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Phone: 608-221-1206 Ext. 14Address: |
Bill Peterson 608-565-4415 608-565-4421 |
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Coles Valley Trout Stream Restoration The Coles Creek Partners for Fish and Wildlife project in Monroe County, restored 5.6 miles of degraded native brook trout stream on private lands. Decades of poor land use throughout Coles Valley had transformed this once narrow, deep, clear, spring-fed creek into a wide, shallow, muddy waterway with highly eroded banks. This watershed project began by reducing erosion and increasing water infiltration in Coles Valley uplands. Next, livestock were excluded from the creek banks. From 1999 to 2003, the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program helped to narrow and deepen the creek, install fish habitat structures, and stabilize the banks. The watershed project efforts are paying off: Coles Creek summer flow rates have stabilized and water quality has improved. n 2001, Coles Creek was upgraded from a Class III to a Class I trout stream, which means that its brook trout population is now naturally self-sustaining. Comprehensive stream surveys planned for 2005 will quantify the water quality improvements. As an added bonus, 18 of the 19 participating private landowners have granted easements to the Wisconsin DNR, providing permanent public access for trout fishing. In addition to the landowners, project partners were Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, Monroe County Land Conservation Department, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Wisconsin DNR, Sparta Rod and Gun Club, National Wild Turkey Federation, and Monroe County Justice Department.
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