Rainbow trout give Paradise Springs a boost
EAGLE - A bucket brigade was at work in the Kettle Moraine State Forest Southern Unit.
Volunteers and state workers lugged plastic tub after plastic tub in a heavily wooded parcel of the forest. The containers sloshed with water and a special ingredient.
The group effort wasn’t because of a wildfire. In fact, it hoped to serve as a spark.
“You never know what will hook the next generation on the outdoors,” said Todd Durian of Milwaukee, president of the Southeast Wisconsin chapter of Trout Unlimited. “But I think the chance to fish for these guys certainly could help.”
The “guys” were more than 100 hatchery-reared rainbow trout added to the clear waters of Paradise Springs.
Durian and Steve Gospodarek, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources fisheries technician, had just dumped a dozen or so of the fish into the pond’s shallows.
The fish, big and feisty, had spent several hours in the belly of a truck being transferred from a fish hatchery to a parking lot at Paradise Springs.
They were then placed in 55-gallon
bins and moved by ATV up a trail before finally getting a human assist into their new home.
It’s hard to say if they recognized their good fortune. But the fish didn’t waste any time spreading out in the 2acre pond formed by trout-friendly Kettle Moraine spring water.
Within seconds of being stocked, several of the rainbows took insects off the surface of the calm water.
The resident food web was in for a bit of a shock - a battalion of new predators had arrived.
The trout stocking was part of a larger restoration project at Paradise Springs. Led by the DNR, in recent years it has included repair of the pond’s dam, removal of invasive plant species, planting of native species and shoreline stabilization.
Volunteers with SEWTU have been part of nearly every phase of the effort, including work parties to clear buckthorn from around the pond.
For more than a decade, the club also has contributed to stream improvement efforts at nearby Paradise Creek and Scuppernong Creek.
The chapter has earned national recognition for its conservation efforts, including the Gold Trout award in 2009. The honor is given annually to spotlight the top-performing group among the Trout Unlimited’s more than 400 chapters.
In many instances the SEWTU volunteers - pitchforks and chainsaws in hand - make contributions of sweat equity on the projects.
In the case of the rainbow trout stocking at Paradise Springs pond, they included a financial donation of about $1,000.
The money covered all costs associated with transporting and purchasing the trout.
The chapter’s contribution helps free up DNR resources for other needs, Durian said.
Two other SEWTU volunteeers, Ken Rizzo of Oconomowoc and Stan Strelka of Mequon, helped with the bucket brigade.
In addition to Gospodarek, DNR employees Nick Anderson, Chad Loomis, Kyle Olson and Brett Yonker stopped by to assist.
The work went quickly and within 15 minutes the 100-plus trout were moved into their new habitat.
It is hoped the rainbows will provide
months and even years of fishing enjoyment at the public site.
Fishing regulations at the pond require the use of artificial lures and all fish caught must be immediately released.
Poachers will be caught through a security system active on the property, according to sources.
For law-abiding anglers, the fishery provides an excellent venue to learn or share the best practices of catch-andrelease.
The tenets are well-described in an initiative called “Keepemwet Fishing.”
The educational campaign asks catch-and-release anglers to keep the fish in the water as much as possible, minimize its exposure to air, prevent its contact with dry surfaces and overall reduce its handling.
Trout Unlimited is one of dozens of partners in the campaign.
The SEWTU volunteers said their work in the state forest, like elsewhere, was done on behalf of all members of the public.
The chapter’s mission is “protecting and improving Wisconsin’s cold water systems and species.”
It doesn’t mention fishing.
But having access to good fisheries, Durian said, also can be the key ingredient to connect people to the outdoors.
“We hope the public comes out and utilizes this beautiful resource in a respectful, responsible manner so all those who come after can have the same experience,” Durian said. “If these rainbows help create a lifelong angler or three, so much the better.”