the establishment of the Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge and acquisition of lands within it; restoration of over 50 acres of wetlands in the watershed through the work of the Lake Superior wetland team, and acquisition of over 2,000 acres of critical coastal wetland/bottomland forest and associated uplands in the Kakagon/Bad River Sloughs. Phase II is funded to acquire 1,037 acres of wetlands and 1,433 acres of upland in fee title; acquire 250 acres of wetland and 435 acres of uplands through easements; restore 126 acres of wetlands; enhance 56 acres of wetlands; and set aside 2,500 acres through a conservation stewardship program on private lands. Watershed targets include the Bad River, Raspberry River, Fish Creek and Whittlesey Creek.

Project Cost  

Project Start     Project End  

Type of Project  

Report Available:  

Product/Format   Acquisition, easements, cost share projects

Information & Education

Priority Wetland Sites of Wisconsin's Lake Superior

Contact Organization   WNDR  

DNR role:   Implementation

Location   L. Superior basin-wide in hard copy; CD includes L. Superior and L. Michigan

Project summary   Field manual excerpted from larger report entitled " Wisconsin's Lake Superior Coastal Wetlands Evaluation; Including Other Selected Natural Features of the Lake Superior Basin". The goal of the project is to identify habitats that are most critical to protect and restore. Thirty priority wetland sites and 18 priority aquatic sites were identified in the project area. The priority sites signify those places that contain the best examples of wetlands and aquatic features found in both coastal and interior portions of the Lake Superior Basin.

Project Cost  

Project Start   06/1995   Project End   03/2001

Type of Project   Assessment

Report Available:   Electronic

Product/Format   Hard copy report: "Priority Wetland Sites of Wisconsin's Lake Superior Basin" WI Natural Heritage Program. Bureau of Endangered Resources, WI DNR. 1997. CD: "A Data Compilation and Assessment of Wisconsin's Coastal Wetlands." March 2001.

River Restoration/Rehabilitation Workshop and Field Days

Contact Organization   UWEX

DNR role:   Partner

Location  

Project summary   Completed a workshop and field day in September 2003. More than 50 natural resource professionals attended the classroom segment and 35 completed the field day.

Project Cost  

Project Start     Project End   09/2003

Type of Project  

Report Available:   Electronic

Product/Format   CD of presentations available

Bayfield County Shoreline Protection Campaign

Contact Organization   Lake Superior Alliance

DNR role:   Funding

Location   Bayfield County L. Superior shoreline

Project summary   The Bayfield County Shoreline Protection Campaign will follow closely the pattern of activities used successfully to gain support for lake protection amendments to zoning ordinances applied to inland lakes in Wisconsin. To accomplish this we will develop a mailing list for the shoreline townships in Bayfield County. Using this list as our base for contacting interested landowners we will provide information about aesthetic, water quality and quality of life values for their place on Lake Superior, and provide information about the challenges faced by Lake Superior’s unique

Project Cost  

Project Start   09/2001   Project End   12/2004

Type of Project  

Report Available:   Paper

Product/Format   "Land Along the Lake, People Working to Protect the Waters and Land of the Bayfield Peninsula," 8 page newsprint flyer published winter 2003. This was mailed to Bayfield county shoreline property owners, and used as an insert to "Superior Vision," the newspaper of the Lake Superior Alliance. It is also available at the Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center in Ashland.

BMPs on Rural Land in LSUP Basin - Pamphlet

Contact Organization   L. Superior Basin Educator UWEX

DNR role:   Funding

Location  

Project summary   Produce summaries of BMPs and other information for landowners. Summarize the "Best Management Practice Guidelines for the Wisconsin Portion of the Lake Superior Basin" March 2003.

Project Cost  

Project Start   12/2001   Project End  

Type of Project  

Report Available:  

Product/Format   brochure for general public under development

Culvert and Roadside Erosion Control Video/Fact Sheets

Contact Organization   L. Superior Basin Educator - UWEX

DNR role:   Funding

Location   Lake Superoir basin-wide

Project summary   Culvert video has been produced and workshops held in Lake Superior basin.

