Contact your Senators to protect the BWCAW
The U.S. Senate vote on the Joint Resolution that would overturn the 20-year ban on mining upstream of the Boundary Waters has been delayed. You still have time to contact your senators and urge they vote “no”. You can phone the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and a switchboard...
Community Science for Winter Anglers: Bugs Below Zero
I went to college at Saint Mary’s in Winona, and during the winter months I spent a lot of time hiking and skiing the trails along Gilmore Creek, a classic Driftless trout stream that winds through the back of campus. I still remember the first time I noticed what looked...
Trout in the Classroom Update – February 2026
Trout in the Classroom (TIC) is a unique educational experience for students. Throughout this year-long program, students learn about Minnesota watershed ecology, fish biology, trout habitat, and more, starting the very first week of school. They engage in TIC-related lessons both inside and outside the classroom from September through May....
MNTU Habitat E-news: February 2026
Spotlight: Eagle Creek Habitat Improvement Project (Savage, MN) This spring, Minnesota Trout Unlimited (MNTU) will begin construction on a 2,000-foot trout stream habitat improvement project on Eagle Creek in Savage, located between Highway 13 and 126th Street. The primary goal is to enhance habitat for native brook trout while improving overall...
An 8-Year Look at the MNTU Education Program
In this new year, I wanted to do a recap about the last 8 years of MNTU’s education program. See below to learn about all of the great things our education team has accomplished! Trout in the Classroom From fall 2018 to spring 2025, the number of TIC schools throughout Minnesota increased...
Winter Fly Fishing in Minnesota’s Driftless
For many Minnesota anglers, January is a month spent leaning over an ice hole or a fly-tying vice, but if you are willing to embrace the cold you can be rewarded with some great fly fishing memories. While the rest of the state is locked in a deep freeze, the...
The Importance of Pools as Trout Habitat in Stream Restoration
On a rainy afternoon a few months ago, I stopped at a newly constructed project on my way home to see how it was reacting to the higher flows. Walking the stream, in-particular, a section where a restored riffle curved into a nice deep pool with toewood tucked into the...
What Happens to Aquatic Invertebrates as Winter Sets In?
Macro of the Month – December 2025 December has always been one of my favorite times to walk a trout stream. The leaves are down, the cold air is fresh, and in many of our springfed trout streams across the state, the water is still flowing. When I bend over to...
Moving the Needle on Fish Passage in Northeastern Minnesota
Fish passage is not always just about fish passage. A culvert replacement might start as a solution to a barrier in a watershed, but when MNTU gets involved, it becomes an opportunity to address habitat beyond the ability for a trout to get from point A to point B. When...
12,000 Eggs Delivered for Trout In The Classroom
We completed the first of two egg deliveries on December 3rd! Over 12,000 eggs were sorted, packaged, and distributed throughout the state in a single day thanks to our awesome crew of egg day volunteers.
November 2025 Macro of the Month- Northern Caddisflies
Northern Caddisflies (Family Limnephilidae) Last month, we explored the importance of October foliage after it falls into a stream. Let’s take that further! As leaves fall into cold November water, there’s construction underway beneath the surface. Among the cobbles and leaf packs, case-building caddisfly larvae - members of the family Limnephilidae...
Evaluating Stream Habitat Designs Across Southeast Minnesota
Over the past few decades, Minnesota has made tremendous progress in restoring and enhancing its coldwater streams. Across the state, partnerships between Minnesota Trout Unlimited, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR), local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and others have brought new life to miles and miles of degraded...
Why I Became Involved With Minnesota Trout Unlimited
Volunteer Spotlight on Mike Madigan Both my mother and father were fly fishers. They gave me my first fly rod when I was 7, a seven-foot Fenwick glass rod. For the first few years, I spent a great deal of time extricating my flies from the trees and bushes that lined...
September 2025 Macro of the Month: Beetles
All it takes is a little wind on the grass and you might be lucky enough to hear a little plop under the bank – maybe a beetle tumbling into the water to become a late afternoon salmonid snack. In late summer and early fall, beetles are a terrestrial staple...
