Project Description
Lancaster Brook is a small stream in the northern portion of the Oneida Reservation that had become degraded due to residential development and agricultural activities in the watershed. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) classified Lancaster Brook as a Class 2 trout stream, meaning that the stream supports some natural reproduction, but not enough to make use of available food and space. The brook lacked natural woody materials (i.e., log jams and root wads) that provide feeding habitat and refugia for brook trout and other coldwater fish, and the substrate in the brook had become covered in fine sediments. Aquatic connectivity had also been obstructed by clogged and damaged culverts.
The Fox River/Green Bay Natural Resource Trustee Council provided $30,000 in funding to place engineered log jams into Lancaster Brook to increase habitat heterogeneity in the stream. Historically, Lancaster Brook contained high densities of logs, roots, and large tree limbs but over time, the amount of natural wood entering the stream had decreased. For this project, logs were strategically placed in the stream to reduce water velocity without blocking flow or fish passage and secured in place with cables. Rain and snowmelt caused scouring around the log jams and created pools, re-exposing the buried gravel and cobble substrates. During the summer of 2008, desired native tree species were planted to stabilize the stream banks and the riparian buffer was seeded with a native wetland seed mix to reduce erosion. Post-restoration monitoring began in 2010 that included aquatic macroinvertebrate surveys, fish surveys, and a fluvial geomorphic survey to examine the changes in the physical processes of the stream. In 2012, the damaged culverts along Lancaster Brook were replaced with larger, bottomless arch culverts to allow for unrestricted fish movement.
Parties Implementing Restoration
Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin
DOI Project Representatives
Fish and Wildlife Service