Shell Rock River Watershed Restoration Program - Phase VIII

Program Goals:In 2014, the SRRWD created a phased, $20 million approach to restore, protect, and enhance degraded habitat conditions by implementing projects on a lake-shed basis. The Watershed Habitat Restoration Program is designed to accomplish the following objectives: •Remove rough fish species and restore desirable fish, waterfowl and wildlife populations•Increase fish habitat, spawning areas and waterfowl nesting areas•Improve waterfowl breeding and migratory success•Restore streambanks and increase wildlife habitat and its natural prairie•Increase and improve the use of restored public natural resources•Enhance native aquatic rooted vegetation and protect the watershed from invasive speciesThe program will also interconnect and reestablish important flyway habitats within Minnesota. Once completed, the program will establish waterfowl and fish populations, increase habitat for wetland dependent wildlife, and create the wildlife mecca that was recorded in the late 1800s.Specifically, Phase VIII will contribute to the District’s goals by:•Acquire 80 acres of key targeted lands to reestablish wetland basins, to protect Big Woods and provide public access to current privately owned Church Lake, and improve nesting habitat and waterfowl food sources.•Restore 235 acres of lakeshore and in-lake habitat creating more productive, self-sustaining fisheries in Fountain Lake. The program includes projects that are prioritized on the significance of the benefits to aquatic habitat, urgency of the work, availability of leveraged funds, location of projects and agreements with relevant planning documents. The SRRWD has a proven track record with the LSOHC and implementing projects that protect, restore and enhance natural resources. The SRRWD continues to receive strong support for these projects from landowners, local governments and sporting organizations. This proposal uses a programmatic approach to achieve prioritized protection, restoration, and enhancement of lakes, wetlands and streams to once again create the wildlife mecca. Finally, this program will preserve an outdoor legacy for Minnesotans to use and enjoy for generations. Background:The SRRWD covers 246 square miles inside Freeborn County and includes a complex system of wetlands, streams, and shallow lakes that drain into the Shell Rock River. Managing habitat for this complex system is imperative to the SRRWD as well as understanding its role for providing critical habitat for fish, waterfowl and wildlife. Habitat degradation of wetlands, streams, and shallow lakes is an issue of statewide importance that requires accelerated investment in projects to reverse this degradation. Protection and restoration of this critical habitat is the highest priority of the SRRWD and is directly affected by invasive aquatic vegetation, land use changes, increased water demands, populations of invasive fish species such as common carp, and artificial drainage. Degradation in habitat is influencing available food sources for game fish populations including Northern Pike, Bluegill, Yellow Perch and Walleye, and duck populations including Northern Pintail, Redhead, Canvasback and Lesser Scaup.