Cattle in Forestville State Park

[JIvers]

I made my first trout fishing trip of the year to the South Branch of the Root, and did very well. I released two slot-size browns, and a bunch of smaller browns, as well as a couple of trophy-sized chubs. That is the good news.

The bad news I worked my way through the upper end of Forestville State Park, and found that a bunch of mostly Black Angus cows and calves are wreaking havoc on the banks and vegetation. Yes, this is well inside the park boundaries, in my personal favorite stretch of trout water. I do not have a digital camera, or I could have gotten some great photos of cattle standing inside the park boundary signs, cattle trails running into the river, banks torn up by large bovine hoofprints, and soil-preserving plants chewed off or trod into the mud. I am going to post this, and then give the Park Office a call, and it will not be a pleasant call. I am not going to bother with the owner of the cattle (I know who it is), as he could not care less, so long as he gets some free grazing at taxpayer expense.

[WxGuy]

That stinks...literally.

There's a stretch of the Middle Branch Whitewater that I like to fish that had the solar power sources for the electric fencing stolen and the cattle have knocked over the fencing and tore up the banks. That and there's a slurry pool (violating State Regulations) that has dumped into the WW on a couple occasions this year and made for a tremendous amount of algae very early in the season. There are a lot of issues in SE MN that need to be taken care of...and soon. Habitat is suffering pretty bad in a lot of places.

[DEADhead]

give your local CO a call about the grazing cattle. State Parks lie within their jurisdiction, and if there are cattle trespassing in state park boundaries, the owner should be issued a citation.

[JIvers]

I notified the Park Manager of the problem, and he said it would "be dealt with", as another angler had called to report cattle in the park as well. I may get out there Friday, and if I do I hope there are no cattle grazing in there.

[ilikepike]

I always respect private property but some of the property owners down in that part of the state really have an attitude problem. This guy is probably one of those people who whould show up with a Winchester if you stepped on his stream bank. Property ownership sure does not seem to bring a lot of happiness to some of the hostile hermits down that way.

[rushing]

Playing the devil's advocate, with the continued increased popularity in trout fishing in the SE region, I am sure the land owners are getting even more frustrated about people not respecting private property.

By no means am I saying it’s at all ok for a land owner to let their cattle trample the stream banks in a state park and that person should be fined.

[TRZ]

Fishermen do not destroy habitat, cows DO! tout are extremely sensitive to sediment. this is disgusting, especially in a state park. keep in mind trout are more sensitive than catfish.

[Abrams]

I saw a similar situation this winter while fishing Hay creek. Cattle were lazing in the water past a broken fence obviously creating a sediment problem. I doubt the dnr could do anything being on private property in this case. Just another example of the steep up hill clime trout face.

My uncle owns 10 acres on a popular trout stream in western Wisconsin. He allows anyone access to his part of the stream as long as they ask. So far he has not had a problem. In fact the lands owners next to his property are the same way. It's really a give and take between land owner and fisherman.

[JIvers]

I fished the Park again this morning; the cattle appear to be back on the private side of the fence. The trout bite was good, but not quite as good as Tuesday.

This particular instance in Forestville was a case of privately-owned livestock grazing on, and destroying, public land and trout stream, which is pretty obviously wrong. I grew up five miles from Forestville, and own hunting/farming land there today, but it is not on a trout stream, nor does it border public land. I have not lived in Fillmore County for fifteen years, and have no plans to return there to live. So, whether I am still a "local" or not is a bit fuzzy.

I do know that at one time we allowed people unrestricted access to hunt our land, but we no longer do so, because that privilege was abused too many times. Those abuses take place on trout stream easements as well. I have seen them with my own eyes (garbage, downed fences, open gates that should stay shut, etc.) and I cannot blame local landowners for being reluctant to grant access to their land where trout streams run through it. At the same time, the callous indifference to stream conditions in particular and soil erosion in general that I see on the part of too many farmers has to be addressed as well.

[rushing]

Yes I do know trout are more sensitive than catfish and I have been flyfishing SE mn for almost 15yrs now. It might come as a suprise but cows in streams arent that uncommon. Although it might be disgusting to us trout fishermen the farmer who owns the property doesnt always see it the same way. There isn't much anyone can do about it unless you plan to buy and fence off easements along every stream in SE MN.

....and again I am in no way condoning letting cows graze in, and desroy stream banks in a state park!

[WxGuy]

rushing, I think it's even fair to say that cows are very common in streams in SE MN. It's not entirely a bad thing as rotational grazing could do some good. Are programs like CREP and CREP2 viewed negatively by many farmers? Since those programs are available, I would think more would take advantage of them...regardless of personal opinions toward "kickbacks".

[rushing]

I think the problem might be with those farmers who refuse to participate have old school views of "people aren't gonna tell me what to with my land". Its a shame and those people hopefully won't be around for too much longer leaving their land to a newer more understanding generation, I hope. Although SE MN faces many problems still things continue to improve, all be it slower than some might hope.

[uffdapete]

Not that the cow thing is good but I would rather see that than all the herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers along with topsoil that pour in to the rivers due to the lack of soil conservation practices in SE MN. That is far more destructive than the cows and the atv issue. I can still take you to private property drainfields that drain into the rivers.

The same holds true for thousands of lakes in this state that are being ruined by overdevelopment of lakeshore property, the destruction of buffer zones for the sake of golf course quality lawns and removing of naturally occuring aquatic plants for the sake of a nice clean beach.

No I am not a tree hugger but we have sacrificed a lot of natural resources for what some call progress.