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Like many streams in southwestern Wisconsin, the East Branch of the Pecatonica River has high, steep banks of beautiful, dark soil that crumble easily into the water. When the stream rises, portions of the bank slump down and wash into the river. This beautiful soil becomes water pollution downstream in the Pecatonica, the Mississippi and perhaps as far away as the Gulf of Mexico.
The Nature Conservancy and its partners launched a restoration project that will reduce soil erosion and restore more of the Pecatonica River, a key Mississippi tributary, to its natural condition. As shown by a similar Conservancy restoration effort on a nearby section of the river two years ago, the new project will also improve wildlife habitat and store additional floodwater.
The first step was to remove excess sediment from a quarter-mile section of the stream bank that has prevented the Pecatonica from reaching its floodplain. Once the soil was removed, the ground was seeded with diverse native plants to restore the wet prairie and wetlands that originally bordered the river.
The project, which is located on Conservancy-owned land just south of Barneveld, Wisconsin, is expected to double the amount of floodplain in this part of the river so that it can store more water and retain nutrients that would otherwise contribute to flooding and pollution problems downstream.
Earlier Restoration Getting Results
Steve Richter, who oversees the Conservancy's work in western Wisconsin, said that the earlier restoration of a nearby stretch of the Pecatonica is working as designed.
"The stream banks have now withstood severe flooding over the past two summers, and very little sediment was released into the river," Richter said. "The ecological response has been phenomenal. The year after construction, more than 50 native plants and five species of native frogs and toads were identified."
Model for Small River Restoration
The Upper Pecatonica could become a model for additional small river and stream restoration work, according to Bob Hansis, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources watershed supervisor for the project.
"Everything we've seen so far shows that we can reduce sediment and flooding and benefit wildlife both in the river and along the banks," Hansis said. "We will look for opportunities to apply what we're learning on the Pecatonica elsewhere in Wisconsin."
University of Wisconsin Helps Measure Results
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin will monitor the project to determine its effect on flooding, sediment and wildlife habitat.
"The Pecatonica River is a great outdoor laboratory and classroom," said Eric Booth, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin who is studying how restoration is affecting the hydrology of the river and its floodplain. "This is an incredible opportunity to study the many benefits of reuniting a river with its floodplain."
Project partners include the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), Wisconsin Waterfowl Association (WWA) and the University of Wisconsin. Funding was provided by a WDNR grant and financial contributions from WWA. Both partners contributed staff time to supervise the restoration work.
The restoration site is located within the 50,000-acre Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area in Dane and Iowa counties. Military Ridge is considered one of the best opportunities in the Midwest to protect prairie remnants and rare or declining species such as grassland birds.
Photo credits (top to bottom, left to right): Restoration project at Pecatonica River in Wisconsin © Cate Harrington/TNC
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