Project Cost  

Project Start   12/2001   Project End   12/2003

Type of Project  

Report Available:   Electronic

Product/Format   "Culverts: Not Just Something to Pass Over" 20 minute video available from Mike Kroenke UWEX. Project report available electronically.

Develop Guidelines to reduce NPS and stream damage

Contact Organization   ABDI LCD

DNR role:   Funding

Location  

Project summary   Best Management Practice Guidelines for the Wisconsin Portion of the Lake Superior Basin.   The set of guidelines is intended to be a working document, relying on field conservationists and resource managers to use the information and revise the information as they gain experience with more practices and technologies and contribute new information as they learn more about how best to work in this complex system. The document has guidlines for many activities, including project planning, roads, forestry, agriculture, critical area stabilization, habitat, and development within the Lake Superior basin. A brochure is under development to summarize this information for the general public and landowners in particular.

Project Cost   10,000

Project Start   01/2001   Project End   03/2003

Type of Project   Guidance for resource managers and others

Report Available:   Electronic

Product/Format   "Best Management Practice Guidelines for the Wisconsin Portion of the Lake Superior Basin (March 2003) available hard copy from ABDI LCD and available electronically

Lake Superior Basin Evaluation and Education: Coastal Issues, Brook Trout and Watershed Health, Nonpoint Source and Stormwater Pollution

Contact Organization   LS Research Institute

DNR role:   Funding

Location  

Project summary   This project will provide educational programming and materials to support a L. Superior watershed health initiative as recommended by the WI L. Superior Partner Team as an element of special designations. The project will include watershed evaluation to support integrated planning for the basin and implementation of actions to protect and restore its waters resources. The project utilizes the Lake Superior Basin Education Partnership established between the DNR and Lake Superior Research Institute of UW-Superior and UW- Extension. The project will result in a GIS layer of brook trout spawning habitat and will provide educational programming on watershed factors affecting this habitat. It will also provide L. Superior nonpoint source education and will result in outreach materials for stormwater regulatory requirements and performance standards.

Project Cost  

Project Start   01/2003   Project End   06/2005

Type of Project  

Report Available:  

Product/Format   As of April 2004: Draft power point education modules on watersheds and stormwater requirements are available electronically. "View from the Lake" education programs aboard the L.L. Smith.

Nonpoint Source education in LSUP basin (NEMO)

Contact Organization   LS Research Institute

DNR role:   Funding

Location   WI Lake Superior basin - coordinated with MN L. Superior basin

Project summary   The goal of this project is to provide community planners with information about the connection between land use, nonpoint sources of pollution, and impacts on water quality. This information will assist municipal officials with the development of a framework for the integration of natural resource based planning efforts within the Western Lake Superior basin. The major component of this project will be a regional adaptation of the University of Connecticut Extension’s Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) Powerpoint presentation. This presentation includes a description of land uses and the types of nonpoint source pollution generated by each. It describes a watershed based framework for planning, the role of impervious surfaces in pollutant transport, and best management practices. Staff would identify and integrate Wisconsin Lake Superior basin nonpoint issues into the presentation materials and would work with regional educators and planners to make these materials available to coastal communities and other groups.

Project Cost  

Project Start   10/2001   Project End   12/2003

Type of Project  

Report Available:   Electronic

Product/Format   Phase 1 power point presentation available electronically

Lake Superior Water and Land Symposium Sept. 10,11,12 2003

Contact Organization   UW Extension

DNR role:   Partner

Location  

Project summary   Natural Resource Considerations in Community Planning - UWEX; Community and Environmental Concerns Within the Lake Superior Basin: Northwest Regional Planning Commission and WI Coastal Management; Living on the Edge: Protecting Lake Superior's Rivers and Streams:

Project Cost  

Project Start   09/2003   Project End   09/2003

Type of Project  

Report Available:   Electronic

Product/Format   Presentation summaries available on CD

Monitoring Lower trophic level monitoring on Lake Superior

Contact Organization   WDNR

DNR role:   Implementati

Location   WI waters of Lake Superior

Project summary   This project will establish index stations in WI waters of Lake Superior to monitor benthic macroinvertebrate populations, particularly Diporeia. Diporeia populations have crashed in the other Great Lakes.Diporeia are important food for whitefish. This project can also support zooplankton population monitoring in WI waters of Lake Superior. Samples are collected in conjunction with Lake Superior fish population assessments.