Trout in the Classroom: 19 Years and Growing
In its 19th year, Minnesota Trout in the Classroom has 86 tanks in 74 schools and 2 nature centers throughout the state ready to be filled, cycled, and prepared to welcome 300 tiny, neon orange trout eggs this winter. Check out this map color coded by MNTU chapter to...
Why Toewood Is Showing Up Along Minnesota Trout Streams
By Dr. Jennifer Biederman Walk a recently restored bend of a trout stream anywhere in Minnesota and you may notice a line of logs tucked tight to the bank, some with their rootwads still attached. That isn’t debris. It’s a feature called toewood, a design approach that uses large wood to...
Judge orders state agencies to assess whether manure and commercial fertilizer rules protect MN from nitrate pollution
DATE: 09/08/25 CONTACT: Sarah Horner, MCEA, shorner@mncenter.org, 612-868-3024 Saint Paul, Minn – A Ramsey County District Court judge ordered the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) to review whether the rules they have in place to protect Minnesotans’ drinking water from nitrate pollution are working....
Macroinvertebrate of the Month: Grasshoppers (a.k.a. “Hoppers”)
It’s August in Minnesota. The heat has settled in, and streamside vegetation hangs thick and heavy over the banks of coldwater streams and rivers across the state. In our backyard, my daughters love to pass the time catching grasshoppers in the tall grass and tossing them into the stream, watching...
Another Year of Trout in the Classroom
The 2025-26 Trout in the Classroom season kicked off with our first teacher and volunteer training in Duluth and the Twin Cities! This year we’re holding training sessions in two locations to support our growing and dispersed network of classrooms across the state. The location of the trainings also offered...
What Happens After Stream Restoration? From Bare Soil to Cover Crops to Thriving Native Habitat
When a stream restoration project wraps up, the work on the ground is just beginning. During construction, streambanks are graded and soil is heavily disturbed throughout the project reach. In most cases, to restore the stream’s access to its floodplain we must grade back soil. This requires that most vegetation...
Inform our Policy Platform
We are looking ahead to the next state legislative session and preparing our policy platform. Preventing Fish Kills will continue to be one overarching goal of MNTU as we consider specific hurdles to our work conserving, protecting, restoring, and sustaining Minnesota’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.Some issues we know will...
2025 Legislative Session Recap
Legislative session was more a game of defense, rather than much momentum forward this year. In general we held the line on our priority issues and were happy that so many of you showed up to attend rallies and hearings, and in submitting letters of concern to your elected officials....
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR 2024-25 DONORS
By Mark Abner, MNTU Development Associate Minnesota Trout Unlimited would like to express our appreciation to each of the record 288 generous donors who donated during our last fiscal year, which ran from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. Your collective contributions totaled an impressive $130,000 for the mission! Regardless...
July 2025 Macro of the Month: Ants on the Water and Trout on the Feed
One of my favorite surprises of summer trout fishing in Minnesota comes after a good soaking rain. When storms sweep through the valleys, they don’t just raise the rivers a few inches. They send ants tumbling from trees and grass into the currents, and the trout are quick to notice. Ants...
Duluth’s Amity Creek Receives New Protection!
MNTU is proud to be a part of an effort to add the highest level of protections to over 1,100 acres of land in the City of Duluth now called the Lester–Amity–Hawk Ridge Natural Area as a part of Duluth’s Natural Area Program (DNAP). The area includes a large segment...
Trout in the Classroom is Making an Impact
MN Trout in the Classroom teachers are the type of teachers that you would want your children and grandchildren to have as they move through their K-12 years. These teachers are excited and passionate individuals that work hard to provide engaging, hands on learning opportunities like TIC for their students....
Habitat Director’s Report from the Field, July 2025
July is the heart of field season when it comes to carrying out stream restoration work across the state. Tackling riparian invasives, removing barriers to fish passage, scoping future projects, maintaining tree plantings, and implementing large scale instream habitat improvements - the staff, members, volunteers, and contractors of MNTU have...
