Witness a live DNR trout count

By Sarah Nigbor

TOWN OF TRIMBELLE – Ellsworth Public Library invites the public to the Trimbelle Nature Day, where they can learn about the local watershed, read, hike, make crafts and even witness a live trout count.

EPL is partnering with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Pierce County Land Conservation, Trout Unlimited, and other area educators and organiza- tions to bring this fun-.lled family nature day to the Trimbelle Rec Area (W5154 County Road O) 1-3 p.m. June 22. People can come and go as they wish to this open house-style event.

A story walk will lead people down to the river or they can take the loop hik- ing trail. Kids can make .sh prints and explore fossils, or visit the “erosion table” to see what water does to a landscape in miniature. Another station will allow participants to look for, identify and explore macroinvertebrates that live in the water.

“We will talk about the Trimbelle watershed and what it actually is,” said EPL Youth Services Coordinator Caroline Her.ndahl. "People can learn about water in their backyard.”

DNR Fisheries Biologist Kasey Yallaly will perform a trout count shocking demonstration at 1:30 p.m. during a routine trout stream survey.

“This particular site that we will be shocking/surveying is the stie of a previous trout habitat restoration project,” Yallaly said. “The project was done in 2007. Several of these types of projects are completed each year and we try to survey the trout population before and after the project occurs to detect changes in the population in response to the projects.”

The survey at Trimbelle Nature Day is part of the post-restoration project monitoring. Yallaly will survey 320 meters of stream, which is the length examined each time a survey is conducted.

“We collect all trout within this 320-meter section and measure each one,” said Yallaly. “We collect trout with use of a tow barge stream electro.shing unit that sends electricity into the water, which stuns the .sh and we are able to net them and pass them into a tub or measuring and counting at the end of the station.”

The electricity doesn’t harm the .sh, Yallaly empha sized. They are temporarily stunned and recover quickly.

“We are able to extrapo- late the number of .sh that we catch in this section of stream to the number of .sh per mile and we can then compare this number to other sections on the Trimbelle and also compare streams to one another,” Yallaly said. “We can also compare any changes in size structure of .sh from year to year and any changes in natural reproduction or trout survival.”

River Falls School District educator Rainbow Barry, also a member of Trout Unlimited, will be stationed onshore during the .sh count explaining the process, as the electro.shing unit can be loud.

All ages are welcome, Her.ndahl said. While some activities are geared toward kids and families, the .sh count is something any age would enjoy.

“I had never been to the Trimbelle Rec Area and I’ve been trying to explore dier ent places in town or in the area," Her.ndahl said. "I was immediately drawn to the area; it’s perfect for setting up stations for our nature day.”

The event will be held rain or shine. Watch the library’s Facebook for updates in case of severe weather.

Trimbelle Nature Day is part of the library’s summer reading program, “Oceans of Possibilities.”

“All rivers lead to the ocean," Her.ndahl said. "It's important to think of the water in our backyard as part of a more global watershed.”

Carpooling is encouraged due to limited parking. For more information, visit ellsworthlibrary. org