Rum River Corridor Fish and Wildlife Habitat Enhancement - Phase 2
The Wild and Scenic Rum River is a State Water Trail linking Mille Lacs Lake to the Mississippi River. Providing habitat for SGCN across two ecological provinces, the Rum also supports game fish and waterfowl. Land conversion, drainage, increased runoff, accelerated bank erosion, and invasive species threaten ecosystem stability of the Rum River corridor. SWCDs, counties, watershed groups, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, and The Nature Conservancy have come together to enhance walleye and smallmouth habitat and riparian ecosystems over the next 5 years by reducing erosion, installing structure, restoring hydrology, and enhancing native vegetation throughout this critical corridor.
The Rum River Corridor is critical for habitat and species richness for SGCN, and is included in the mapped Wildlife Action Network in Minnesota's Wildlife Action Plan. High development pressure along the Rum River, historic drainage system alteration, increased stormwater runoff, sedimentation, invasive species, and hydrologic changes all threaten the stability of this key wildlife corridor. While the Rum River continues to support a good fishery, the aforementioned threats have accelerated bank erosion and habitat degradation, undermining this robust ecosystem. Fortunately, opportunities abound to enhance smallmouth bass, walleye and other game fish habitat as well as riparian ecosystems by reducing erosion, installing structure, and enhancing native vegetation. To enhance the habitat value of this critical river corridor, we're partnering with Anoka County commissioners and staff, Rum River watershed organizations and partnerships, Isanti and Mille Lacs SWCDs, Isanti County, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, and The Nature Conservancy. We've also engaged DNR East Metro Fisheries as an advisor for in-stream fish habitat components. ACD will be the grant recipient and project lead.
This proposal improves wildlife habitat throughout the Rum River corridor in three categories: streambank and in-channel stabilization; in-stream fish habitat with a focus on game fish; and riparian forest, wetland, and prairie enhancement in the Shoreland Zone. Projects will span from the Mille Lacs Lake outlet to the confluence of the Rum and Mississippi rivers in the City of Anoka. We anticipate enhancing 1,200 feet of streambank, 600 feet of in-stream fish habitat, and 45 acres of wetland habitat including wild rice on tribal lands.
Phase 1 work to address actively eroding Rum riverbanks in Anoka County with wildlife-friendly bioengineering techniques is well under way. Phase 2 will expand the eligible area of this work to include all of the Rum River Corridor. Each stabilization project will include discrete elements designed solely to enhance habitat. Eighty actively eroding streambanks in need of shoreline stabilization and enhancement were inventoried in Anoka County alone.
With guidance from DNR, in-stream features such as rock vanes and woody overhangs will be installed to provide holding and resting areas for game fish and forage in stretches of the river where structure is lacking. These features will increase habitat and fishing opportunities in areas not being enhanced with bank stabilization structure. Approximately 40 miles of shoreline are publicly owned along the Rum River where fish habitat enhancement will be prioritized, improving opportunities for quality shore fishing.
Riparian habitat enhancement will extend throughout portions of the 2,500 acres of tribal, publicly owned, and permanently protected lands in the Shoreland Zone to enhance the connectedness and function of the corridor for all wildlife. The type of enhancement will be based on the habitat types present (forest, wetland, and prairie) and conservation need, including rare species. Enhancing each of these areas will help ensure this valuable corridor remains functionally intact for all types of wildlife from fish to migrating birds, and will improve recreational quality on a Wild, Scenic, and Recreational River.
$1,699,000 the first year is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with the Anoka County Soil and Water Conservation District to restore and enhance upland and riverine habitat in the Rum River corridor. A list of proposed enhancements and restorations must be provided as part of the required accomplishment plan.
Increased availability and improved condition of riparian forests and other habitat corridors - In the Northern Forest Region of Mille Lacs County, this project will enhance an estimated 25 acres and 320 feet of critical habitat in the Rum River Corridor, a key river reach for SGCN, part of the Wildlife Action Network, and a state designated Outstanding Resource Value Water. Water quality will be further protected in a very high quality resource upstream of reaches at risk of degradation.
A network of natural land and riparian habitats will connect corridors for wildlife and species in greatest conservation need - In the Metropolitan Urbanizing Region of Anoka and Isanti Counties, this project will enhance an estimated 20 acres and 1,600 feet of critical habitat in the Rum River Corridor, a key river reach for SGCN, part of the Wildlife Action Network, and a state designated Outstanding Resource Value Water. We will be enhancing a vital habitat corridor (shoreland to floodplain to in-stream) and improving water quality in one of the highest quality metro rivers in the state that is at high risk of degradation
Anoka County, ACD, Anoka County, ACD, WMOs, TNC private and TNC Private