Upper Otter Tail Connectivity Project

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has partnered with DNR to replace a highway crossing that seasonally blocks fish migrations. The $6.4 million project will benefit lake sturgeon, walleye, native suckers and recreational users of the Otter Tail State Water Trail.

Encompassing approximately 1,952 square miles, the Otter Tail River is the second-largest Minnesota tributary of the Red River of the North. The Upper Otter Tail Connectivity Project will help reconnect 20 miles of critical spawning habitat to 69 miles of previously reconnected aquatic migratory pathways. Cumulatively, this initiative reconnects over 42,000 acres of lacustrine habitat to critical stream spawning habitat.

The project furthers efforts to reconnect upstream tribal restoration areas to the broader Red River Basin population recovery effort. This will be accomplished by replacing two undersized culverts with two span bridges where the U.S. Highway 10 divided expressway crosses the Otter Tail River. The present culverts create high velocities impassible to fish during the critical spring spawning period. The restored channel will restore fish passage, improve sustainability of culturally significant fish populations for local tribes and contribute to regional transportation improvements.

Project funding is provided by generous contributions from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s America the Beautiful Challenge, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program, Minnesota’s Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council and the Minnesota DNR's fish habitat program.

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