What does the MNDNR do to protect and/or restore stream habitats within the Lake Superior watershed?
Identification and removal of beaver dams and other obstructions by the MNDNR increases the spawning and nursery habitat available to steelhead. Sediment control through the review of development permits, consultation on roadway construction and culvert sightings, bank stabilization, and cooperative rip-rap projects are methods used by the MNDNR to minimize the erosion of stream banks. Easement and land acquisition programs along stream corridors have increased, but are expensive. Cooperative in-stream habitat improvement projects have been conducted by local angling groups and the MNDNR with the goal of increasing smolt production. On a broader scale, the MNDNR works with other agencies and private landowners to implement and monitor the success of watershed scale projects such as those on the Knife, Nemadji and Flute-Reed rivers. Efforts to coordinate with foresters and other land managers to positively influence vegetation management in the riparian zone and sub-watersheds will cont
