The Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources are working together to ensure the successful reintroduction of lake sturgeon to the St. Louis River in Minnesota.
"This project is something the DNR has been thinking about for some time," said Daryl Peterson, a Duluth field representative for the Nature Conservancy.
Lake sturgeon were once abundant in the St. Louis River, but overfishing, loss of habitat and pollution took their toll. For most of the 20th century, lake sturgeon were absent from the river.
Efforts to clean up the St. Louis were begun in the 1970s. In 1983, the Minnesota and Wisconsin DNR joined together to reintroduce lake sturgeon. Thousands of fingerlings and fry were introduced between 1983 and 2001, and the first fish released have now reached the age when they will return to the St. Louis River to spawn.
To prepare for the event, the DNR will be constructing suitable spawning habitat just downstream from the Fond du Lac Dam on the St. Lois River.
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For the last two weeks, tons of rock have been dumped along the frozen banks of the St. Louis River. In late summer or early fall, the DNR will begin positioning the boulders and cobble to form a riffle-pool suitable for spawning.
RJS Construction of Superior did all of the hauling work for the project, finishing Monday.
"They did a great job," Peterson said. "Ahead of schedule and under budget, you can't ask for more."
In all, RJS Construction moved about 400 boulders roughly 3 to 5 feet in diameter and a total of 286 cubic yards of smaller rocks from Douglas County.
"We did well," said Nate Grayson of RJS Construction. "We got a couple of nice breaks with the weather and everything just went well."
When planning the project, organizers knew the ground would need to freeze before trucks could begin moving rock along the road. The recent cold snap was just what was needed.
"It was a tight little road, but it held up," Grayson said.
