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 during session.

A few bills of concern that have been introduced:

Public Waters Protection Rollback( HF 1008 / SF 1715): Public waters definition modified, and appropriation for public waters inventory eliminated.

Public waters are designated to indicate which lakes, wetlands, and watercourses over which the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has regulatory jurisdiction and are listed in a public inventory. When the Inventory was first published many watercourses were left off that should have been, and the process for keeping the Public Waters Inventory updated was too slow to keep it updated with all the lakes, wetlands, and watercourses that fall under the legal definition. Many of the waterways left off the public inventory were small headwater streams, including our beloved trout streams, which are important for water quality and health of fish and aquatic life upstream.  A new law passed last year clarifies the statutory definition of public waters, dictating where a waterway is classified, not just if it is included in the published inventory.  Importantly, it also includes $1million per year to the DNR for it to systematically update the list and maps county by county in the inventory. Ensuring this protection is not rolled back is an important part of protecting our trout streams today and for future generations.

Delisting Little Rock Creek (SF1816): Morrison County Little Rock Creek delistment as a trout stream and trout stocking in the stream prohibition requirement provision.

Trout stream designation provides a level of protection important for maintaining and improving conditions on a stream. Little Rock Creek has in part been impacted by water diversion over the years and this bill would eliminate any protections that have been put in place to address the problem.

We encourage you to contact your senator and/or representative to oppose these bills and share why you as an angler are concerned. You can find out who represents you here and explore some tips on what to share here, and a letter template here.