Rocky Branch Creek project floats, swims toward progress

RIVER FALLS - Residents and visitors alike enjoy the beloved Kinnickinnic River, with its renowned trout-bearing waters running right through the city, where people use it to fish, kayak, hike, canoe and watch birds.

The DNR, local chapter of Trout Unlimited named Kiap-TU-Wish, and the city confirm: A vision is forming for the Rocky Branch, one of the Kinni's tributaries that runs south and east of the city and is locally known as a "creek."

Though improvements wouldn't happen until around 2013, all three entities agree the restoration project is a strong possibility moving toward reality.

It would involve nearly all of the Rocky Branch, which equals about a mile and excludes only a small piece that flows through private property.

Why does it need improvement? The trout population is down mainly due to erosion along the stream banks and sediment deposits on the stream bottom.

Kent Johnson lives in Hudson and belongs to Kiap-TU-Wish.

He said, "There's been much more water coming down these stream channels."

Johnson has education in aquatic biology and works professionally as an environmental scientist. He volunteers time to do water-temperature monitoring around the Kinni.

He says though the water quality and temperature are good, the conditions for trout habitat are not.

"There's just no place for these trout to live," he said.

The fish like overhead cover as with logs and boulders, as well as deep water -- and so do the bugs they like to eat.

Johnson said the fish tend not to spawn in a dirty, murky stream bottom -- instead they prefer clean gravel.

He said, "Having the right substrate on the bottom of the stream is very important."

John Sours, Trout Habitat Coordinator for the DNR, says the goal of a restoration project would be to enhance the habitat of native brook trout.

"Basically, we stabilize the stream," said Sours. "Trout need stability."

He said crews would reshape eroding banks to a lower angle, then stabilize the slope with rock and overlay it with soil plus plant and grass seed. The project might call for "plunge pools," which act as mini dams and slow down erosion.

Another aspect of the project would be an unpaved path. All sources agree that while trails aren't the No. 1 priority, earth-moving equipment used for the restoration will create paths that could be kept clear to create improved access.

River Falls' Water Resource Engineer, Kristy Treichel, says the city will have a limited role in the project but thinks the work would be a benefit to the city.

"It's one of those things we'd love to see go," she said about the project.

Stream stewards

Johnson said the Kiap-TU-Wish chapter is one of about a dozen in Wisconsin and 400 in the country. The local chapter formed in the 1970s and has about 200 members, many from River Falls.

He said the chapter name incorporates the rivers his organization stewards in Pierce and St. Croix counties: The Kinni, Apple, Willow and Rush.

He says it has worked along the Kinni before and partners with the DNR often.

"Our chapter has been involved in the volunteer work of projects," said Johnson, who's been fishing since he was a boy and a member of TU since 1988.

Johnson said the club played a major role in a 2007 improvement project on the South Fork of the Kinni, which is a few miles east of the city near Hwy. 29.

Local TU members have also helped with other creeks including Cady, Gilbert, Parker, Pine, Tiffany, and Willow. He said organization members might put in trout habitat made of oak, grade and seed the river bank, move rocks or do whatever else the DNR needs.

He thinks an unusual aspect of the project at Rocky Branch is how it flows through an urban area. He said not many U.S. cities can claim to have a cold-water stream running through them.

He envisions an improved area near the Rocky Branch, with a park-like atmosphere and improved access to it.

Sours also speaks highly of TU and says it is an absolutely essential partner in these projects.

"They're the key component behind this, the driving force."

Finding funding

Johnson, Sours and Treichel agree that funding would come from multiple sources, with little-to-nothing from the city.

Treichel said she might spend a little time accessing information or investigating grant opportunities.

Johnson acknowledges that fundraising will be a challenge. TU has some sources plus will help find others.

He said, "We're in the very front-end of doing some fundraising with the restoration work."

Sours said the extremely preliminary, rough estimate of what the project will cost is $400,000 including trails.

He said it is common for a project like this to have five or six funding sources, including the money people pay for getting a trout stamp. He says the next steps are finding funding, refining the focus and building a volunteer base.

"Every single project has to have a volunteer component that basically we couldn't hire out to get done," said Sours.

He said next comes completing the project plan by establishing a vision for the project and prioritizing its short- and long-term goals.

He said his personal opinion is that Rocky Branch is a great asset but also a remnant of what it once was. Sours said the fall floods expedited the degradation that will continue worsening and could -- with enough erosion and sediment deposit -- eventually disappear.

"Restoration would be a great achievement, especially in an urban setting like that," he said.