Walleyes for Tomorrow staff and Rawhide About Face crew install geo-cellular containment material in fish passage channel along the Wolf River. Taken by Gary Van Vreede 8/07

Rawhide About Face crew spread rock over geo-cellular containment material in fish passage channel along the Wolf River. Taken by Gary Van Vreede 8/07

Biologist Gary Van Vreede and Rawhide About Face crew spread top-soil over fish passage channel along the Wolf River. Taken by Todd Close of Walleyes for Tomorrow 8/07

Walleyes for Tomorrow staff and Rawhide About Face crew complete fish passage channel along the Wolf River. Taken by Gary Van Vreede 8/07

The Lower Wolf River winds through a corridor of extensive and very high quality floodplain forests and open wetlands in east-central Wisconsin.  Heavy springtime flows flood much of the river’s associated wetland area, providing critical spawning habitat for many species of fish, particularly walleye.  Green Bay Field Office Partners for Fish and Wildlife Biologist Gary Van Vreede recently worked with local Walleyes for Tomorrow chapter members and staff to complete a stream bank alteration project designed to improve water flow and fish access to prime spawning wetlands located on private lands just east of the City of New London.  While the project was completed on private lands, over half of the 100 acre plus wetland area is located on State owned public hunting and fishing grounds.

To improve water flow, a 40 foot wide channel was excavated through a short stretch of high ground separating the river from the wetland. The channel was excavated down to the elevation of the existing wetland, approximately 2 feet below the original bank height.  A combination of geo-cellular confinement material and rock was used to help stabilize the area.  These materials were then covered with soil, seeded and mulched to prevent erosion and provide a natural looking connection.  A backhoe was used to excavate the passage and place rock, but the hand labor necessary to complete the project was provided by the “About Face” youth work crew from the nearby Rawhide Boys Ranch.  Rawhide is a facility that offers a variety of assistance programs for court-referred and at-risk youth.  “About Face” is a military style program providing new direction and character development for young men through regular community service work, as well as physical, academic, and moral values training.  As part of this project work experience, the crew learned about seasonal river fluctuation, walleye spawning behavior and the importance of floodplain wetland habitat.

Lowering the river bank to create this passage will now allow fish to enter the spawning marsh earlier in the spring in most years and during low water years when they normally could not.  The lowered bank will also provide a longer period of flow through the marsh allowing greater opportunity for fish eggs to hatch and fry to be transported back to the River.  A larger volume of water flowing through the marsh also will help to wash accumulated silt and other debris from the marsh to improve the overall habitat conditions.   In addition to fish spawning benefits, the alteration will improve habitat for waterbirds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects.