Rush Lake: A Shoreland and Shallows Success Story
Rush Lake is a highly degraded 3000 acre marsh with an average depth of about 1.5 feet, located in Winnebago County. For many decades
the waters of the marsh had been held artificially high and stable, resulting
in the demise of the dense bulrush stands for which the lake was named. Today
bulrush stands occupy less than 1% of the marshes surface area. The lake is
dominated by bullheads and carp and only a few duck broods are raised here each
year.
Rush Lake, DNR Photo
The dam controlling
water levels is owned by the local town government and for many years there was
strong local resistance to DNR overtures to undertake marsh restoration. Five
years ago a new approach was undertaken by local DNR staff who realized
that restoration would only occur if it was a citizen led effort. Local citizens
clearly recognized that Rush Lake was not the same as it was in their youth.
A steering committee of local landowners and representatives from five local
towns was formed to guide the development of a restoration plan, with DNR and
US Fish & Wildlife Service as technical advisors. The steering committee
eventually formed a nonprofit organization, Rush Lake Restoration, Inc. to
pursue the long term care of Rush Lake. DNR secured planning funding through
the Great Lakes Protection Fund and Northern Environmental was hired to develop
a report upon which the planning could be based. Hundreds of citizens
contributed to the development of the report and the subsequent plan defining
goals for the lake. The cornerstone management action will be a two year
drawdown of Rush Lake to regenerate bulrush on 50% of the marsh.
Implementation funding was secured through the North American Wetland
Conservation Act, Lower Fox River Natural Resources Damage Assessment, Rush
Lake Restoration, Inc., and numerous private donations. Ducks Unlimited
provided engineering for the project.
Open House
In the fall of 2005 the first physical steps
for a drawdown were undertaken with the removal and reconstruction of the dam
at the lake’s outlet and reconstruction of the stream channel for the first
quarter mile below the dam. The new dam was built with the ability to draw
down the marsh which wasn’t possible with the old dam. The drawdown will
begin in the spring of 2006 and water levels won’t be raised again until the
fall of 2007. At that point Rush Lake will truly be a rush lake again.
Last Revised: Sunday April 16 2006
