by Sydney Widell – Coon Creek Community Watershed Council
TIMBER COULEE, Wis.- When Sara Freedman and Carol Nikolaus began relocating their Bad Axe Watershed farm to Coon Creek’s headwaters in Fall 2023, one of the first things they did was plant trees.
The land they fell in love with on the banks of Rulland’s Coulee Creek was used recreationally and leased to neighboring farms for decades, but it had been years since anyone actually lived there. The old farmhouse had collapsed, the siding was falling off the tobacco shed, and the soil had been compacted from years of intensive row cropping.
“There was no regular life on this land for 30 years,” Nikolaus said. “That’s our vision. To bring the land back to life.”
And for Freedman and Nikolaus, putting roots in the ground felt like the right place to start.
Over the last fall and winter, the two paged through online tree catalogues, and researched local varieties. They dreamed about rows of pine and spruce between the road and their fields, and willow and river birch along the creek banks. Groves of sugar maples to tap in the spring, and oaks to shade their home and flocks of fiber sheep in the summer.
“I see tree planting as a perpetual thing. Just keep doing it for as long as we can dig holes and stick trees in the ground.” Nikolaus said. “We’re doing it in a very mindful way. We’re working with nature here to try to do what’s best for the health of the land and the creek.”
With cost share assistance from the non-profit Coon Creek Community Watershed Council (CCCWC), the couple purchased 54 trees from a regional distributor. They planted all of them in a single day, with help from friends and neighbors.
Freedman and Nikolaus wrapped each sapling in wire fencing to protect them from deer. They say making the fences and digging holes for the trees ahead of time made the tree planting process much smoother.
In addition to planting trees, Freedman and Nikolaus have spent the last year rehabilitating old barns on the land and preparing to move their herd of fiber sheep to their new grazing grounds. They’ve also converted over ten acres of land from corn to hay, planted seven acres in pasture, and are planning a project that would reconnect parts of Rulland’s Coulee Creek to its floodplains.
Ultimately, Nikolaus and Freedman are working to make running water walk on their land and support a thriving stream ecosystem, all while producing high quality wool.
“There’s so much history on this land, it’s humbling to feel like caretakers here.” Freedman said. “It’s humbling and it’s exciting.”
Freedman and Nikolaus have looked to the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Monroe County Conservationists for guidance and resources as they pursue these conservation projects, and they have also turned to their watershed neighbors.
“It’s been such a gift to have the Coon Creek Watershed community to help us find conservation resources.” Nikolaus said. “It’s a silver lining we didn’t know we were getting when we moved in.”
Now, the sense that they are part of a larger watershed is something they say inspires and drives their work.
“There’s an awareness and level of consciousness I have now that I didn’t before,” Freedman said. “And an awareness of how many other people are trying to do the same thing. There’s a whole community doing this. And that’s where groups like the watershed council can make such a difference. We’re just getting started.”
CCCWC is grateful for funding from The Nature Conservancy, which made projects like Nikolaus and Freedman’s possible. Coon Creek Watershed residents interested in planting trees, prairies, or hedgerows should contact CCCWC to learn about cost share opportunities available to them. Trees can be purchased through Monroe and Vernon Counties’ winter tree sales, which are open now.
The CCCWC’s mission is to continue the historic legacy of conservation leadership by caring for the Coon Creek Watershed’s soil, water, and air. Its next meeting is Dec. 4 at 6:00, at the Coon Valley Conservation Club. The night will kick off with a community meal, followed by 2024 reflections. As always, the event is free and all are welcome.
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