Tallgrass has been working with the City of Deadwood for the last five years to rejuvenate Whitewood Creek.
We have had a new project every year for a different section of the creek, and each section poses it’s own challenges and opportunities.
This project is a little bit restoration, a little bit clean up, a little bit weed management, a little bit planting new trees, and a little bit experimentation.
The Whitewood Creek Improvement Project has restored creek habitat, improved recreation quality, decreased erosion and sedimentation, and enhanced the riparian plant communities while cleaning up overgrowth and dead plants. The long term goals of these improvements have been to create a stable stream system, improve water quality, and enhance aquatic habitat and aesthetic value of the creek. The creek is still recovering from nearly 100 years of mining chemical and city sewer contamination, both of which ceased in the mid 1970’s.
Our role in the project includes directing creek cleanup of garbage, debris, noxious weeds, and select vegetation removal and the design of bank restoration and new aquatic habitats. Tallgrass consulted with SD GF&P, Black Hills Fly Fishers, City of Deadwood, and others to understand current aquatic and terrestrial habitat condition and needs of the creek ecosystem. We also collaborated with the City of Deadwood to write a grant proposal to the SD GF&P for NRDA funding for a portion of the project.