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by Caitlin Collins Last month we shared that two different groups were collecting feedback on long range plans impacting two metro trout streams, the Vermillion and Trout Brook. There's still time to provide input on the plans for these important cold-water resources. On the Vermillion, the Vermillion Watershed Joint Powers Association has started their planning for the Vermillion Watershed for 2026-2035. TCTU board member Doug Moran shared information on the blog in November about how to review and submit feedback on that plan, and we encourage members to do so. For Trout Brook, we shared an email last month encouraging members to provide feedback on the draft Long-Range Plan for Miesville Ravine Park Reserve (it's not too late! They're accepting feedback through December 20, 2023). TCTU board member and Advocacy Coordinator Chris O'Brien drafted comments on behalf of our chapter, which we will be sharing with Dakota County. You can read those comments in the attachment below. 
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by Caitlin Collins
We celebrated our fifth annual Winter Fish Camp at Whitewater State Park on December 1-3 with great company, delicious chili (congrats to our chili cookoff winner, Sally Noll!), and comfortable fishing temps (for winter, at least). On top of all of the above, attendees also had a chance to learn quite a bit.  Photo of Kinni River taken by Jim Sauter, November, 2023 By Jim Sauter
Greetings from the TCTU Streamkeepers. "I am haunted by waters." Norman Maclean Strategic Planning for TCTU Streamkeepers As winter advances and we begin preparing for the 2024 stream monitoring season, we are organizing a Streamkeeper Strategic Planning Committee to help us determine future directions. This gives us an opportunity to evaluate our successes and help develop future directions for our program. Specifically, we will address: At the Annual meeting we will be voting on a revision to our bylaws. We want to change the timing of notification of board elections from 60 to 30 days. This will give it the same timing as notifications of proposed bylaws changes, so that we can send one notice to members instead of two! You can find the text of the proposed bylaws revision by clicking on <Read More>.
As part of an ongoing partnership with the MN DNR on Eagle Creek, TCTU volunteers and MN DNR work crews met on December 5 to move the remaining Siberian elm and buckthorn into large piles for burning this winter by the MN DNR.
During past spring events, TCTU volunteers focused on cutting buckthorn and invasive honeysuckle in the interior of the AMA. To help improve access to the area, volunteers started cutting buckthorn and Siberian elm along the roadway and property line in November 2022. This year we focused on clearing the remaining Siberian elms and clearing around the buckthorn piles from spring 2023. The Vikings messed up and forgot to check our chapter meeting schedule before scheduling their Monday Night Football game. In case you missed last night's chapter meeting, you can find Jason Swingen's excellent presentation on our YouTube Channel here. Don't forget to like and subscribe! You can also download a PDF copy of Jason's presentation.
by Doug Moran
The air temp was a chilly 17F but that didn't deter 18 hardy volunteers showing up at the Super 8 motel in Red Wing to pick up trash from a stretch of Hay Creek on Black Friday. Over 25 garbage bags of trash were collected, including some unique items: a mini 'fridge, a nice pair of running shoes, an orange traffic cone, an unopened bottle of Corona beer & a Vikings sleeping bag! When you see these folks, make sure you thank them for their efforts (apologies if I have misspelled names): Dan Sandelar, Barton Winter, Bob Mazanec, Linda Mazanec, Brandon Kassick, Brian Hanson, Craig Eldred, Jason Riggins, Kerry Fenner, Deb Fenner, Lee Stoe, Mitchell Abbett, Sally Noll, Jeff Kaphingst, Ellen Miller & Nicole Rohwes. Because this action was so successful, keep next year's Black Friday open on your calendars for another TCTU Trash Day event! A new edition is out from our friends in SE MN and Iowa, including everything new about Habitat, Conservation, Advocacy, and, of course, a fishing report!
by Bob Luck
I’m not asking for money (not today!), but I’d like to provide some thoughts on donating to TU. TU is a decentralized organization with local chapters (such as TCTU), State Councils (such as the Minnesota State Council--MNTU), and a National Headquarters (TU National). For a more detailed description of TCTU, MNTU and TU National, you can check out our website. Chapters, State Councils and TU National all make fundraising appeals, which can be confusing to members. I hope to provide some clarity, with the disclaimer that this is my opinion, and any errors are my responsibility. By Doug Moran
You may have already heard of TCTU Adventures. If you haven't, these are trips organized by our TU chapter for trout fishing. In 2023 we had two successful trips: an overnight trip to Preston, MN to fish the Root River area and a day trip to Hay Creek which was also a clean-up day. This is what's in store for 2024, dates and locations will be finalized.