MNTU’s barrier removal projects also benefit aquatic invertebrates
When most trout anglers think about culvert replacements, they rightly think of trout passage to critical habitat. Undersized, perched, and crumbling culverts block trout from reaching cold water refuges, spawning grounds, and more habitat. Removing those barriers is a huge benefit to trout fisheries. But often overlooked is the fact that...
Minnesota Trout Unlimited just wrapped up its Trout in the Classroom (“TIC”) education program for the 2024-2025 school year!
There were 79 tanks in 67 schools and 2 nature centers this year. 55 of those schools and 1 of the nature centers released trout this spring. Of the 12 schools that were unable to release their fish, 7 of them were brand new to the program. This is common...
Trees for Trout: An Update on MNTU’s Riparian Reforestation Project
If you’ve fished along a trout stream in northeast Minnesota lately, you’ve probably noticed the standing dead spruce and balsam fir, open gaps in the forest canopy, and more brush than you’d expect in what used to be shaded, coniferous woods. It’s not just about aesthetics - it’s a coldwater...
Protect Coldwater Streams: Strengthen Minnesota’s Feedlot Rules!
Minnesota’s trout streams and groundwater are some of our most valuable — and most vulnerable — resources. Minnesota Trout Unlimited is urging our members to tell the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to strengthen the Feedlot Rule to better protect clean water and healthy aquatic ecosystems. Specific comments on aspects of the...
Wade In and Make a Difference: Volunteers Make a Difference in Minnesota Stream Restoration
Our assistant director, Kristen Poppleton, often says “teamwork makes the dream work.”As I reflect on my first two years with Minnesota Trout Unlimited, I have a new appreciation for the phrase. The culture of service and commitment to conservation through boots and shovels on the ground by MNTU volunteers and...
MN DNR AND TROUT IN THE CLASSROOM: A LONGTIME PARTNERSHIP
MNTU has long partnered with the Minnesota DNR to advance its mission to conserve, protect, restore, and sustain Minnesota’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. This includes habitat projects and advocacy efforts around the state. Since 2007, with the establishment of the first aquarium in Minnesota, this partnership has increasingly included...
May 2025 Macro of the Month: Crane Flies
Living on a trout stream in southeastern Minnesota, it doesn’t require too much effort to keep an eye on what’s hatching and when. However, it still caught me by surprise to see two adult craneflies on my bathroom floor early one morning in the first week of May. Maybe they...
Nitrates, Feedlots, and Fish Kills: MNTU Pushes for Stronger Feedlot Rules
MNTU has a long history of developing awareness of, and urging action to reduce, nitrate contamination, especially where contamination impacts Minnesota’s trout streams (see timeline). Regulating nitrates in Minnesota, especially southeast Minnesota, is critical to protect the region’s coldwater fisheries, including brook, brown, and rainbow trout. These...
Take Action to Protect Trout and Aquatic Ecosystems Across the State
May 2025 FEDERAL ACTION TO PROTECT THE BOUNDARY WATERS The House Natural Resources Committee recently passed its reconciliation bill that dismantles Boundary Waters protections from sulfide-ore copper mining. These efforts open the door to toxic copper mining within the watershed of the Boundary Waters, a world-class recreational fishery and home to native...
TELL THE SENATE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE TO REMOVE THE PUBLIC WATERS PROVISION TODAY
April 30, 2025 In 2024, the Minnesota Legislature adopted language to provide clarity and reinforce DNR’s longstanding interpretation that a specific waterway could be a public water even if it was not listed on the Public Waters Inventory. The language reinforces the DNR’s and Court’s interpretation and affirms that it is...
MNTU Joins Informational Hearing on Neonic Treated Seeds
On Monday, April 20, 2025 Minnesota Trout Unlimited members joined an informational hearing on SF3083, a bill to regulate neonic treated seeds. In an informational hearing votes, amendments, or other actions aren't taken on bills, but they are an excellent way to demonstrate support, connect with others...
