Lowery Creek runs for nearly eight miles through northern Iowa County.
In 2016, Lowery Creek was one of only a handful of streams in the Driftless Area enrolled in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) brook trout spawning program. Its waters were healthy, but it was only classified as a Class 2 trout stream. There was room for improvement.
That same year, Dick Cates of Cates Family Farm purchased a parcel of land that included nearly a mile and a half of Lowery Creek and its unnamed branches. Before the sale was completed, Driftless Area Land Conservancy placed a conservation easement on the property to protect the conservation values and the land restoration efforts of the previous owner.
The Cates Family leaned into their strong conservation ethic and stewarded the creek. They monitored the water quality daily to better understand the impact of their farming practices as they implemented an innovative rotational grazing program and expanded their grass-fed beef operation.
During the next four years, Lowery Creek’s water quality improved, and the Cates Family Farm became a premier example of how farming and conservation can exist in harmony.
In 2020, the DNR surveyed the stream and found that an abundant population of native brook trout were naturally reproducing in the high-quality habitat. With the trout population thriving, the DNR upgraded the creek to a Class 1 trout stream and asked the Cates family to overlay a Stream Bank Protection easement over the original conservation easement.
The addition of a Stream Bank Protection easement has improved public access for anglers while also protecting the critical spawning habitat within the stream and adding protections to the area surrounding the creek.
Driftless Area Land Conservancy worked with our expert attorney at Gathering Waters through the Land Conservation Law Program to ensure the Stream Bank Protection easement would help conserve one of Wisconsin’s most important native brook trout fisheries.
“The Stream Bank Protection easement on Lowery Creek protects and preserves part of Wisconsin’s natural legacy,” said Chris Gutschenritter, Director of the Land Conservation Law Program. “The health of this creek is a testament to the successful integration of innovative farming practices with conservation efforts. Replicating this practice in other conservation and agricultural projects has the potential to produce major ecological benefits in other areas of the state.”
Lowery Creek plays a vital role in the health of trout populations in Wisconsin.
With the Stream Bank Protection easement in place, DNR fishery biologists will also monitor the water quality, remove invasive species, and introduce native plants, sometimes, with the help of volunteers and partner organizations.
Recently, the DNR worked with Trout Unlimited volunteers to plant 75 native oak trees along Lowey Creek to help keep the water cool with overhead shade.
Lowery Creek’s trout population continues to thrive, providing the DNR with a genetic resource for its native wild trout-stocking program. Each year, biologists from the DNR collect eggs from the stream to raise native Wisconsin brook trout at its hatchery. The eggs from those fish are then placed in other Wisconsin streams to restock native trout populations.
Thanks to the support of our donors, Lowery Creek is now open for public fishing, allowing more people to connect with nature and build an awareness of the importance of water quality in Wisconsin’s streams.
Photo by Randy Manning, courtesy of Driftless Area Land Conservancy.