Project Cost  

Project Start   05/2003   Project End  

Type of Project   Lake Superior monitoring

Report Available:  

Product/Format   Power point presentation to Great Lakes Fishery Commission Lake Superior Technical Committee January 2004 available electronically

Planning

Comparative Analysis of Sub-watersheds (Phase 1 - Nemadji)

Contact Organization   ABDI LCD

DNR role:   Funding

Location   Douglas Co. Nemadji watershed

Project summary   Determine the percentage of land in sub-watersheds of the Lake Superior Basin in open land or 0-15 timber age class and identify locations of these lands. This project will allow resource managers the tools necessary to evaluate subwatersheds on a broad scale and to proceed with management of those areas. This project completes the satellite imagery interpretation for the WI portion of the Nemadji River watershed, as was done for the MN portion. This project provides information tool needed to manage timber harvest to strive for goal of no more than 40% of a subwatershed in 0-15 age class to slow down runoff rate. The 40% goal is stated in Nemadji Basin Project and based on work by S. Verry (USFS).

Project Cost  

Project Start   07/2003   Project End   12/2003

Type of Project   Watershed mapping tool for resource managers

Report Available:   Electronic

Product/Format   GIS data layer, provided to DNR and other organizations. CDs contain GIS data and pdf files of the maps showing hydrological units in the Nemadji River watershed with greater than 40% area in open land or 0-15 year age

Comparative subwatersheds: phase 2 and 3 satellite imagery

Contact Organization   ABDI LCD

DNR role:   Funding

Location   Bayfield, Ashland, Iron, Douglas (outside of Nemadji River Basin)

Project summary   This project completes the satellite interpretation for the entire Lake Superior basin in Wisconsin. Recent research shows that no more than 40 percent of each sub-watershed may be young forest (0-15 years) or other open area, without significantly increasing peak runoff events and contributing to sediment related problems throughout the watershed. There is no database that provides the detail necessary to make the evaluations for each subwatershed. Consequently, managing for age-class distribution is not feasible. The Great Lakes Protection Fund provided funding for a portion of Phase 1 of this project. Carlton County, Minnesota, through a 319 grant, funded the balance of the Phase 1. Using LANDSAT images from each of the past 16 years, identify 0-15 year timber age class areas in the Wisconsin portion of the Lake Superior Basin. Geo-reference the 16 years of LANDSAT imagery. Through a year-by-year comparative analysis of the imagery, locate where clear cuts have occurred and digitize the boundaries of the cuts. The final product would be a composite of all lands in the 0-15 year timber age class. Resource managers will use the information to analyze sub-watersheds in the basin and determine whether a sub-watershed is approaching or has exceeded the recommended 40 percent open land threshold. Local resource managers will develop a strategy to improve the sub-watershed’s capacity to reduce peak flows by changing and coordinating land management strategies on both public and private lands.

Project Cost  

Project Start     Project End   03/2005

Type of Project   Tool for resource managers

Report Available:  

Product/Format   GIS data layer, will be provided to DNR and other organizations. CDs will be available with GIS data and pdf files of the maps produced showing percent open land and 0-15 year age class in small hydrological units.

Identification of Non-point Pollution Areas in the Upper Chequamegon Bay Watershed

Contact Organization   The Nature Conservancy

DNR role:   Funding

Location   Marengo, White and Potato River Watersheds of Chequamegon Bay: Ashland, Bayfield, Iron

Project summary   Identify existing and potential areas of increased non-point pollution in the White, Marengo and Potato River Watersheds. Project provides data showing the most effective locations to focus stream bank buffer restoration, the location of retention ponds and the creation of field filter strips, among other restoration and prevention methods. Differentiate between 40 and 60 % open land amounts and how this affects runoff.

