Driftless Area Science: WiseH2O program summary  

Field season preparations are well underway in the Driftless Area and we wanted to reach out with an update on our WiseH2O water sampling program.    More than 2,600 observations have been recorded through WiseH2O since the program began in 2019. We appreciate all the volunteer time and effort that has gone into this data collection.  We plan to continue collecting data…

Spring Fishing in the Driftless – dry flies can be the cream of the crop! 

March Browns, BWOs, Mother’s Day Caddis, oh my!   Although nymphing and streamer fishing can produce great results in the spring in the Driftless area, the season can also offer surprisingly good dry fly fishing action. My personal favorite is still hopper season since fewer folks are out on the water, but the number of bugs on the…

Busy field season ahead for Driftless Area

Trout Unlimited’s Driftless Area Restoration Effort’s has another busy field season ahead of it for 2026.   Work started in January, when we started construction on the partnership project on Fancy Creek.    In conjunction with the landowners, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Mississippi Valley Conservancy, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resourcesz, Pheasants Forever, Wisconsin Wetlands Association, Richland County Conservation District, U-W Madison, and others, the project has been designed…

18th Annual Driftless Symposium draws robust crowd

More than 115 participants recently connected at the Stoney Creek Lodge in Onalaska, Wisc., for the 18th annual Driftless Area Symposium..    Held in late February, the event featured presentations on a wide variety of topics, including trout genetics, stocking activities, stream restoration permitting, outreach strategies, beavers, springs and more. There were more than 30 presenters, including nine students who shared their research activities.    The event…

New StoryMap Showcases Conservation Successes and Future Priorities in the Driftless Area 

Several great apps can help anglers navigate to primo fishing spots in the Driftless area. Now, a new interactive ArcGIS StoryMap adds another layer of information, showcasing where Trout Unlimited’s collaboration with the National Fish Habitat Partnership is creating conservation successes across the region and making fishing even better.  The Driftless Area Restoration Effort (TU DARE) is a long-running collaborative initiative focused on restoring coldwater streams, improving fish habitat, and strengthening watershed…

Teamwork Leads to Dreamwork on Wilson Creek in Dunn County 

Sometimes the right place and the right people come together at exactly the right time to create a stream restoration project that is truly remarkable.  The place is 7200 feet of the North Branch of Wilson Creek in Dunn County, Wisc., on the properties of Bill Manwarren and Josh Edhlund.    Wilson Creek, like many Driftless streams, was straightened on these properties to increase land available for agriculture and to improve efficiency with large…

Capital Culverts: The Road Stream Crossings of Dane County, Wisc.  

This summer, Trout Unlimited employed two seasonal technicians to collect culvert and bridge inventory data in Dane County, Wisc.    This inventory is part of our larger effort to better understand the extent of habitat fragmentation across the Driftless Area and ensure that we have sufficient information about outdated infrastructure to have ready solutions when it…