For an overview, check out the project description and other information below. Please contact us if you're interested in volunteering with this project in any way, we can always use the help!

Project Description:  The Sucker River is an important trout stream between Duluth and Two Harbors, Minnesota.  The project area at river mile 9.5 offers easy access to the public, and is the site of a planned conservation easement with the Minnesota Land Trust.  An angling easement exists on the property and for virtually the entire watershed upstream and for 1.75 miles downstream.  The amount of year-round adult trout cover and habitat on the site is a limiting factor in providing a stable brook trout fishery.  River bends that appear brimming with water in spring may be almost dry in mid summer due to the lack of base flow in most North Shore trout streams.  Lack of overhead cover exposes trout to increased predation when they are most vulnerable.  The project addresses this issue by adding woody cover along banks and rock veining to direct low winter and summer flows to appropriate cover areas.  Eroding banks on the site will be stabilized, and non-native reed canary grass, an invasive species, will be removed.  Trees will be harvested on-site and off site for use as woody cover.  Pine logs will root balls attached will be priamrily used. Black ash trees with root balls attached will be used as well. Deciduous tree planting in the riparian corridor, as well as planting of native vegetation in disturbed areas will be conducted. Focus will be on planting areas undereath current black ash stands that will be succeptable to emerald ash borers in the future. Nearly 1300 feet of river will be addressed in this project.

Funding: The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, via Minnesota Trout Unlimited, has provided $30,000 for this project. The MN DNR, MN Trout Unlimited, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), and Namebini are also providing funding.

Timing: Woody cover, rock veining and other stream habitat work will take place in 2010.  Tree planting and fencing as well as invasive species removal are slated for May and June of 2011.

Planning and Assesment: A forest stewardship plan is currently in implementation on site.  An in-stream and riparian habitat plan provided by Interfluve will allow for monitoring of the success of the habitat improvement features of the project. As a portion of this plan, both trout populations and physical habitat characteristics will be initially assessed and monitored long-term.

Physical assesment of the river's geomorphological conditions is being conducted by UMD Geology Professor Karen Gran. Cross-sectional studies will be conducted to assess a wide variety of parameters in sixteen locations in the habitat improvement section. Funding for this ongiong research has been provided by UMD's Center for Community and Regional Research.

Minnesota's DNR Duluth Area Fisheries will be conducting ongoing fish population assesements. These will include surveying the stream in both the section where the habitat improvement is taking place as well as a control section located a substatial distance away from the project site on the Sucker River.

Initial pre-assesments were completed by both groups in 2009. Check out some photos below of their work.