Sheboygan River Basin Partnership

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Willow Creek is a waterway that travels 5 miles from the Town of Sheboygan into the Sheboygan River.

Willow Creek's Story

SRBP and the UW-Extension Basin Education Initiative partnered recently to
develop a Willow Creek Brochure (2.4 MB) to share Willow Creek's story. Contact UWEX Basin Educator Deb Beyer if you'd like copies of the brochure (920) 459-6644.

Willow Creek Education Signage

This fall, three education signs along Willow Creek will be installed. The trailhead sign that will be located at the entrance to the Old Plank Road Trail will focus on its history, attractions and heritage. The other two signs will specifically be centered on the storm water management, the wonders of Willow Creek and why the creek is unique compared to other creeks throughout Wisconsin.

Purpose of the Willow Creek Project

Analyze sections of the stream to see if they support a trout population
Determine if trout in this stream are naturally occurring and reproducing within the stream
Identify areas of critical habitat within the stream that provide a quality fishery.
Educate the public and community leaders regarding the uniqueness of Willow Creek.
Partner with communities to improve storm water runoff.

WATERSHED

(Above is an aerial view of Willow Creek stream. The river itself is marked in blue. The Willow Creek watershed is marked in red.)

Willow Creek is a 5-mile tributary to the Sheboygan River and considered a remnant coastal resource that supports reproducing anadromous salmonid populations within a rapidly urbanizing region of east-central Wisconsin. The watershed consists of a mix of agricultural, urban, and undeveloped land uses within multi-jurisdictional municipal boundaries, originating in rural Sheboygan Falls, flowing east through the Town of Sheboygan Falls into the Village of Kohler just south of state highway 23 and crosses I-43 through the Town of Sheboygan and the City of Sheboygan. These multi-jurisdictional boundaries within an urbanized setting requires education and information sharing to make sound land-use decisions.

Read that latest newsletter for up-to-date info on Willow Creek.

Flowage

Willow Creek originates in rural Sheboygan Falls, flows east through the Town of Sheboygan Falls into the Village of Kohler just south of state highway 23. Willow Creek then runs under I-43 and into the Town of Sheboygan where it parallels county highway PP before bending south completing its 5-mile course to the Sheboygan River.

Sampling Surveys

WDNR biologists completed random baseline monitoring in Willow Creek from 2002-2005. They observed Brook Trout, juvenile and adult Coho Salmon, Chinook Salmon, and Steelhead along with other pollution intolerant species. Subsequent sampling in 2006 by the SRBP, as part of the Willow Creek Preservation Project, confirmed and documented the occurrence of juvenile Coho Salmon using Willow Creek as a nursery. This sampling also confirmed the presence of adult Brook Trout and Brown Trout. Additionally, several hundred Chinook Salmon were observed using Willow Creek as spawning grounds in late October 2006.

Since 2006, Watershed planners from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (UWSP), in Partnership with students from the Sheboygan South High School, have completed water quality sampling throughout the watershed. The water chemistry data is used to understand areas within the watershed that have the ability to support cold-water fish species. Through these studies the Sheboygan River Basin Partnership will work with communities to implement land management practices to improve water quality.