Here a Trout. There a Trout. Everywhere: Trout!
Seven Mile Creek Park, near St. Peter, Nicollet County. Afton Alps, Afton, Washington County.
A budding young naturalist watches the 300 brown trout just released into Seven Mile Creek.
Last Saturday, April 16, was stream trout opener in Minnesota and anglers across the state were excited to get out and hit the water. Aside from recreational benefits, trout are valuable in teaching us about Minnesota’s water quality. Trout are what’s known as an indicator species, or rather a species that tells us about the health or quality of their habitat. For example, trout thrive in waters that are cold, clear, and full of oxygen. If trout are present in a stream, this likely means that it is a healthy habitat with good water quality.
Great River Greening is pleased to share two successful restoration projects that resulted in improved water quality to sustain trout populations.
Seven Mile Creek Park
DNR staff Scott Mackenthun and Tanner Stevens release adult brown trout from the Lanesboro State Fishery as curious onlookers observe.
Located north of Mankato and southwest of St. Peter, the Seven Mile Creek watershed is made up of over 23,000 acres of land where the water flows into Seven Mile Creek and eventually the Minnesota River and beyond. Great River Greening and our partners have been working together to conserve the land surrounding the creek, which also protects the water in the creek. For example, many farmers in the watershed have adopted conservation-friendly practices on their land. These include planting cover crops, using perennial crops, and installing natural features—like wetlands—that filter water before it flows into Seven Mile Creek.
When these practices are put into action, it results in less sediment and harmful pollutants in the waterways. Good water quality is part of what makes Seven Mile Creek a designated trout stream—and a popular one too! Great River Greening joined the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on Friday, April 15, as DNR staff stocked 300 brown trout into Seven Mile Creek. Minnesota Trout Unlimited—with funding from the Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Fund—has completed restoration work along Seven Mile Creek.
Stay tuned on our social media channels for video clips from the trout release.
Afton Alps Re-Meander Project
A brown trout explores its new habitat in Seven Mile Creek.
The DNR recently released numbers from a trout survey completed at Trout Brook at Afton Alps. And the survey says… over the span of just eight years Trout Brook saw an increase from 5 trout to 320 trout—that’s a 6,000% increase!
These impressive numbers are a great sign that our restoration efforts alongside Afton Alps have enhanced water quality. Great River Greening, the South Washington Watershed District, and Vail Resorts (who owns Afton Alps)—with funding from the Minnesota Clean Water Fund and Outdoor Heritage Fund—worked together to improve stream health in Trout Brook. The stream restoration project re-routed the previous artificial stream channel into a more natural-feeling meander, or winding curve. The meanders in a stream help provide habitat for fish—like trout.
Check out the video below to learn more about our work at Trout Brook and to see how the landscape changed over time with the re-meander project.
Contributors: Julie Baumeister, Kirsten Gulbro, Brad Gordon, Wiley Buck
Photo Credits: Seven Mile Creek trout photos (Julie Baumeister)
Funding/Sponsors/Partners:
Seven Mile Creek: DNR, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 319 Grant through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), Nicollet Soil & Water Conservation District (SWDC), Gustavus Adolphus, Minnesota Trout Unlimited (with funding from the Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Fund)
Afton Alps: Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Fund and South Washington Watershed District