July 2023 • Nebraskaland 51
notch, scouring holes below them.
Other structures included rock
J-hooks and log formations that
defl ected fl ows away from the bank to
reduce erosion, forcing the stream to
meander more, and boulder clusters in
the middle of the stream.
Combined, the structures were
designed to create current breaks and a
diverse range of velocities and depths,
creating resting and feeding areas for
trout and other native fi sh species.
There are now more pools with deeper,
slower moving water and riffl es with
shallow, swift fl ows.
Pools can provide the refuge fi sh
need during low fl ows in the heat of
the summer and are often where fi sh
prefer to be in the cold of winter.
"They also make great places for
trout to eat," said Thad Huenemann,
rivers and streams program manager
with Game and Parks. "Think of the
bugs that are fl oating through the
system. Once you get to a pool, they
sit there a little bit, and it provides
an opportunity for trout to be able to
munch down on a buff et of critters that
are fl owing through the system. And it
allows them to rest because they don't
have to fi ght the current so much."
The boulder clusters in the riffl es
serve a similar purpose, providing
refuge from the current where trout
can wait to ambush food in what
Roberg said can be "the food factory of
those systems more times than not."
Increasing the meandering or
sinuosity of the stream further
diversifi es the habitats. Each type of
habitat supports diff erent types of
invertebrates, the aquatic insects trout
live on, at diff erent times of the year.
More Room to Cast
Before work could begin in the
stream at Pine Glen, a path needed
to be cleared to allow the heavy
equipment to get there. The project
began by clearing cedar trees from
26 acres of pine forest above the
creek and in oak woodlands on the
creekbottom. Some cedars were
present here when the Commission
acquired the 960-acre area in 1973, but
the opportunistic invaders had since
fi lled nearly every opening they could
fi nd in the canyon, and simply getting
to the creek to fi sh was a challenge.
Water spills over two of the rock structures installed in Long Pine Creek at Pine Glen WMA, creating deep pools below.