Public Waters Under Threat… again
April 21, 2025 The Senate Environment Budget bill (SF2077) contains a provision that will make it less clear which streams and headwater tributaries are protected under state law as “public waters”, by repealing a clarification adopted by the Legislature in 2024. The Minnesota Senate should remove this provision to ensure all public...
What Are Donor-Advised Funds, and How Can They Benefit You?
As someone who cares deeply about conservation and preserving Minnesota’s trout streams for future generations, you may be looking for effective ways to amplify your philanthropic impact. A donor-advised fund (DAF) is a popular and flexible option. Whether you're new to the concept or exploring it as part of your...
MINNESOTA TROUT UNLIMITED AWARD RECIPIENTS 2025
THE DR. THOMAS WATERS AWARD FOR MINNESOTA CONSERVATION: MARK REISETTER For his lifetime of achievements in coldwater conservation, MNTU presented the 2025 Dr. Thomas Waters Award for Minnesota Conservation to Mark Reisetter. A deeply dedicated teacher and conservationist, Mark has been a member of TU since the late 1970s. He served as...
Macro of the Month: Dark Hendrickson
April 2025 Every spring, as snowmelt charges the streams and the days grow longer, trout anglers eagerly await one of the season’s most iconic hatches: the Dark Hendrickson. This mayfly, known to entomologists as Ephemerella subvaria, helps kick off dry fly season and can offer some great surface action during the...
All Your Questions about Trout Releases Answered
It's April and our education team is kicking off the 2024-25 release season with our Trout in the Classroom (TIC) schools! From now through the end of May, we will be joining hundreds of students around the state at these exciting events. Here are answers to some of the frequently...
MNTU Kicks Off the Field Season with a Riparian Forestry Project on the Sucker River
Minnesota Trout Unlimited is dedicated to preserving and improving the health of trout streams across the state. During these cold weeks of early spring, we’ve kicked off our first project of the year in the Sucker River watershed, a top-tier brook trout and steelhead stream east of Duluth. We're implementing...
Actions you can take TODAY to Honor Earth Month
April 8, 2025 Keeping up with all of the important opportunities to advocate for protection of coldwater fisheries is nearly impossible right now with attacks on our natural resources coming at all levels of government. It’s important to continue speaking up against legislation that will impact what you hold dear, as...
No Hatch to Match? The Silent Decline of Aquatic Insects in Minnesota Trout Streams
If you’ve spent any time fishing the cold, clear streams of the Driftless Region, you know that matching the hatch is often the key to success. Hundreds of fly patterns exist to mimic the many species of mayflies, caddisflies, and stoneflies that emerge throughout the season. But in recent years,...
How are the Trout growing?
The thousands of tiny, neon orange eggs students welcomed in December have now gone through two additional life cycle stages: alevin and swim up fry. As alevin, the trout are not yet eating regular food or swimming. Instead, they flop around on their sides in the egg basket, piling up...
MNTU Trout Brook stream improvement project wins engineering award
On February 21, 2025 MNTU’s design engineers on its Trout Brook project, Emmons & Olivier Resources, Inc (EOR), received a Water Resources Excellence award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Minnesota for our recent stream habitat restoration project in Miesville Ravine County Park Reserve. We collaborated with...
Bill Introduction Season is Here
March 11, 2025 Bills are being introduced at the Minnesota legislature at a rapid pace now and we are following a number of them as they connect with our priority issues. Make sure you are signed up for our action alerts if you want to be alerted about opportunities to advocate...
The science of stream restoration: What is fluvial geomorphology and how does it influence what we do?
Caption: SSL-SWCD staff doing pre-project geomorphological surveys at Amity Creek in Duluth. These data will be used to inform the design of the Amity Creek restoration project – a collaborative project involving SSL-SWCD and MNTU. (Photo: Tim Beaster, SSL-SWCD) By Dr. Jennifer Biederman, Habitat Director Stream restoration has come a long way...
