Weister Creek
Encyclopedia
Weister Creek is a stream
, some 25 miles (40.2 km) long, in Vernon County
(formerly Bad Axe County) in southwestern Wisconsin
in the United States
and is a tributary of the Kickapoo River
. It lies in the Driftless Area which is characterized by hills and valleys apparently missed by the last glacial advance during the Pleistocene
. Much of the lower half of Weister Creek is surrounded by wetlands and lies in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve.
and Louis Joliet who canoed down the Wisconsin River
to the popular fur trading post Fort Crawford
, now known as Prairie du Chien. W. T. Sterling is credited for being the first white explorer of Vernon County (formerly Bad Axe). Originally from Kentucky
, his family and two other men ventured from Madison
to explore the Kickapoo River and its tributaries in 1832.
During the 1820s the Ho-Chunk
Nation or Winnebago was forced to give up their reservation and were relocated by the federal government because of desire to exploit the lead ores in the area.
The area known as the Kickapoo Valley Reserve would be "Lake LaFarge" but efforts by the Army Corps of Engineers to build a dam on the Kickapoo River above La Farge, Wisconsin
for flood control were abandoned after a 20 year struggle with environmentalists. However, the federal government had acquired property for the dam project and reservoir beginning in 1969, and ultimately 140 farms were purchased from mostly unwilling local property owners. In 1996, the federal Water Resources Development Act was passed, deauthorizing the dam and authorizing the transfer of the 8569 acres (34.7 km²) mostly back to the State of Wisconsin, but specifying that 1200 acres (4.9 km²) would be transferred to the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to be held in trust for the Ho-Chunk.
Wetlands have largely been drained for pasture and comprise a tiny portion of the lands in the Kickapoo River watershed, 0.8%, whereas agriculture accounts for 50.4% of the land use followed closely by forest land at 48%.
(Salmo trutta), Rainbow trout
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Brook trout
(Salvelinus fontinalis). Weister Creek is a Class III trout stream for its entire length.
Recently a movement called "Save Taryn's Beaver" was launched to save a family of beavers on the upper creek. The beaver is a keystone species
, increasing biodiversity in its territory through creation of beaver ponds and wetlands. Not only are riparian habitats enlarged as the circumference of a beaver pond is much greater than the circumference of the two banks of a stream, but aquatic plants colonize newly available watery habitat. Insect, invertebrate, fish, mammal, and bird diversity are also expanded. Beavers benefit bird diversity in numerous ways. Trumpeter swan
s (Cygnus buccinator) and Canada geese
(Branta canadensis) often depend on beaver lodges as nesting sites. As trees are drowned by rising beaver impoundments they become ideal nesting sites for obligate cavity nesters such as wood duck
s (Aix sponsa), goldeneye
s (Bucephala spp.), mergansers (Mergus spp.), and owl
s (Titonidae, Strigidae). In addition, beaver ponds have been shown to increase the number of trout, their size, or both, in a study of brook trout
(Salvelinus fontinalis), rainbow trout
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) and brown trout
(Salmo trutta). These findings are consistent with a study of small streams in Sweden
, that found that brown trout were larger in beaver ponds compared with those in riffle
sections, and that beaver ponds provide habitat for larger trout in small streams during periods of drought. The importance of winter habitat to salmonids afforded by beaver ponds may be especially important (and underappreciated) in streams without deep pools or where ice cover makes contact with the bottom of shallow streams. Cutthroat trout
(Oncorhynchus clarki) and bull trout
(Salvelinus confluentus) were noted to overwinter in Montana beaver ponds, brook trout congregated in winter in New Brunswick and Wyoming beaver ponds, and coho salmon in Oregon beaver ponds.
