The Baraboo River Jeff Seering River facts A rebounding fishery Healthy watersheds and its watershed Rapids” by early inhabitants. Use of this term gradually S p The Baraboo is once again a free-flowing river. An effort began The Baraboo River fishery is recovering after removal of the r • make healthy rivers in g disappeared after most of this stretch became “tamed” by V a in the mid-1990s to restore the river through dam removal, last dams that impeded fish passage into the upstream waters. l le y The quality of our lakes and rivers is a reflection of how we take dams, but it has now returned since the dams were removed Cre culminating in October 2001 with removal of the Glenville Native Americans praised the fishery, and local newspapers in ek and the rapids re-exposed. care of our land. Waterfront property owners, inland residents, Dam. It was then recognized nationally as is the longest the 1860s reported 30-pound northern pike, stringers full of bass E recreational users, agricultural producers and other businesses all LR OY stretch of U.S. river restored through dam removal. -S and catfish and 100-pound sturgeon being caught. PA RT play a role in maintaining and improving the water quality in our A STATE TR Paddling Information AIL Creek 80 on Valley The DNR’s Priority Watershed Program was a key to river At the same time however, the developing communities were lakes and rivers. Lyd • KENDALL renewal. More than 500 participating landowners, especially • The average annual flow is 383 cubic feet per second (cfs). building dams to provide power to meet the needs of an 71 F There are a number of simple steps you can take to protect the o Real-time daily flow downstream of Baraboo can be seen u farmers, installed conservation practices, reduced pollution expanding population. The dams benefited the new residents n 82 k t ee a r river or lake in your watershed: C i er n eav and helped improve water quality. at: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis/current/?type=flow l but also had a negative impact on the rich Baraboo River fishery. C C r e e (select site number 05405000). k The dams obstructed fish passage by limiting the movement into Properly dispose of garbage while on the river. It can About 120 miles long, with a watershed area of 655 square • • upstream cooler, shallower waters, their ideal spawning habitats. be easy to lose track of your garbage if you tip your canoe. miles, the Baraboo River begins in Monroe County near Kendall Most land along the river is privately owned. Respect private • The impoundments behind the dams slowed water flows and Please keep all garbage secured in your boat so you can dispose ELROY and ends at the Wisconsin River near Portage. It is the fourth property rights along the banks. No camping is allowed along Immature green heron deposited sediment on the gravel and rock riffles, the best of it when you return home. largest tributary to the Wisconsin River. the river, but public and private campgrounds are available nearby; contact the local Chamber of Commerce for more information. habitat for fish to spawn. • Properly dispose of household hazardous waste. Do not The river falls about 150 feet in elevation over its length, • By the 1990s these combined impacts had taken their toll. The pour old oil or pesticides in the ditch or wash paintbrushes at the but one-third, or about 50 feet, occurs in the five-mile stretch • When parking along road shoulders, pull completely off the end of your driveway. Storm sewers connect directly to our rivers S Baraboo fishery had become dominated by carp, bullhead and eym pavement. our through Baraboo. That portion was named the “Baraboo and lakes. To learn more about how to dispose of household Creek suckers. Removal of the last dams along the river has reversed UNION hazardous waste, contact your Land Conservation Department. CENTER those impacts. H 82 ill 33 80 s HILL COUNTRY TRAIL Cr Jeff Seering Direct downspouts onto your lawn or landscaping, not eek 33 Almost immediately after removal of the last dam, fish started • HILLSBORO k onto hard surfaces. Allowing water to soak in rather than e e 33 r moving back upstream. Spring runoff events began to scour the 33 82 C We run off your property filters out pollutants and replenishes our st Bra nch k accumulated sediment off of the gravel beds and rock riffles. e WONEWOC e 82 r groundwater. n C a g k i e m B e s r r Reports of crappies, bluegills