The Tiny Winter Black Stonefly: A Cold-Weather Clue to Water Quality: February Macro of the Month
For many anglers, winter means tying flies, maintaining gear, and daydreaming about warmer days on the water. But, those that do brave the frigid winter air to chase trout on Minnesota streams are sometimes rewarded with a mid-winter hatch of the tiny winter black stonefly (Allocapnia spp). Although trout feed...
Trout Streams Became My Psychiatrist
Hello, my name is Mark Reisetter and I am a longtime member of Minnesota Trout Unlimited. I came to Lewiston in Southeastern Minnesota 57 years ago, taking a teaching job right out of college. After my first year of teaching, I was drafted into the Army and sent to Vietnam in...
TIC on Ice
Winter brings a flurry of action on the Trout in the Classroom front. Students across the state now have baby trout, called fry, swimming around in their tanks. Our education staff and volunteers have been busy traveling to all four corners of the state programming with our schools. Thanks to...
MNTU JOINS LITIGATION OVER NITRATE CONTAMINATION TO PROTECT COLDWATER FISHERIES
On July 23, 2022, I helped report a massive fish kill on Rush Creek, one of my favorite local trout streams just three miles south of town. The massive die-off was the third one within a seven-year period, all within a 13-mile radius of my town. And it wasn’t just...
PRESS RELEASE: Environmental groups file lawsuit to ensure momentum to address nitrate pollution continues
DATE: 01/28/25 CONTACT: Sarah Horner, MCEA, shorner@mncenter.org, 612-868-3024 Saint Paul, Minn – Environmental groups filed a lawsuit Tuesday to fortify Minnesota’s commitment to addressing the longstanding nitrate pollution problem impairing drinking water in the southeastern region of the state as the federal administration changes hands. The suit was filed against the Minnesota...
Volunteer Spotlight January 2025: Trout in the Classroom
By Amber Taylor, Education Manager As Trout in the Classroom students returned to school last week, the tiny alevin, or sac fry, that had been flopping around awkwardly on the bottom of the basket before they left had begun to swim! This is the third of four different developmental stages students...
Macro of the Month January 2025: Scuds
Scuds are freshwater shrimp (bottom right) – a crustacean that lives among benthic invertebrates in the stream.
Winter Habitat Preferences of Trout in the Driftless Area
By Dr. Jennifer Biederman The Driftless Area, spanning parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois, is renowned for its spring-fed streams, cold water, and limestone geology. These unique environmental factors create ideal year-round conditions for trout. In streams with the most groundwater influence, both flows and water temperatures remain fairly constant...
Minnesota Department of Agriculture Refuses to Protect State’s Environment From Pesticide Contamination
Contacts: Jesús Canchola Sánchez, NRDCAF, jcanchola@nrdc.org, (312) 847-6808 Sarah Horner, MCEA, shorner@mncenter.org, (612) 868-3024 Kristen Poppleton, MNTU, kristen.poppleton@mntu.org, (651) 332-0070 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Agency denies rulemaking petition to remedy longstanding violations of Minnesotans’ environmental rights SAINT PAUL, MN (December 19, 2024) – Today,...
Habitat Spotlight: Why Riffles Matter So Much
By Dr. Jennifer Biederman If there is one thing that many degraded streams across Minnesota have in common, it’s a lack key habitat types that support trout of all stages and ages. Many degraded streams lack riffle habitat. These shallow, fast-flowing sections of a stream, characterized by their choppy water surface...
Riffles: Essential Habitat for Healthy Macroinvertebrate Communities (Also, Trout Food!)
by Dr. Jennifer Biederman Riffle habitats in trout streams are essential little ecosystems that provide an ideal environment for aquatic macroinvertebrates, which are small, aquatic organisms that play a crucial role in freshwater ecosystems – and the most important food source of stream dwelling trout in Minnesota. What is a riffle?...
Voters want conservation
by John Lenczewski, November 11, 2024 How last week’s election results will impact our ability to better protect, restore, and sustain coldwater fisheries and watersheds is not clear. Most conservation work gets done locally, especially with Minnesota’s environmental laws and dedicated funding. National politics usually has less impact here. Control of...
