Currently browsing… Wisconsin
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Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge gives hope to coaster brook trout
For two decades, Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge has been the site of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service efforts to restore self-sustaining populations of coaster book trout. Trout Unlimited has been a partner in the work. The efforts haven't been successful, but have increased knowledge about this unique form of brook trout and what could be needed to restore the fish to Lake Superior tributaries.
Of the many forms of brook trout, one of the more unique is the coaster. Coasters are potamodromous, spending much of their adult lives in nearshore waters of the upper Great Lakes and then migrating into streams to spawn. They can grow to larger sizes than brookies that live their entire lives in streams, and…
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Barefooting for smallies in the wilds of Wisconsin
The center of attention are schooling smallmouth bass (yes schooling) that willingly slurp down frogs solo or blitz baitfish when fired up
As soon my friend Josh Fiester and I got the text from Hannah Matousek upon landing in Madison, Wisc., last week I knew the next couple days were going to be special. Hannah, one third of the team that makes up Black Earth Angling Company, let us know that she took the liberty of picking…
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Newsletter highlights productive 2020 for Driftless team
For the past two years, the DARE team has been providing free pollinator seed to enhance Driftless Area streams. The seed mix is not intended to replace the planned seeding mixture, but to supplement pollinator plants into the mixture.
The COVID pandemic presented a variety of challenges for the Trout Unlimited Driftless Area Restoration Effort team, but solid progress on Driftless stream restoration projects moved forward in 2020 and the team has aggressive plans in place for 2021. One of the key elements of the TUDARE founding platform is collaboration. The success of TUDARE over…
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2020 busy for restoration in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area
Despite challenges posed by the pandemic 2020 was a busy year for Trout Unlimited Driftless Area Restoration Effort in Minnesota. TU and its partners collaborated on a number of habitat restoration projects in the state. Here's a rundown of the projects. Bohemian Coulee – Wisconsin DNR executed a large project restoring 5,240 feet of trout…
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Newsletter features 2020 highlights for Great Lakes team
We all know that 2020 was far from a normal year. Despite the challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Trout Unlimited’s Great Lakes team soldiered on. The team, which continues to grow, was able to accomplish many key projects in the field as well as to continue advocacy efforts. Below are a few of the highlights from 2020, as well as a look ahead…
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Wisconsin project shows it’s not always about the money
By Chris Collier Working with the Town of Beaver and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Trout Unlimited recently helped replace a fish passage barrier on the North Branch Beaver Creek located in the middle of a state fishery area. Surveys at the site indicated fish passage and flood risk concerns associated with the existing, four-culvert…
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TU and partners remove logging dam on Wisconsin trout stream
By Chris Collier In August, TU worked with our partners in northeast Wisconsin to remove a remnant logging dam in the North Branch Oconto River. This is the second of three dams TU and our partners will remove on the river in Wabeno, Wisc. While difficult to see in this photo, this is the remnant…