(Workday Report 1: April 11 Yahara River)
By Topf Wells

That would be the SWTU work day on the Upper Yahara on Saturday morning, April 11.

About 20 SWTU volunteers and friends gathered to continue to clear invasive shrubs from the Upper Yahara corridor in DeForest.  We saw hordes of honeysuckle but once we cleared some we found thriving stands of buckthorn.  The discovery provoked an interesting discussion: which is the worse invader?  My vote is buckthorn because it can hurt.

B oth fell before the brush and chain saws of SWTU and were swiftly hauled and stumps sprayed by the rest of the team.  Greg Hall of the Village of DeForest worked with us and provided donuts, rides to and from the work site, heartfelt gratitude, and, most of all, the news that we could create as many unkempt, scattered brush piles as we wanted.  Greg and his team will consolidate and compress the piles with skidsteers later.  This is a bigger deal than it might sound.  Without having to haul to only a couple of piles and without the need for trimming and stomping, we could cut and treat more and faster.

We increased the size of what we’ve cleared by 100% or more.  The work site of last fall looked great.  We had treated the stumps so that none were sprouting and Greg’s burn of the brush was complete.

Greg also explained that in May the Village’s 5 year restoration of the creek begins.  Stream sections to be rehabbed have been flagged and we could see how much will be accomplished in the first year.  That’s a project to which the Village has committed taxpayer and grant dollars, including an SWTU contribution.

Several volunteers saw the creek for the first time and the universal response seemed to be:  Holy smokes, it looks like a trout stream!  Because, hooray, it is.

Today, might, just might lead to the creation of another one.  Jefferson County, the second county in SWTU’s official territory, is the only Wisconsin County without a trout stream.   One of our new volunteers is Colton, who traveled from Watertown and is a Water Resources Specialist for Jefferson County (which despite the lack of a trout stream has some really cool rivers and lakes).  Colton knew that some county and DNR folks have been pondering Mud Creek* in Jefferson County as a stream that might be hospitable to brown trout.  Colton,  SWTU is ready to help.

This day continued the happy pattern of new and veteran faces.  The DeForest days also attracts folks who want to restore more natural systems (the fine fellow who’ll pull garlic mustard near the Cherokee Marsh) and  neighbors of the creek, such as the young man who thinks the project is really good for the DeForest community.

Jim Hess and Wayne Griffin handled brush saws all morning while Josh Reilly and Michael Westbury chainsawed, including the task of making sure all the stumps were flush to the ground.  Future walkers and anglers will have a much safer time in the creek corridor.  Don Golembiewski and others treated the hundreds of stumps.  Dyan Lesnick wrangled all the proceedings and brought Juneberry muffins.  Looking for a small, native tree that pollinators, birds, and you will love?  Plant a Juneberry, aka serviceberry, aka saskatoon.

As always thanks to all, with heartfelt gratitude to Greg Hall of DeForest and Jim Hess, who planned and delivered another productive, safe, and fun work day.

* Don’t let the Mud in Mud Creek put you off.  Google AI tells me at least two of WI’s trout streams are named Mud Creek.

(Photos courtesy Dyan Lesnik.)