Groups Petition to Protect Minnesota’s Environment and Communities from Dangerous Pesticides
October 15, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contacts:Jesús Canchola Sánchez, jcanchola@nrdc.org Sarah Horner, shorner@mncenter.org Kristen Poppleton, kristen.poppleton@mntu.org Rulemaking petition submitted to Minnesota Department of Agriculture to remedy longstanding, harmful contamination of lands and waters SAINT PAUL, MN (October 15, 2024) – The NRDC Action Fund, the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA), and Minnesota Trout Unlimited
How do Macroinvertebrates Fare Following Stream Improvement Projects?
By Dr. Jennifer Biederman The sight of an in-stream habitat improvement project in progress can be a bit eye-opening – heavy machinery, including large excavators are working along the banks and in the stream, often moving large amounts of soil to slope the banks while digging out silted in pools and...
Electrofishing Insights: Tracking Stream Restoration Success in Northeast Minnesota
Standing by a newly restored stream, the benefits are often clear: the eroding banks, invasive plants, and barren channels have been replaced with gently sloped banks, deep pools, spawning riffles, and thriving native vegetation. It’s easy to see how these improvements boost fish populations by creating better habitat for food...
Vote for Coldwater Fisheries Protection Across the Ballot
Voting is a privilege and a right for American citizens and our opportunity to make choices based on our values. Voting is crucial for the protection of coldwater fisheries because it allows citizens to influence environmental policies and regulations. Governments and lawmakers play a key role in creating and enforcing...
Program Spotlight: Fall 2024 Habitat Project Tour
On October 5 close to 40 individuals joined us for a day-long behind the scenes tour of sites where MNTU has completed habitat improvement projects. Our Executive Director John Lenczewski and Habitat Director, Jennifer Biederman led the trip, sharing their knowledge of how a project is planned, executed and monitored....
VOTE YES FOR THE GREAT OUTDOORS
By John Weiss, Hiawatha TU member Would you like to help the environment and do it by taking only a second or two? You can and here’s how: vote yes on the amendment on this November’s ballot asking Minnesotans to reauthorize dedicating at least 40 percent of revenues from the state-operated lottery...
Minnesota Trout in the Classroom’s 18th Year!
By Amber Taylor, Education Program Supervisor Welcome back to school! It’s Trout in the Classroom’s (TIC) 18th school year in Minnesota! In 2007, the Headwaters Chapter and a teacher from Bemidji’s elementary school got approval from the Minnesota -DNR to have a trout tank in the classroom, where they raised lake...
VOTE YES FOR THE OUTDOORS IN NOVEMBER’S ELECTION
Our Minnesota Trout in the Classroom program has benefited from support from through the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. On this year’s November ballot you have the opportunity to vote to renew the state constitutional amendment that directs lottery proceeds be placed in the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund...
Volunteer of the Month: John Lueth
Everyone has knowledge. Everyone has something they can be passionate about. If it has anything to do with trout, other species of fish, the environment or fresh water, education of youth, skill or creativity of tying, advocacy, fundraising … almost endless possibilities and variety … give it a try. And...
Macro of the Month: Late Summer Fly Fishing: The Magic of Tricos
By Dr. Jennifer Biederman As summer begins to wind down, July, August and early September bring a special treat for fly anglers in Minnesota: the trico hatch. Tricos, short for Tricorythodes mayflies, are a small-bodied but super important part of many trout streams' ecosystems, and they offer some of the best...
Help Inform our 2024-25 Policy Platform
While national politics takes up the big headlines right now, at MNTU we are looking ahead to the next state legislative session and preparing our policy platform. Preventing Fish Kills will continue to be an overarching goal of MNTU as we consider specific issues that will conserve, protect, restore, and...
Monitoring Macros with the TCTU’s Streamkeepers and Save Our Streams (SOS) Community Science
On August 4,2024 twenty conservation-minded folks gathered on the banks of Eagle Creek in Savage, MN to become certified Save Our Streams (SOS) community scientists – learning the techniques for biological and chemical water testing in streams. The effort was led by the Twin City Trout Unlimited (TCTU) Streamkeepers...
