Root River Restoration Project | Restoring a Minnesota River After 100 Years of Erosion

A major milestone has been achieved in the restoration of the Root River near Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center in southeastern Minnesota. This video takes you behind the scenes of a transformative river restoration project designed to reduce erosion, improve water quality, restore fish habitat, and reconnect the river to its natural floodplain. Working alongside partners from Fillmore Soil and Water Conservation District and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Eagle Bluff is helping return portions of the Root River to its historic course for the first time in more than a century. Highlights of the project include: • Construction of a new 3,300-foot river channel • Stabilization of severely eroded riverbanks • Creation of future wetland habitat • Installation of natural woody habitat structures using locally harvested pine trees • Native vegetation plantings for long-term restoration • Educational opportunities for thousands of students and visitors each year This restoration effort is improving habitat for fish, wildlife, and aquatic insects while helping protect the river for future generations. Funding for this project was provided by Minnesota’s Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service through the Driftless Area Restoration Effort coordinated by Trout Unlimited. Learn more about Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center at EagleBluffMN.org. #RootRiver #RiverRestoration #Minnesota #DriftlessRegion #Conservation #HabitatRestoration #EnvironmentalEducation #EagleBluff #TroutUnlimited #DNR #Sustainability