Featured stream restoration projects
Cedar Valley CreekHabitat restoration projectIn 2023, we restored trout habitat along 4,500 feet of Cedar Valley Creek in southeast Winona County.
Habitat enhancements added to support the full life span of trout:
- Riffles for trout spawning habitat and food production
- Deep pools with overhead cover habitat, including large pool logs, boulders and root wads. The slower water in pools give trout a chance to conserve energy
- Backwater channels for aquatic insects, juvenile fish and other non-game wildlife like amphibians
- Native grasses, sedges, flowers, shrubs and trees for pollinator and non-game wildlife habitat – including birds, deer and terrestrial insects
Keene CreekHabitat restoration and fish passage projectsOur habitat improvement projects on Keene Creek include 2,000 feet of stream enhancements and a major fish passage upgrade reconnecting wild brook trout to 8,300 feet of water and habitat.
South Branch Whitewater RiverHabitat restoration projectIn 2020, we restored nearly 8,000 feet of trout habitat on the South Branch Whitewater River.
Minnesota Trout Unlimited has a long history of working on 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.
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.
Recent Habitat News
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.
Evaluating stream habitat designs across southeast Minnesota
Over the past few decades, Minnesota has made tremendous progress in restoring and enhancing its coldwater streams.
Why toewood is showing up along Minnesota trout streams
For MNTU, the goal of using toewood is not just to “hold the bank”. It’s to restore function, including banks that resist erosion, channels that can move a little without failing, and cover habitat that supports abundant fish and invertebrates.
Bare soil to thriving native habitat: What happens after stream restoration
When a stream restoration project wraps up, the work on the ground is just beginning.
Duluth’s Amity Creek receives new protection
Minnesota Trout Unlimited 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...
From the field: Habitat director’s report
July is the heart of field season when it comes to carrying out stream restoration work across the state.
MNTU’s barrier removal projects also benefit aquatic invertebrates
Culvert replacements also help rebuild the larger aquatic food web.