Volunteer Spotlight: James Sauter
Hometown: Prior Lake, MN. Graduate of St. Olaf College (BA), UW Madison (Ph.D.) MNTU Chapter: Current Board Member of Twin Cities Trout Unlimited. Before moving back to Minnesota in 2019, I was a member of Clearwater TU Chapter in Eau Claire. Favorite place to fish/be outside: I enjoy fishing for trophy rainbows on...
Volunteer for Trout in the Classroom!
Volunteerism is the voice of the people put into action. These actions shape and mold the present into a future of which we can all be proud. MNTU’s mission is to protect, restore, and sustain Minnesota’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Protection comes in the form of advocacy and restoration through...
MNTU Helping Fish Find Their Way in Northeast Minnesota
By Dr. Jennifer Biederman, Habitat Director Unobstructed pathways are crucial for stream-dwelling trout at key times throughout the year and life cycle. Trout must be able to move freely in a stream system to reach spawning and overwintering areas, find coldwater refuge in low, warm summer flows, and access feeding grounds....
Macro of the Month – Bring on the Terrestrials! Right?
By Dr. Jennifer Biederman When it comes to the diets of stream-dwelling trout in Minnesota, aquatic benthic invertebrates take most of the spotlight. Keep in mind that trout are visual and opportunistic feeders – so prey preference and capture probability are likely influenced by the accessibility, size, color, mobility, and degree...
Resiliency in Real Time – How MNTU’s Habitat Program is Strengthening Trout Streams Against the Impacts of Climate Change
This photo from Hay Creek in the State Forest illustrates how the June flood waters spread out. You can see the flattened grass. The energy release of floodplain prevented any damage to the instream habitat.
Share Your Comments on Feedlot Permits
July 2024 The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is asking for public comment to proposed changes to feedlot general permits issued to large feedlots of 1,000 or more animal units for operation and construction. Minnesota Trout Unlimited supports the much-needed additional oversight and regulations included of applications of manure to the land....
Let’s talk trees and trout streams Part 1: Southeast Minnesota
A box elder sitting on top of legacy sediment, ready to fall in and take a big chunk of the bank along with it! Mill Creek, Chatfield (Winona County). By Dr. Jennifer Biederman The Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota, characterized by its unique topography of steep hills and deep valleys untouched by...
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: Scot Simmons
Scot Simmons, Twin Cities TU member and volunteer with Foster the Outdoors, recently had the opportunity to see the film Blackwaters Brotherhood in the Wild and volunteer with cast members from the film to share the joy of fly fishing with students and families in...
June 2024 Macro of the Month Feature: What “EPT” Taxa Tell Us About Stream Health
by Dr. Jennifer Biederman The typical trout angler studies up on aquatic macroinvertebrates to better understand what trout are eating across different seasons of the year – to perfect the fly! But the next time you pick up a rock from a stream to inspect its surface, you can also keep...
What happened in the MN Legislature this spring?
Streams in the Driftless region in of Minnesota are most vulnerable to the impacts of agricultural runoff, including poor manure management techniques, and will benefit greatly from some of the provisions passed in the legislature this session.
A peek inside the process: Designing a trout stream improvement project
by Dr. Jennifer Biederman Stream restoration projects are essential for the rehabilitation of freshwater ecosystems, particularly for species such as trout, which are sensitive to environmental changes. Designing an effective trout stream restoration project involves a blend of ecological science, hydrological understanding, and community engagement. MNTU stream projects not only...
APRIL 2024 MACRO OF THE MONTH: Little Sallies
By Dr. Jennifer Biederman Stoneflies, belonging to the order Plecoptera, play an important role in freshwater ecosystems and are especially significant to anglers. These aquatic macroinvertebrates are a prime food source for many fish species, especially trout, making them a key focus for fly fishing enthusiasts. Stoneflies are characterized by their...
