Streamkeeper Report - June 2024

by Jim Sauter

Greetings from TCTU Streamkeepers.  

As we gear up our stream monitoring efforts, this article will feature one of our eight targeted streams, give a Streamkeeper monitoring "tip of the month," announce a future training opportunity, and post some observation results.

​Featured Stream of the Month:  Mall of America/ Ike's Creek

Photo By/Credit: Oscar Hernandez Ledesma/USFWS

The first targeted stream that we will focus on is Mall of America/ Ike's Creek.  This small "gem" of a cold-water stream is in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge about one mile from the Mall of America.  Here are some interesting facts about this stream:

• The creek officially has no name, but it's popularly called Ike's Creek after the Izaak Walton League conservation group that raised fish in nearby ponds in the early 1900s
• Specifically, in 1927 the Izaak Walton League began construction of spring fed fish rearing ponds. Over a 30-year period, their pioneering conservation effort produced thousands of fish for restocking local lakes 
• Historical documents show Ike's Creek supported 6-to-10-inch trout until the 1940s.  The reason for their disappearance is unknown
• The heritage brook trout is in fact the native strain that has evolved here during the past 10,000 years. This native strain was thought to be wiped out due to overfishing and stream habitat destruction beginning in the 1840s 
• Stocking of East Coast strains of brookies began early in the 1900's and brookies eventually rebounded. Scientists feared stocking East Coast trout also contributed to the demise of the native "heritage" brook trout. Not so
• U of MN researchers performed genetic fingerprinting showing these native brookies thrived while many streams with the East Coast strain went belly up 
• Sixteen out of nineteen brook trout streams tested in southeast MN contain native heritage brook trout.  Now these brookies are present in the MOA Creek and Eagle Creek
• In 2007, this previously unknown trout stream- with headwaters just 800 feet from the Mall of America, was stocked by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources with 1,450 ecologically sensitive brook trout, making it the only trout stream in Hennepin County
• The Mall of America/ Ike's Creek is one of only a few that support the Minnesota Wild Strain of Brook Trout
• There are about 12 viable trout streams in the 7-county metro area
• Brook trout now inhabit about a .8-mile stretch in this unique creek
• Population estimates have ranged from 22 trout to 465 trout during the years between 2007 and 2021
• The most recent estimate in 2021 indicated about 128 trout present 
• Fishing is prohibited in Ike’s Creek in Bloomington from its source to Long Meadow Lake.  Fishing is allowed on all Refuge lakes, and ponds
• Refuge lands are open from 5:00 am - 10:00 pm, 7 days a week and be prepared for mosquitos
• One thing that spared the stream was Bloomington’s decision to direct its stormwater pipes away from the deep, tree-lined ravine
• The creek is fed year-round by 60-degree groundwater from limestone aquifers. It begins as a trickle but widens to about 15 feet with small riffles and pools
• The MOA Creek may be targeted for future restoration work

​ Sources:  Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota DNR, Minnesota Trout Unlimited, St. Paul Pioneer Press

The Mall of America/ Ike's Creek is one of the eight targeted streams being monitored by the TCTU Streamkeepers.  Our monitoring efforts indicate that salt is a concern.  Of the streams tested so far this spring, this is the only one where chloride levels are extremely high.  Fortunately, trout seem to be tolerant of high salt levels.  We plan to investigate this further to determine the dynamics.

The most recent chemical test is as follows:

MOA/ Ike's Creek (Harold Slawik, 5/3/24)

• Weather: Sunny
• Previous Day's Weather:  Intermittent Rain
• Water Clarity:  Clear
• Water Temperature:  10.5 degrees C, 50 degrees F
• Nitrate:  1 (Great)
• Nitrite:  0 (Great)
• Alkalinity:  240 ppm (Great)
• Hardness:  180 ppm (Great)
• pH:  8.0 (Great)
• Phosphate:  0 ppb (Great)
• Chloride:  346 ppm (Very High)

​Streamkeeper Monitoring Tip of the Month
Interested in taking a nitrate/ nitrite reading?  First, obtain the test strips.  They can be obtained free from the Izaak Walton League at: https://www.iwla.org/water/stream-monitoring/nitrate-watch
Directions  (Use the 2 in 1 Nitrate/ Nitrite Strip)

1. Dip strip into water for 1 second (or pass under gentle water stream) and remove. Do not shake excess water from the test strip.
2. ​Hold the strip level, with pad side up, for 30 seconds. Compare the Nitrite test pad to the color chart on bottle.
3. At 60 seconds, compare the Nitrate test pad to the color chart. Estimate results if the color on the test pad falls between two color blocks.
4. ​Submit nitrite/ nitrate readings on a Google Form: TCTU Water Quality Reading - 2024  

There is no need to submit results to the Izaak Walton League since we will do that from your submission on the google form.  There are other fields on the form, but you can leave those blank.  You only need to enter one or more parameters to successfully contribute to the database.

​Future Training Opportunity: Streamkeeper Save Our Streams Field Training
Save Our Streams (i.e. SOS) field training offers hands-on experience in water quality monitoring, including biological, chemical, and physical stream assessments. The session will focus on how to monitor area streams as part of the TCTU streamkeeper monitoring program and includes classroom and a streamside session.

Participants also learn to assess stream habitat and watershed land uses. You’ll leave your field training fully equipped to assess water quality – and take steps to fix it! The training may be of special interest to TCTU members that are current or future Streamkeeper volunteer monitors. 

Additional Save Our Stream Certification and training is also available online after the initial training.  Details on SOS Certification are here

Children younger than the age of 17 must be accompanied by an adult.

Sign up here: https://tu.myeventscenter.com/event/Streamkeeper-Save-Our-Streams-Field-Training-95434

• Date: Sunday, August 4, 2024
• Time:  10:00 am- 2:30 pm
• Location: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, Classroom B, 3815 American Blvd. E., Bloomington, Minnesota
• Training Format: Classroom component as well as chemical and biological testing on an area stream (i.e. at Eagle Creek near Savage)
• Cost: Free
• Class Size:  25
• Presenters:  Jennifer Biederman, Minnesota Trout Unlimited State Habitat Program Director, TCTU/ SOS/ Izaak Walton League Volunteers
• Waiting List:  If the class fills and there is sufficient interest, a second date and training opportunity may be offered in the event we exceed the class size