Ninemile Creek was once designated by the DNR as a Class A trout stream.
Access was attained from a generous landowner in conjunction with the local snowmobile club at what is known as the upper snowmobile bridge.
We explored this area, above and below the bridge in July 2008 and found beaver dams a quarter mile either way from the bridge. We removed them both, but the northern dam was repaired the next day, with all new branches.
It was obvious that unless we removed the beavers, removing the dams was pointless. Satellite photos of the river showed a history of beaver problems all along the creek. John Kielcheski agreed to fly over the creek and Jim Waters took a video camera along. The video showed at least fifteen beaver dams in six miles from Hollister Road up to the three springs.
Duane Fronek, a prominent trapper from White Lake taught a trapping class where members of Wolf River Trout Unlimited graduated, and received their license. Ninemile Creek has been added to APHIS and USFS lists for beaver control.
Kelly Thiel of the US Department of Agriculture was hired to blow beaver dams on Ninemile Creek. Twenty-five large dams have been blown in the past three years, with well over 120 problem beavers removed. The remaining dams in the area were abandon check dams, too small to blow. TU members along with Duane Fronek removed these smaller dams by hand.
CURRENT BEAVER CONTROL
Duane Fronek is currently working for the Wolf River chapter to keep Ninemile Creek beaver-free.
Beavers and dams have also been removed from Evergreen and Spring Creeks in the past two years.
We periodically explore stretches of feeder creeks for beaver activity. If you see any beavers or beaver dams on any of the tributaries of the Wolf River, please contact us.
TRIBUTARY MONITORING
Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program Coordinator Kris Stepenuck of Water Action Volunteers (WAV) trained chapter members in water testing for level one and two monitoring. Five tributaries of the Wolf River are currently being monitored at nine locations including the Hunting River, Lilly River, Ninemile Creek, Evergreen Creek and Spring Creek. These tributaries are monitored for dissolved oxygen, temperature, turbidity, stream flow, habitat, and macro invertebrate life. The temperature monitors are placed in the spring and removed in the fall.
STREAM WORK
A tree-planting project coordinated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and the Wolf River chapter of Trout Unlimited was held on Sunday May 16th 2010. Twenty-eight volunteers joined foresters Ryan Brown and Dave Beer of the WDNR in planting 1500 trees along lower Ninemile Creek. The trees were planted west of Highway 55, and included Red Pine, White Spruce, Dogwood and Cedar.
Brush and bundling was done on Ninemile Creek above and below the bridge on Highway 55.
Chapter members worked with the WDNR on the completed Evergreen River restoration.
TU and the WDNR work cooperatively to evaluate culvert and bridge crossings in the Wolf River drainage and identify existing structures needing replacement or resetting for the benefit of aquatic organism, water and sediment movement.
The culvert at the snowmobile crossing of upper Ninemile Creek is in the process of being replaced. The old culvert was placed too shallow, and at the wrong angle. The new one is oval in shape and will allow the free passage of spawning brook trout.