So keep an eye open on the Events page of the TCTU website for more details & signups. By Doug Moran
Your opinion is needed by the Vermillion Watershed Joint Powers Organization (VRWJPO). The VRWJPO has started their planning for the Vermillion Watershed for 2026-2035, and they want to hear your opinions, concerns and ideas for how to protect and enhance this river so close to all of us. Make your voice heard, here’s how:
By Jim Sauter
Recently MNTU and TCTU were invited to the "Pho! Games! and Hunters' Extravaganza" event on Wednesday, November 1, in Maplewood by MN State Senator and Assistant Majority Leader Foung Hawj, Chair of Environment, Climate, and Legacy Committee. Senator Hawj also serves on the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. This council was established by the legislature with the responsibility of providing annual funding recommendations to the legislature from the Outdoor Heritage Fund. Senator Hawj invited us to the event to share information about Trout Unlimited, fly fishing, and fly tying. Several outdoor organizations, such as Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, the Wild Turkey Federation, and others were present. The annual event was held at the Unison Restaurant and Banquet Hall in Maplewood. This was a great opportunity for TCTU and MNTU to connect with the Hmong Community. They are doing some amazing things with conservation and outdoor recreation. Evan Griggs, Mike Hodgens, and I demonstrated fly tying during the evening. As always, I got some excellent tips from these master fly tiers!!! Amber Taylor dropped off some additional copies of newsletters, and TU President John Lenczewski brought some DNR fish posters and trout maps. The turnout was terrific. All in all, this was a fun night! By Jim Sauter
Greetings from TCTU Streamkeepers. “Autumn teaches us the beauty of letting go. Growth requires release- it is what the trees do.” Ka’ala, @alohakaala We have just completed our third year of stream monitoring, and we expanded our WISEH2O chemical testing from three streams in 2021 to seven streams at eight sights near the metro area. There are 24 volunteers helping with this effort and several other streamkeepers that are randomly testing other streams. One question that keeps recurring with members of our group and beyond is, “What is the value of stream monitoring?” by Bob Luck
The last time I fished in Iowa was in early October of 2005. I arrived during a warm spell and had a couple of days of amazing hopper fishing. Every year since then I have told myself I need to get back to Iowa, but all of that closer water in the Minnesota Driftless got in the way. My sense of urgency increased this year after hearing John van Vliet talk about Iowa at our chapter meeting last November and reading his book. Last week, with nearly all of Minnesota closed and my wife out of town, I finally made it down for a few days. It was terrific! By Gary Wittrock Trout in the Classroom (TIC) offers students of all ages a chance to raise trout in their classrooms from eggs to fingerlings through the winter and then release them into a MN-DNR approved body of water in the spring. A new edition is out from our friends in SE MN and Iowa, including everything new about Habitat, Conservation, Advocacy, and, of course, a fishing report!
Written by Leland Stoe in 2013 It could serve as a dungeon if not for the bright, 8-foot, high-output ballast fluorescent lamp I installed overhead, virtually eliminating shadows. It’s the place I retreat to when life smacks me between the eyes. This place is my fly-tying shop, located two half-flights down from my front door. The room smells of old feathers and hair, bees wax and head cement, and slightly stale backpacks. The homemade 6-foot L-shaped bench sits directly under the lights. For about $60, I created a sort of Shangri La in my home. Well, $60 for the bench, that is...  By Jim Sauter Greetings from TCTU Streamkeepers. "And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.” – Oscar Wilde The fall "switch" has been flipped with much cooler temperatures. We will continue to monitor our streams through the end of October or when the temperatures drop below 32 degrees, whichever comes first. The test results below freezing begin to be less reliable.
by Tony Nelson
In the Fall of 2022, folks from the DNR, Dakota County Parks and Trout Unlimited did the initial stream walks to decide if we should do the next 3500 feet of Trout Brook, just below the original section, and then to do the initial design concept. This took a couple more walks including with eligible contractors from which we hired the contractor. We were to begin in July of 2023 but because of several delays we started in early September and finished in early October. We restored about 3500 feet of Trout Brook and added additional habitat features at the top and bottom of the original project (about 600 feet). Thanks to Matt Jennings for a terrific presentation on pursuing migratory fish in the Lake Michigan tributaries. If you'd like to see his presentation on YouTube, click here. If you'd like to download his presentation, click below.
A new edition is out from our friends in SE MN and Iowa, including everything new about Habitat, Conservation, Advocacy, and, of course, a fishing report!
By Jim Sauter
Greetings from TCTU Streamkeepers! As I’m writing this article, I’ve been doing some fishing this week in the Driftless area in Wisconsin. I was shocked when I took the stream temperature on Tuesday, 9/5/23, and recorded 62 degrees on the WISEH2O app, and the air temperatures hit 100 degrees. Truly amazing. Our Streamkeepers have been busy battling buckthorns and extreme heat to monitor our streams. Kudos to all our “targeted” and “general” Streamkeepers for their efforts! We usually attempt to take at least three measurements on each stream after a major weather event (i.e., rain), and this year has been a challenge. Become a hero. Help clean up our streams. As we begin the fall season, we are starting a Fall Challenge. The effort will involve cleaning up our streams. There are a number of options that are available:
The Wisconsin DNR will be hosting a public input meeting regarding changes to Pierce County trout stream regulations on October 11, 2023 from 6-8pm. These proposed changes will affect several streams in Pierce County including the Rush River and tributaries, Plum Creek, Isabelle Creek, Trimbelle River, Big River and Kinnickinnic River and tributaries.
You can find information on how to attend virtually and in-person via the DNR event page.  By Gary Wittrock
TCTU’s Youth Education emphasis is focused on developing the next generation of Conservationists. One TCTU supported program is the National Trout Unlimited Teen Leadership Conference which was held from June 28 th to July 2 nd . This year TCTU awarded a scholarship for this conference to Mathias Westermeyer, a Junior at St. Michael-Albertville High School. Below is Mathias’s recap of his experience. Whether you are on one of the streamkeeper teams that takes regular measurements of our target streams, an at-large streamkeeper, or you just happen to possess a WiseH2O kit with some test strips that you’ve barely used, September is the time to get out and take some measurements! You can earn a chance at some Swag, and contribute to our conservation efforts. Read below for more details, including an explanation of how WiseH2O measurements are being used to assess Brook Trout habitat.
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December 2024
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