Big Fork River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy Report

The Big Fork River Watershed, located in north-central Minnesota, is part of the Rainy River - Lake of the Woods Basin. It covers 2,073 square miles, and is divided between Itasca (49%) and Koochiching Counties (51%). The Big Fork River Watershed is the second largest U.S. tributary, in terms of area size, in the Rainy River- Lake of the Woods system. The largest tributary to the Big Fork River Watershed is the Sturgeon River, which empties into the Big Fork River Watershed in the northwestern portion of the watershed. The Big Fork River Watershed is located in an isolated part of the state with little land disturbances, and includes the municipalities of Bigfork (population 445), Big Falls (population 232), Effie (population 125), Mizpah (population 56), and Squaw Lake (population 108). There are many unincorporated communities in the Big Fork River Watershed that have populations as large or larger than the incorporated communities in the watershed. There is also a large seasonal flux of community members based upon time of year, summer being the busiest. The river is an outstanding recreational resource, offering fishing and canoeing opportunities for people seeking a northern Minnesota wilderness experience. The Big Fork River Watershed is divided between two ecoregions: Northern Lakes and Forests, and Northern Minnesota Wetlands. The southern portion of the watershed is primarily dominated by mixed forest. The northern portion is woody wetlands and peat bogs. The Big Fork River starts at Dora Lake and meanders north 165 miles to the Rainy River at the Minnesota/Ontario border. The assessment results for the Big Fork River Watershed indicate that the condition of the lakes and streams are good to very good, even though there were a few impairments found. The most widespread impairment found in both lakes and rivers is due to high mercury levels, limiting the human consumption of fish. The remaining impairments throughout the watershed consisted of low dissolved oxygen (DO), fish and macroinvertebrate, and nutrient impairments. Many of the aquatic life impairments are the result of natural conditions within the Big Fork River Watershed. More data needs to be collected in these natural background situations in order to re-categorize them from impaired to natural background.