In spite of the benefits of beaver to trout and bird abundance and diversity, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
continues to recommend removal of trees and brush from the banks of several Kickapoo river watershed streams to reduce beaver colonization. The town of Clinton
is holding hearings to decide the fate of the Weister Creek beavers. At the first hearing, May 12, 70 citizens showed up and it was standing room only in a debate between those who wanted to protect the beavers versus those who feared further road damage or loss of pastureland to wetland. At a special follow-up town board meeting on June 1 a compromise was reached to adopt a proposal by Steve Solberg, an environmental engineer of La Crosse
and Ben Hansen of Viroqua
, for a flow device
to permanently lower the beaver pond by 1.5 foot (0.4572 m) so that it would not threaten Dell Road and to open up pastureland that had been flooded by the beavers. The lowered pond level should encourage the beaver to relocate downstream. It is hoped that funding will be provided by the Ho Chunk Nation.
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
, some 25 miles (40.2 km) long, in Vernon County
Vernon County, Wisconsin
Vernon County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2009, the population estimate was 29,324. Its county seat is Viroqua.-History:...
(formerly Bad Axe County) in southwestern Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and is a tributary of the Kickapoo River
Kickapoo River
The Kickapoo River is a tributary of the Wisconsin River in the state of Wisconsin, United States. It is named for the Kickapoo Indians who occupied Wisconsin before the influx of white settlers in the early 19th century.-Watershed:...
. It lies in the Driftless Area which is characterized by hills and valleys apparently missed by the last glacial advance during the Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
. Much of the lower half of Weister Creek is surrounded by wetlands and lies in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve.
History
The area’s history of European settlement dates back to the seventeenth century expedition of Jacques MarquetteJacques Marquette
Father Jacques Marquette S.J. , sometimes known as Père Marquette, was a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Ste. Marie, and later founded St. Ignace, Michigan...
and Louis Joliet who canoed down the Wisconsin River
Wisconsin River
-External links:* * * , Wisconsin Historical Society* * * *...
to the popular fur trading post Fort Crawford
Fort Crawford
Fort Crawford was an outpost of the United States Army located in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, during the 19th Century. The Second Fort Crawford Military Hospital was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1960....
, now known as Prairie du Chien. W. T. Sterling is credited for being the first white explorer of Vernon County (formerly Bad Axe). Originally from Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, his family and two other men ventured from Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
to explore the Kickapoo River and its tributaries in 1832.
During the 1820s the Ho-Chunk
Ho-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
Nation or Winnebago was forced to give up their reservation and were relocated by the federal government because of desire to exploit the lead ores in the area.
The area known as the Kickapoo Valley Reserve would be "Lake LaFarge" but efforts by the Army Corps of Engineers to build a dam on the Kickapoo River above La Farge, Wisconsin
La Farge, Wisconsin
La Farge is a village along the Kickapoo River in Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 775 at the 2000 census. The residential community of Dreamtime Village is located near LaFarge.-Transportation:...
for flood control were abandoned after a 20 year struggle with environmentalists. However, the federal government had acquired property for the dam project and reservoir beginning in 1969, and ultimately 140 farms were purchased from mostly unwilling local property owners. In 1996, the federal Water Resources Development Act was passed, deauthorizing the dam and authorizing the transfer of the 8569 acres (34.7 km²) mostly back to the State of Wisconsin, but specifying that 1200 acres (4.9 km²) would be transferred to the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to be held in trust for the Ho-Chunk.
Wetlands have largely been drained for pasture and comprise a tiny portion of the lands in the Kickapoo River watershed, 0.8%, whereas agriculture accounts for 50.4% of the land use followed closely by forest land at 48%.
Ecology
Weister Creek has a reputation as an excellent fishery for Brown troutBrown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
(Salmo trutta), Rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Brook trout
Brook trout
The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
(Salvelinus fontinalis). Weister Creek is a Class III trout stream for its entire length.
Recently a movement called "Save Taryn's Beaver" was launched to save a family of beavers on the upper creek. The beaver is a keystone species
Keystone species
A keystone species is a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance. Such species play a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community, affecting many other organisms in an ecosystem and helping to determine the types and...