Project Cost  

Project Start   07/2001   Project End   12/2003

Type of Project   GIS mapping tool for resource managers

Report Available:   Electronic

Product/Format   "Identification of Non-point Pollution Areas in the Upper Chequamegon Bay Watershed" Final Report for the 2001 Wisconsin Lake Superior Basin Project Great Lakes Protection Fund. The Nature Conservancy. Tara King, Becky Sapper. 2001. Available hard copy and

Lake Superior Partner Team Support: Lake Superior Basin Watershed Protection Initiative Plan

Contact Organization   Amy Eliot Consulting

DNR role:   Funding

Location  

Project summary   Refine concepts of the watershed health initiative recommended by the WI L. Superior Partner Team as Tier 3 of special designations. Develop a plan to pursue watershed protection objectives in a strategic and coordinated fashion. Contractor will produce a proposal to the partner team and DNR to take watershed health objectives closer to implementation. The proposal or plan could be used within the DNR's basin plan.

Project Cost  

Project Start   02/2003   Project End   06/2003

Type of Project  

Report Available:   Electronic

Product/Format   Amy Eliot report and recommendations to Lake Superior Partner Team available hard copy and electronically

Lake Superior Tributaries Protection GIS Project - Hydo-vulnerability Assessment

Contact Organization   WI DNR  

DNR role:   Implementati

Location   basin-wide GIS screening

Project summary   The objective is to develop a screening tool using various GIS layers to be used at the Basin level to place a priority on areas that contribute to or are volnerable to excessive runoff (volume of water delivered to the streams) contributing to hydrological degradation in the basin and habitat impairments in L. Superior tributaries. A second objective is to develop a process for the landscape level analysis and acquire datasets that will allow for more detailed future analysis and project design. With the use of GIS, a regional landscape analysis was done that identified areas vulnerable to excessive runoff. The analysis was created from data of various sources and scales, with the intention that as other datasets become available, they can be incorporated into this process. The data used in the 2004 analysis included: a) percentage forested vs. non-forested landcover (derived from WISCLAND Landcover and WisDOT roads, b) distance to streams, c) percent slope on the landscape (derived form 10 and 30-meter Digital Elevation Model(DEM), d) hydrological groups (derived from STATSGO soils), e) hydrological units (sub-watersheds).

Project Cost  

Project Start     Project End   09/2004

Type of Project   Tool for resource managers

Report Available:   Electronic

Product/Format   "Lake Superior Tributary Protection: Identification of Areas that are Vulnerable to Excessive Runoff" Final Report Sept. 30, 2004. Evaluation procedure. Data layer developed: 1:12 K hydrology layer for areas of Lake

Bayfield Peninsula Stream Assessment

Contact Organization   Trout Unlimited

DNR role:   Partner

Location   Bayfield Peninsula streams: Whittlesey, Sioux, Bark, Cranberry, Raspberry

Project summary   Trout Unlimited (TU) coordinated a project to gather, assess, and catalog the current state of geomorphic stability in 5 target watersheds on the Bayfiield Peninsula and make recommendations for restoration strategies. TU worked collaboratively with the WDNR, USGS, USF&WS, Red Cliff Tribe, and Inter-Fluve, Inc., to assess these streams, identify potential problem areas, and recommend watershed rehabilitation management strategies.

Project Cost  

Project Start     Project End   07/2003

Type of Project   Fluvial Geomorphology Evaluation

Report Available:   Electronic

Product/Format   Report available on CD from Trout Unlimited. "Bayfield Peninsula Stream Assessment. Final Report: Fluvial Geomorphology, Hydrology, and Management Recommendations." July 21, 2003. Prepared for Trout Unlimited in cooperation with Bayfield County - ABDI Land Conservation Dept.

Building Partnerships in the Lake Superior Basin

Contact Organization   ABDI LCD

DNR role:   Partner

Location   Lake Superior basin-wide

Project summary   Project aims to improve coordination between management efforts, agencies, and seek additional resources. Project evolved into coordination of agencies involved in Lake Superior NAWCA project.

