Reno Bottoms Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project
St. Paul District
Mississippi River, Pool 9 River, Miles 671-682, Houston County, Minnesota, and Allamakee County, Iowa
Partners
Description
Much of the floodplain forest in the 14,000 acre Reno Bottoms project area has been declining in coverage over the past several decades. Current Pool 9 water management and flow through the Lock and Dam 8 embankment have shifted the floodplain forest distribution to higher elevations than pre-impoundment conditions. Without active management, floodplain forest in the Reno Bottoms project area is likely to continue to degrade and lead to the following conditions: increased coverage and dominance of reed canarygrass, increased loss of tree and other native plant species diversity, increased loss of forest structural and age class diversity, loss of forested land cover, increase in floodplain forest habitat fragmentation, decrease in floodplain forest habitat connectivity, decrease in amount of floodplain forest interior habitat, and an increase in cumulative adverse impacts on forest-dependent wildlife species.
The proposed project goals include protecting, maintaining and restoring floodplain hardwood forests to levels that are sustainable. Possible features could include, understory plantings, timber stand improvements, elevation modifications, aquatic dredging, channel manipulation and spillway modifications to improve connectivity.
Quick Facts
- Approximate Acres: 14,000
- Congressional District:
- State(s) Covered: Minnesota
- Land Ownership: Federal
- Management Agency: USFWS
- Management Authority: Refuge
Milestones
- The Fact Sheet was approved in September 2018.
- Planning for this project began in 2019.
- Draft feasibility report is scheduled for 2020.