Our stream restoration work
Minnesota Trout Unlimited has a long history of undertaking habitat improvement projects across the state. From limestone streams in southeast Minnesota to the cascading streams of the North Shore, we have been a leader in protecting, restoring and enhancing our coldwater resources.
Our ability to do this work has been greatly impacted by the Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment. In November 2008, Minnesota voters approved a constitutional amendment dedicating the proceeds of a new state sales tax to protecting and improving Minnesota’s natural resources. In the years since, a competitive grant process and funding from the Outdoor Heritage Fund — one of four funds created by the Legacy Amendment — has allowed us to complete habitat restoration projects in dozens of locations around the state. In the first year alone, the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council recommended full funding of our proposals to improve coldwater habitat in 11 streams around the state. Fifteen miles of stream were improved that year.
The state’s Outdoor Heritage Fund has allowed us to reach new heights in our habitat work around the state. We partner with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on every project and hire an environmental engineering firm through a competitive bidding process. We are passionate about only working where public angling is guaranteed. Our habitat restoration projects take place where there’s permanent public protection in the form of a DNR easement or other public land.
MNTU is a responsible manager of grant funding and is proud that administrative costs average less than 5% of grant funding. We are thankful to the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, the Minnesota Legislature and Minnesota taxpayers for partnering with us to improve our state’s resources.
Featured projects
Cedar Valley Creek
The Cedar Valley Creek HI project was completed in early August 2025 , restoring approximately 5,200 feet of trout stream.
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Location:
Cedar Valley Creek
Keene Creek Fish Passage Project
MNTU partnered with the City of Hermantown to replace an undersized barrier culvert on Keene Creek with a properly sized pre-cast concrete arch culvert with headwall and wingwalls, reconnecting wild brook trout with 8,300-ft of habitat.
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Location:
Keene Creek
South Branch Whitewater River
MNTU partnered with the City of Hermantown to replace an undersized barrier culvert on Keene Creek with a properly sized pre-cast concrete arch culvert with headwall and wingwalls, reconnecting wild brook trout with 8,300-ft of habitat.
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Location:
South Branch Whitewater River
Restoring Riparian Forests Along The North Shore
Healthy trout streams need more than just cold, clean water and habitat features. They rely on healthy forests along their banks. These riparian forests provide shade that keep streams cool – especially in northeast Minnesota – recharge groundwater and stabilize streambanks with their extensive root systems.
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Location:
North Shore
Recent Habitat News
Notes from the field: Restoration in motion across Minnesota
Habitat restoration takes years of planning, construction, planting, monitoring and maintenance, along with the commitment of our agency partners, local communities, chapters, volunteers, consultants and contractors.
Sharing our work with people who make it possible
In June, we had the privilege of getting to share one of our favorite stream projects.
Volunteer spotlight: Twin Cities chapter tackles wild parsnip along trout streams
At first glance, it's easy to mistake wild parsnip for just another prairie wildflower. By mid-June, its broad clusters of bright yellow blooms catch the summer sun and stand shoulder high along roadsides, bike trails and streambanks across much of Minnesota. This flower is one of Minnesota's most problematic invasive...
Restoring a healthier stream: Your questions answered about the South Creek project
Minnesota Trout Unlimited is working to restore a 3,700-foot section of South Creek in Farmington.
Should anglers rethink catch and release in southeast Minnesota?
For many Trout Unlimited members, catch and release is less about management regulations and more about an ethos, or a conservation-minded culture.
Your questions answered about the South Branch Root River habitat restoration project
Minnesota Trout Unlimited is partnering to improve habitat, public access and long-term river health along a 3,000-foot section the South Branch Root River.
Construction for Eagle Creek restoration begins in May
Minnesota Trout Unlimited will begin a major habitat improvement project on Eagle Creek, one of the most unique and historically significant trout streams in the Twin Cities metro area.
South Creek project kicks off
Minnesota Trout Unlimited and partners kicked off the design of a major habitat improvement project on South Creek.
Restoring riparian forests for North Shore coldwater 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.
Planning underway for Eagle Creak habitat improvement
This spring, Minnesota Trout Unlimited will begin construction on a 2,000-foot trout stream habitat improvement project on Eagle Creek in Savage.
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.
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.