ACT TODAY TO ENSURE BILL WILL PREVENT FISH KILLS
May 10, 2024 We're coming to the finish line for the Minnesota Legislative session and we need you to contact your Senator and Representative today to demand critical provisions that will prevent future fish kills remain in the final bills. The House and Senate versions of the Environment Omnibus bill differ, and many good...
April 2024 Volunteers of the Month: MNTU’s Annual Distinguished Awards
THE DR. THOMAS WATERS AWARD FOR MINNESOTA CONSERVATION For his lifetime of achievements in coldwater conservation, we presented the 2024 Dr. Thomas Waters Award for Minnesota Conservation to JP Little. JP is a transformative figure in the history of Minnesota Trout Unlimited. He served on the Board of Directors for the...
April 2024 Macro of the Month
Little Sister Sedge By Dr. Jennifer Biederman April marks the onset of more vibrant seasonal activity in trout streams, with increasing diversity of emerging insect life. This surge in insect activity not only breathes life into the aquatic ecosystem but also signals prime time for both trout and anglers. The increase in...
How agencies can improve their response to fish kills
MNTU identified several improvements that should be made to ensure timely investigation and better public disclosure of lessons to be learned from any fish kill. Below is a summary of improvements needed. Background: The most recent large fish kill in a southeast Minnesota trout stream occurred on Rush Creek in July...
Navigating Climate Challenges for Brook Trout on Lake Superior’s North Shore
By Dr. Jennifer Biederman In northeastern Minnesota, where clear streams carve through thick forests and rocky ridges, the brook trout—a symbol of pristine waters—faces an uncertain future. Climate change, manifesting through rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns, is reshaping the habitat these fish have thrived in for millennia. Flows of these...
Celebrating Minnesota’s Public Lands
by John Lenczewski, Executive Director On April 5 we joined with partners to celebrate the Public Lands that we collectively own. Public Lands are vital for supporting trout and steelhead populations and providing public fishing access. Wild trout and steelhead populations are products of the forests on public lands in northern Minnesota. They...
March 2024 Macro of the Month Springs’ First Mayfly Emerger: Baetis AKA the blue-winged olive
Dr. Jennifer Biederman Baetis, a genus of mayflies commonly known as the blue-winged olive among anglers, holds an iconic status in the world of trout enthusiasts. Emerging first from Minnesota streams in early March, this mayfly plays a crucial role in the delicate balance of coldwater stream ecosystems, capturing the fascination...
March 2024 Volunteer Spotlight
Name: Marlene Huston Hometown: Winona, MN MNTU Chapter: Hiawatha and Wincres Chapter Favorite place to fish/be outside: I have to pick one? The Driftless area of Southeast Minnesota Describe the experience or circumstance that got you "hooked" on fishing? We were a fishing family growing up. My first trip to SE MN on Trout...
What is MNTU’s Habitat Program up to during the cold Minnesota months?
Dr. Jennifer Biederman, MNTU Habitat Director A pre-construction bid meeting on Mill Creek in December ‘23, with MNTU’s contracted design engineers, MNDNR, MNTU habitat staff, and potential construction firms. While late winter and early spring might not seem like the peak time for trout stream restoration in Minnesota, MNTU's habitat program is...
February 2024 Volunteer Spotlight
Name: Jade Thomason Hometown: Afton, MN MNTU Chapter: Gitche Gumee Favorite place to fish/be outside: The BWCA and Quetico When did you get involved with Minnesota Trout Unlimited? I first became involved with MNTU around a dozen years ago when I was hired to plant twelve thousand trees along trout streams over a summer. This was...
February 2024 Macro of the Month
Winter-Emerging Midges Photo credit: Chironomidae Research Group In the frigid heart of winter, a hidden world of resilience unfolds beneath the icy surfaces of Minnesota's streams. Enter the winter-emerging chironomids (aka “midges”), tiny aquatic flies belonging to the Chironomidae family. Resembling miniature black mosquitoes, some types of these resilient insects defy...