, increasing biodiversity in its territory through creation of beaver ponds and wetlands. Not only are riparian habitats enlarged as the circumference of a beaver pond is much greater than the circumference of the two banks of a stream, but aquatic plants colonize newly available watery habitat. Insect, invertebrate, fish, mammal, and bird diversity are also expanded. Beavers benefit bird diversity in numerous ways. Trumpeter swan
Trumpeter Swan
The Trumpeter Swan, Cygnus buccinator, is the largest native North American bird, if measured in terms of weight and length, and is the largest living waterfowl species on earth. It is the North American counterpart of the European Whooper Swan.-Description:Males typically measure from and weigh...
s (Cygnus buccinator) and Canada geese
Canada Goose
The Canada Goose is a wild goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body....
(Branta canadensis) often depend on beaver lodges as nesting sites. As trees are drowned by rising beaver impoundments they become ideal nesting sites for obligate cavity nesters such as wood duck
Wood Duck
The Wood Duck or Carolina Duck is a species of duck found in North America. It is one of the most colourful of North American waterfowl.-Description:...
s (Aix sponsa), goldeneye
Goldeneye (duck)
Goldeneye are small tree-hole nesting northern hemisphere seaducks belonging to the genus Bucephala. Their plumage is black and white, and they eat fish, crustaceans and other marine life....
s (Bucephala spp.), mergansers (Mergus spp.), and owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
s (Titonidae, Strigidae). In addition, beaver ponds have been shown to increase the number of trout, their size, or both, in a study of brook trout
Brook trout
The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
(Salvelinus fontinalis), rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) and brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
(Salmo trutta). These findings are consistent with a study of small streams in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, that found that brown trout were larger in beaver ponds compared with those in riffle
Riffle
A Riffle is a short, relatively shallow and coarse-bedded length of stream over which the stream flows at higher velocity and higher turbulence than it normally does in comparison to a pool....
sections, and that beaver ponds provide habitat for larger trout in small streams during periods of drought. The importance of winter habitat to salmonids afforded by beaver ponds may be especially important (and underappreciated) in streams without deep pools or where ice cover makes contact with the bottom of shallow streams. Cutthroat trout
Cutthroat trout
The cutthroat trout is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is one of the many fish species colloquially known as trout...
(Oncorhynchus clarki) and bull trout
Bull trout
The bull trout, Salvelinus confluentus, is a char of the family Salmonidae native to northwestern North America. Historically, S. confluentus has been known as the "Dolly Varden" , but was re-classified as a separate species in 1980. Bull trout are listed as a threatened species under the U.S....
(Salvelinus confluentus) were noted to overwinter in Montana beaver ponds, brook trout congregated in winter in New Brunswick and Wyoming beaver ponds, and coho salmon in Oregon beaver ponds.
In spite of the benefits of beaver to trout and bird abundance and diversity, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is an agency of the state of Wisconsin. Its purpose is to preserve, protect, manage and maintain the natural resources of the state. The WDNR has the authority to set policy for itself and to recommend regulations for approval by the State Legislature...
continues to recommend removal of trees and brush from the banks of several Kickapoo river watershed streams to reduce beaver colonization. The town of Clinton
Clinton, Vernon County, Wisconsin
Clinton is a town in Vernon County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 1,354 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Bloomington is located partially within the town.-Geography:...
is holding hearings to decide the fate of the Weister Creek beavers. At the first hearing, May 12, 70 citizens showed up and it was standing room only in a debate between those who wanted to protect the beavers versus those who feared further road damage or loss of pastureland to wetland. At a special follow-up town board meeting on June 1 a compromise was reached to adopt a proposal by Steve Solberg, an environmental engineer of La Crosse
La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse is a city in and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The city lies alongside the Mississippi River.The 2011 Census Bureau estimates the city had a population of 52,485...
and Ben Hansen of Viroqua
Viroqua, Wisconsin
Viroqua is the county seat of Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,079 at the 2010 census. The city is located within the Town of Viroqua.-History:...
, for a flow device
Flow device
Flow devices are man-made solutions to beaver-related flooding problems. Traditional solutions have been focused on the trapping and removal of all the beavers in the area...
to permanently lower the beaver pond by 1.5 foot (0.4572 m) so that it would not threaten Dell Road and to open up pastureland that had been flooded by the beavers. The lowered pond level should encourage the beaver to relocate downstream. It is hoped that funding will be provided by the Ho Chunk Nation.