and channel catfish are now s B C 80 o g Manage your lawn to reduce pollution. Keep r W i • B C 40 r k 0 B common. Northern and walleye pike are being caught again ee B Cr IK E E grass clippings on the lawn, not on roads or sidewalks. k lum e P re T C R throughout the river. Smallmouth bass fishing along the rapids A Lake Decomposing nutrients then bond to the soil rather than ch I an Dutch L Br 33 Redstone th Hollow through the city of Baraboo is a regular occurrence. And a small Sou 58 flowing down storm sewers. Reduce fertilizer and pesticide Lake e n o step toward the ultimate recovery of the river is the occasional t s applications to minimize runoff pollution. Use no-phosphorus d e R e report of a sturgeon spawning along the shallows of the river k a fertilizers to reduce the availability of this water pollutant. L in the springtime. Plant native trees and shrubs. A recent Wisconsin study LA VALLE • r e k v e found that lawns created much more runoff than wooded i k e R e r e r C k C r o e o 33 e areas. As a consequence the runoff from lawns carried eight b n e i r ra p a C p = Baraboo River w B T y o Paddling the Baraboo River near Reedsburg. e l a C t times more phosphorus to the river than the runoff from t H i PORTAGE Paddling L similar sized wooded areas. REEDSBURG Cover photos: scenic - Gene Dalhoff; paddlers, Jeff Seering 58 IRONTON 51 N 39 16 W sin 23 33 iscon 78 COUNTY COUNTY R CAZENOVIA 136 iv 33 e 12 r r 33 For additional information about the Baraboo River region, B 23 y e ll including shuttle services, restaurants and lodging, contact the a 90 V r 12 r k a e 94 e following Chambers of Commerce: k C r 33 ee C ROCK McG Cr b n b SAUK lyn a COLUMBIA B 154 N SPRINGS a Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce Paddle r r BD o 136 BARABOO w s ey C PO Box 442 C owl re 33 R e re k the ek 600 W Chestnut St Paddle RAILROAD CHI ERN Baraboo, WI 53913 23 CAG EST the O HW LIME RIDGE AND RT 154 NO 1-800-BARABOO (227-2266) Sk 136 k ill e C et e k r Email: [email protected] r ee NORTH e k DL C e Baraboo r y C Website: www.baraboo.com e l e 12 e FREEDOM in 136 113 e P Baraboo S H 154 Reedsburg Area Chamber of Commerce il l P oint Creek LOGANVILLE 240 Railroad Street Devil’s Lake PO Box 142 23 Reedsburg, WI 53959 (608) 524-2850 or 1-800-844-3507 Email: [email protected] Website: www.reedsburg.org “Paddle the Baraboo” map provided by Sauk County with support from: Natural and human history Historic view of the pedestrian bridge • City of Baraboo, City of Reedsburg to Effinger Park in The river tumbles out of the hill-and-valley The Baraboo has always lured people to its Baraboo. • Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce country of un-glaciated Wisconsin northwest shores. The effigy mound-builders chose the • Reedsburg Area Chamber of Commerce of Reedsburg before flowing lazily through riverbanks and surrounding hills for many of • Baraboo River Canoe Club glacial lake Reedsburg and the Baraboo Valley. their mounds, and later indigenous peoples Created by: At Baraboo, the river breaks through the settled along the river in villages, often near • University of Wisconsin–Extension terminal moraine and spills rapidly through these mounds. • Sauk County University of Wisconsin–Extension Reedsburg Woolen Mill. the city. Before the last glacier it may have The search for food, fuel and water also • Sauk County Conservation, Planning & Zoning turned south here and flowed through what spurred white settlers to settle first along is now Devil’s Lake. The last glaciation forced the river. Every village along the river owes the channel to its present mouth at the its start to the water power that fueled early Wisconsin river near Portage. commerce. As many as 11 dams powered At its confluence with the Wisconsin River, saw, grist and textile mills and eventually one story goes, there was a French trader and generated power for street lights and other Confluence of the trapper who in the eighteenth century had a electrical needs. The last remaining dam Graphic design by Jeffrey J. Strobel, UW Environmental Resources Center Baraboo River and Narrows Creek in trading post called Baribeau, after himself, and was removed in October 2001. Rock Springs. Native American the river came to be referred as such. There encampment in For questions or comments regarding the map, please contact GUIDE & MAPS Babb’s Woods near are other theories on the origin of the river’s Reedsburg, 1889.