Project Cost  

Project Start     Project End  

Type of Project   Coordination between agencies for large projects

Report Available:  

Product/Format  

Lake Superior Lakewide Management Plan LaMP

Contact Organization   WDNR

DNR role:   Partner

Location   Entire Lake Superior Basin - U.S. and Canada

Project summary   Federal, state, provincial, Tribal, and First Nation governments update the LaMP every two years to mark progress and highlight achievements in restoring and protecting the Lake Superior

Project Cost  

Project Start     Project End  

Type of Project  

Report Available:   Electronic

Product/Format   Lake Superior Lakewide Management Plan LaMP: 2002 Progress Report - Prepared by the Lake Superior Work Group of the Lake Superior Binational Program. LaMP 2000 and LaMP 2004 available.

Pollution Prevention

City of Superior community leadership in pollution prevention

Contact Organization   Superior WW Treatment Plant

DNR role:   Funding

Location   City of Superior, WI and throughout Lake Superior basin in WI

Project summary   Community based pollution prevention and stormwater outreach to work toward the goals of the Lake Superior Binational Program's zero discharge demonstration program.

Project Cost  

Project Start   07/2001   Project End   09/2004

Type of Project   Community mercury reduction / stormwater outreach

Report Available:  

Product/Format Mercury, dioxin, and stormwater education presentations are available on CD. Burn barrel presentation "Slow Death by Fire" is available on CD.

Research

Effects of Large Woody Debris on Habitat Quality and Brook Trout Populations in a Lake Superior Tributary

Contact Organization   UW Eau Claire

DNR role:   Funding

Location   East Fork Cranberry River, Bayfield County

Project summary   Summer 2002, Instream habitat and riparian habitat surveys in early summer and snorkeling surveys throughout the summer. Stream habitat conditions will be described for the entire lengths of each study reach using the habitat survey methodology of Lyons et al. We also will measure habitat unit diversity (riffle, pool, glide), wood density, wood size and location in the channel, substrate conditions, and depth and stream flow conditions for each reach. Riparian surveys will include measurements of land use type, riparian vegetation, buffer width, bank stability, valley width and slope. We also will install Hobo temperature loggers at the upper and lower ends of each study reach to determine daily and seasonal temperature conditions in each reach. Using a dye method developed by Pete Bisson for small streams in western Washington, we will determine the relative flow complexity of the three study reaches. A florescent dye will be introduced into the stream at the head of each study reach and water samples will be drawn periodically for a period of several hours to characterize the rate of movement by the dye through the reach. This survey will be conducted in late summer or early fall during base flow conditions. Daylight snorkeling surveys will be carried out from between 5 to 10 stream segments in each study reach. Each segment will be approximately 25 meters in length or at least one complete pool-riffle sequence, whichever length is greater. To determine the accuracy of these daytime counts, electrofishing surveys and night counts will be made during this first summer as well. If daytime counts are not sufficiently accurate, we will explore the possibility of using nighttime counts only or developing a correction factor for daytime counts. Weights will be obtained for YOY trout collected in early and late summer. Microhabitat measurements will be made in late summer from the same study sites in each reach. The following microhabitat data will be collected for all salmonids encountered in the stream: habitat unit (riffle, pool, glide), focal depth, total depth, focal velocity, average velocity, distance to cover, substrate type and distance to nearest neighbor. Microhabitat use data will be used to evaluate the potential interactions between species and to identify whether habitat use patterns differ among the different reach types. Fall/Winter 2002, Prior to the fall spawning season, a small number of mature brook trout (less than 10) will be collected from each study reach. Each fish will be outfitted with an internal transmitter and released back to the stream. Beginning shortly thereafter (in early fall), twice monthly surveys will be conducted using radio telemetry to monitor the movement of experimental fish to spawning and overwintering habitats. We will conduct visual surveys of spawning habitat quality and estimate the density of trout redds in the different reaches during the late fall and early winter. Surveys will be conducted throughout the length of each reach unless the number of redds and/or potential spawning sites are so large that we cannot practically obtain reliable and complete estimates of spawning conditions. In this event, surveys will be conducted from several randomly determined segments of each reach. Summer 2003, As in the first summer, we will conduct instream habitat surveys, and obtain estimates of trout density and summer productivity (YOY fish only) for each study reach. In addition, we will continue the telemetry study initiated in fall 2002 and begin the juvenile trout movement study.   Depending on the number of radio transmitters relocated on fish studied in the previous fall./winter, we may or may not need to add new adult trout to the telemetry study. Beginning in late spring or early summer, the movement of adult trout will be regularly monitored (e.g., every 3-4 days) for the entire summer rearing period. In the event of summer flooding during the observation period, we will visit the stream and relocate fish either during the high flows or shortly thereafter. Aquatic invertebrate samples will be taken using a Surber sampler from representative habitats in each study reach. The number of samples taken will be determined upon a visit to the stream and will depend on the diversity of habitats and variety of invertebrates collected in the nets. Based on previous work, we will likely collect 3 samples from each of 10 sites within a reach. Samples will be preserved in formalin and taken to the lab for processing. We will collect data on the biomass and diversity of invertebrates associated with different habitats and study reaches. Fall/Winter 2003, We will again conduct visual surveys of trout redds in the different reaches during the late fall and early winter. Depending on the nature of the results from the first winter, the telemetry study may continue through this period as well.

