Stocking of the South Pine Brook Trout in Brook Creek
May 9th, 2009
Prairie Song Farm
539 Waterloo Creek Drive
Dorchester, IA


In 2002, Iowa Driftless chapter member Mike Osterholm began a major stream and prairie restoration project on Waterloo and Duck Creeks on Prairie Song Farm (PSF.) As part of this effort, Mike decided to reestablish a 1,446 foot (27.8 ft/mile gradient) spring stream (large St Peter sandstone spring head) to its original location. It was ditched in 1941 from its previous location across a large open field to a ditch along Waterloo Creek Drive. The original stream had many similarities to South Pine (flow and gradient.)

In 2004, the Iowa Driftless chapter applied for a national TU Embrace-A-Stream grant to assist with the stream relocation with the ultimate goal to establish another location for the South Pine native brook trout. The chapter was awarded that grant.

Bill Kalishek and the Iowa DNR as well as the NRCS office staff in Waukon provided technical and construction support. Aerial photos of the property taken prior to the first relocation of the stream in 1941 allowed the reconstruction team to determine the stream’s original location. The stream relocation was completed the first week of September, 2004. On September 11, 2004, the Iowa Driftless chapter volunteers helped plant prairie cord grass plugs along the stream. Today Brook Creek is looking more and more like a historic Iowa prairie stream. The aquatic invertebrate population evolution over past four years has been followed closely by the Luther College Biology Department. Researchers have documented the aquatic insect populations each summer since 2005. The stream now has populations exceeding anything found in any other Driftless area stream, including South Pine Creek. Brook Creek has averaged populations of 750 to 1,000 invertebrates per square foot of stream.

On May 9, the DNR stocked first year South Pine brook trout fingerlings that were raised this past winter at the Manchester hatchery in Brook Creek. Per Mike Osterholm’s direction as the landowner, he will not allow fishing in Brook Creek in the future as it will serve only as a nursery stream for the IA DNR harvest for stocking other streams or obtaining eggs/milk for hatchery purposes.

To learn more about this event, read the account in the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Or click here to see photos of some of the day's activities.

Seasonal Glimpses of Brook Creek

Early morning, January 2008,
air temperature -21F. Because of the spring inflow throughout the stream length, the coldest water temp we’ve ever recorded in was 45.5 F during January 2006. The warmest temp was 54.2 F in July of 2007. Note in the picture taken on the frigid January 2008 morning, there is no ice on the stream and the steam that was coming off the water coated the prairie cord grass with a fine ice covering.
Summer 2008
where the creek passes close to Mike's house.
One of the 8 riffles covered by prairie cord grass that have the incredible aquatic insect populations mentioned above.