Julian Brzoznowski recalls many Fridays of his youth spent on the banks of local streams fishing for the family’s meal.
“I came from a Catholic family of six kids and two adults and come Friday we would go get trout, as kids 5, 6, 8 years old, and we’d catch enough for a meal for the family,” he said. “It’s what I want to see available to young people in the area again.”
It’s the strong memories of a flourishing trout population and access to the swift running, cool waters of the streams that prompted Brzoznowski to help organize an effort to restore the trout fishery of Kinmount Creek, Lost River and Gilmore Creek near Orr in St. Louis County.
A $60,000 conservation partner grant was sought and in November granted from the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Fund.
Another motivation for Brzoznowski’s involvement: It’s a chance to expose a younger generation to the wonderful distractions of nature, he said.
“If you’ve got a fishing pole in your hand you’re not going to get in trouble,” he said. “And there’s really no investments. We had ‘government’ poles – willow sticks or tag alder sticks cut from the woods and we’d add line and a hook and we were ready to go.”
Productive trout streams that can be easily accessed by families would also add another attraction to the area, he said. “Resorts can advertise for another thing for guests to do on windy days on the lake,” he said. “Trout are good eating.”
The grant required a 10 percent local match, a part of the project that Brzoznowski said was awkward for him. “I don’t like to solicit money, but I did because we had to raise 10 percent and I felt strongly that this is a project for everybody,” he said.
Brzoznowski, joined by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Supervisor Kevin Peterson, met with local groups and governments to explain the idea for the project in an effort to secure the local match. Money was contributed by resort and lake associations in the Kabetogama and Elephant Lake areas. St. Louis and Koochiching county boards also agreed to chip in. With that requirement complete, Brzoznowski said he was informed Nov. 15 that the grant had been awarded to the project.
Peterson said the first step is for the partners in the project to develop specific plans and time lines. Those partners, he said, include a broad coalition which is beneficial in that it allows for additional ideas and suggestions to be considered.
Peterson said the main concern about Borderland’s trout streams are beaver dams. “Beaver dams can be bad for trout streams for several reasons: They block movement of fish upstream and downstream and this can be critical during warm or drought periods when trout need access to springs where they find cold water to survive those times,” he said.
In addition, he said trout need to access spawning habitat, which is not found throughout the streams but only in selected areas, so they need to be able to move up and down stream to get to the spawning areas.
“Perhaps even more important,” said Peterson, “is beaver dams spread water out and as it slows down it warms it up and exposes more of the water to evaporation. This could affect flows as well.”
Peterson said the project will include a strategic approach to beaver and beaver dams. Beaver dam removal in selected reaches of the springs are at the top of the list for the project, he said.
“It’s important to note that we’re not trying to remove every single beaver in every trout stream,” said Peterson. “We will focus on the three streams and only selected portions of those streams where we feel we have the potential to do the most good. We recognize beaver have an important role to play in the natural world, and we just need to find the proper balance between the many benefits that beaver provide and maintaining good habitat for trout.”
Beaver control and beaver dam removal efforts are just the first phase of the project, said Peterson.
In addition, the project will consider controlling erosion along stream banks to reduce the build up of sediment which degrade spawning habitat. Planting trees in areas where flooding killed timber, known as “beaver meadows,” could be considered to provide shade to help keep water temperatures cool and maintain soil.
Brzoznowski said trout streams have been neglected for about 40 years. “The beaver have taken over and the water is warm and trout won’t live in warm water. The dams have to be kept at a minimum, not wiped out,” he said. “The streams are spring fed and we need to keep the water flow and cold water and trout will survive.”
As the local trout streams have diminished production of trout, Brzoznowski’s fished elsewhere. “As long as I can walk, I will fish trout,” he said. “But why go somewhere when we should have it right in our own area. I remember when people like Sonny Nesbitt and Dr. Stone came down here fishing trout before. A number of other people, too. But we lost a whole generation of people knowing what local trout stream fishing is. This could bring it back.”
Peterson said the trout stream project will likely involve a few years, and hopefully a few more grants.
“There’s a lot there and we probably won’t it get all done with the first grant,” said Peterson. “But the great Outdoor Heritage Fund will be there every year, so it’s a matter of clubs and groups putting together proposals for good projects to improve fish and wildlife habitat and utilizing some of those dollars.”
