Public Input Sought For Big Lake Habitat Study On Upper Mississippi River

The St. Paul Engineer District is seeking public comments on its draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Lower Pool 4 Big Lake Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement project on the Upper Mississippi River near Wabasha, Minn.

The study area includes Indian Slough, which connects to Big Lake, a backwater lake on the Mississippi River. The project lies within the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. The Big Lake area has experienced loss and degradation of islands and floodplain forest habitat due to erosional forces such as wind and waves. Invasive species such as reed canary grass and flowering rush have also presented problems for the Big Lake area, and declining floodplain forests are unable to naturally regenerate due to invasive herbaceous cover and inundation frequency and duration. The objectives of the project are to:

• protect, enhance, restore or create naturally regenerating, resilient and diverse bottomland forest habitats;

• maintain a balance of coverage and relative abundance of native emergent, rooted floating leaved and submergent aquatic vegetation communities;

• protect, enhance, restore or create flowing channel habitats; and

• protect, enhance, restore or create backwater habitats.

The draft EA can be viewed at www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Home/Public-Notices/. Comments on the draft EA should be submitted no later than November 17 via mail by addressing all correspondence on this project to District Engineer, St. Paul District, Corps of Engineers, ATTN: Regional Planning and Environment Division North; 332 Minnesota St., Suite E1500; St. Paul, MN 55101, or by email  to biglakehrep@usace.army.mil.

The Corps will hold an open house to discuss the Big Lake project from 6 to 8 p.m. November 8 at Wabasha-Kellogg High School, 2113 Hiawatha Drive E., Wabasha, Minn., with a presentation at 6:45 p.m.

The project is part of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration program. The program ensures the coordinated development and enhancement of the Upper Mississippi River system with a primary emphasis on habitat restoration projects and resource monitoring. In the 36-year history of the program, more than 55 habitat projects benefiting approximately 100,000 acres from Minneapolis to St. Louis have been completed.