South Creek Project Kicks Off
Minnesota Trout Unlimited and partners kicked off the design of a major habitat improvement project on South Creek.
03Apr
20Mar
Restoring Riparian Forests for North Shore Cold-Water Fisheries
Minnesota Trout Unlimited is undertaking a critical planting project to restore healthy forests within riparian corridors along the high-quality cold-water rivers of Lake Superior’s North Shore. Along these vital trout streams, stands of dead and dying trees including balsam, spruce, and ash are being replaced with selected conifers and other long-lived...
16Feb
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...
16Feb
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...
16Jan
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...
15Dec
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...
15Dec
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...
16Nov
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...
15Nov
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...
08Sep
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...