Little Fork River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy Report

The Little Fork RiverWatershed is located in northeastern Minnesota and drains an area of 1,179,520 acres (1,843 square miles). The watershed is the largest watershed by area in the larger Rainy River-Lake of the Woods Basin. From its start, the Little Fork River travels approximately 160 miles before it flows into the Rainy River, 11 miles west of International Falls. The watershed is sparsely populated and commonly referred to as remote and wild. The two major communities in the watershed are Littlefork (population 623) and Cook (population 504). The primary economic activities within the watershed are logging of second-growth timber and tourism. The Little Fork River is designated as a State Water Trail by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The Watershed is divided between two ecoregions, Northern Lakes and Forests (NLFs) and Northern Minnesota Wetlands (NMWs). The southern portion of the watershed is primarily dominated by mixed forest. The northern portion is woody wetlands and peat bogs. Fifty-two percent of the land in the watershed is publicly owned (including several state forests), 44% is privately or corporately owned, and the remaining 4% is Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Reservation land.