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Beaver & Brook Trout: BSU research on the North Shore

Aug 22, 2017 02:41PM ● By Editor

A beaver works to improve a dam on a beaver pond.  Photo by Sean Hall, MN DNR

By Bemidji Pioneer staff reports on Aug 19, 2017 at 4:32 p.m.

BEMIDJI—A Bemidji State University graduate student recently completed the first portion of a two-year research project exploring the relationship between beaver habitats and brook trout in the North Shore region.

Kathryn Renik, along with BSU senior Kylie St. Peter, analyzed 30 streams and 10 beaver habitats in a 150-mile stretch of land between Miller Creek near Duluth and a spot about five miles from the Canadian border. Renik will return to Lake Superior's North Shore to complete the project next summer.

The project, a collaboration between BSU and the University of Minnesota Duluth was funded by a $225,000 grant from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources.

According to a news release, little research has been done on the topic along the North Shore. The project will help the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources make sure its beaver management programs will be used only in situations that also help trout.

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