Before photo of the Upper Middle Inlet stream showing wide, shallow channel with accumulated sediment

A combination of stream channel modification techniques were used to improve habitat for native brook trout

The Upper Middle Inlet is a coldwater trout stream located in Marinette County, Wisconsin. A 1-mile section of the stream flows through private property managed by a group of local sportsmen.  Along a half-mile stretch of this stream the surrounding woodlands were clear cut, ditched and grazed for over 40 years. These practices have turned this once-productive trout habitat into a shallow, slow-moving stream with a high sand bedload, greatly reducing its habitat value.  U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Green Bay Field Office Fisheries Biologist Stewart Cogswell and Private Lands Biologist Gary Van Vreede are working together with the Marinette County Land and Water Conservation Department, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the landowners to restore the habitat value of the stream. Before project implementation, various parameters were measured over two seasons including temperature, flow regimes, and channel morphology.  Fishery assessments were also performed to determine the relative abundance of fish species within the stream. With the completion of a 2,500-foot section this summer, a contiguous half mile of stream habitat has been restored. The project involved channel manipulation along with the placement of brush bundles, root-wads, logs and large boulders to improve stream morphology and enhance trout habitat.