Project Cost  

Project Start   05/2002   Project End   12/2004

Type of Project   Assessment

Report Available:  

Product/Format  

Effects of Historical Land-Cover Changes on Flooding and Sedimentation, North Fish Creek, Wisconsin. Fitzpatrick, Faith,

Contact Organization   USGS

DNR role:   Partner

Location   Bayfield Co.

Project summary   North Fish Creek is an important recreational fishery that is potentially limited by the loss of aquatic habitat caused by accelerated flooding and sedimentation. This study was done to determine how North Fish Creek responded to human-caused changes in land cover since European settlement of the region in the 1870s.

Project Cost  

Project Start     Project End   06/1999

Type of Project  

Report Available:   Paper

Product/Format   Fitzpatrick, Faith, J. Knox, H. Whitman. 1999.   "Effects of Historical Land-Cover Changes on Flooding and Sedimentation, North Fish Creek, Wisconsin" USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4083. June

North Fish Creek Submerged Vane Study

Contact Organization   University of Wisconsin, Madison

DNR role:   Partner

Location   North Fish Creek, a Wisconsin tributary to Chequamegon Bay, Lake Superior

Project summary   A demonstration of the effectiveness of submerged vanes for reducing bank erosion and improving aquatic habitat at two sites is proposed for a site on North Fish Creek, a Wisconsin tributary to Chequamegon Bay, Lake Superior. Reduce erosion and subsequent sedimentation problems in North Fish Creek. Demonstrate the ability of an instream restoration technique (submerged vanes on the channel bed) to reduce bluff erosion along a flashy, high-energy stream. Improve the downstream quality of gravel spawning beds and reduce associated sedimentation problems. Reduce amount of sediment transported downstream to Lake Superior. If successful, these vanes could be installed at other sites along North Fish Creek and other tributaries to Lake Superior. This erosion control technique will be used in areas most critical for sediment production along the upper main stems, thereby reducing sedimentation rates in important estuary areas along Lake Superior near stream mouths. Reducing sediment loads of Lake Superior tributaries is important not only for protecting or restoring aquatic habitat, but also for dredging issues.   Share results with a variety of local, county, state, and federal agencies in the form of formal and informal presentations and reports.

Project Cost  

Project Start     Project End

Type of Project   Demonstration project to reduce/eliminate bluff erosion and improve instream habitat downstream

Report Available:   Electronic

Product/Format   Fitzpatrick, Faith, Marie Peppler, Heather Schwar, John Hoopes, Matthew Diebel. 2005. "Monitoring Channel Morphology and Bluff Erosion at Two Installations of Flow-Deflecting Vanes, North Fish Creek, Wisconsin, 2000-03" Scientifica Investigations Report 2004-5272, U.S. Geological Survey.