Perch Lake Landing
Project Status: Planning
Project Overview:
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Land Trust are working to restore fish and wildlife habitat at Perch Lake, which was once a bay of the St. Louis River. Highway 23 and the Marten Trail will remain open during the project, but users should be aware of the additional traffic in the area and give construction vehicles room to operate safely. Construction of the railroad and Highway 23 embankment greatly reduced the lake’s connection to the river and resulted in low oxygen levels and shallow water depths from accumulated sediments, hindering movement for fish and wildlife.
Now that habitat restoration is well underway, the City has begun planning for future implementation of access improvements at Perch Lake.
Project Update:
The City has accepted a subgrant of $156,600 from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) through the MN Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to support future access improvements at Perch Lake. The DNR received a GLRI grant to implement restoration of deep-water habitat within Perch Lake and channel connectivity between the Lake and St. Louis River to improve water quality. The restoration work is well underway and the subgrant to the City will allow Parks & Recreation to implement site access improvements so that the community and visitors are able to enjoy the restored area. The funding will support the purchase of a new accessible kayak launch and final design for future implementation at the Landing.
Important Documents:
For more information about the habitat restoration project and contact information for project managers click here
