As rivers wind and cut new paths across the landscape, they leave behind curved depressions called "oxbows". Though these old segments of river channel have been cut off, they continue to serve important hydrologic and ecological functions. In natural settings, they hold water to reduce flooding and provide seasonal wetland habitat. Often, due to ditching, these oxbows are artificially separated from the river during high water, or drained so they do not hold water as long.

ACD staff are in the process of implementing two oxbow enhancement projects along the Rum River. The first is at a new conservation easement near the City of Princeton. The second is in Rum River Central Regional Park in Ramsey, MN. The two oxbows are impacted differently but will provide similar benefits once complete. 

The oxbow near Princeton has historically been separated from the river via an artificial berm. This berm prevented the river from flooding into the surrounding farm field during periods of high water. This berm improved farm access for planting, but it kept the oxbow dry except during severe flood events. The landowner has placed the field under a conservation easement, with plans to restore the area to prairie and woods. We have partnered with Isanti SWCD, USFWS, and The Nature Conservancy to create a stabilized connection point through the berm that will allow the river to flood into the oxbow every two to five years instead of every fifty.

The Rum River Central Regional Park oxbow is impacted in the opposite way as the Princeton oxbow. This oxbow frequently floods from high river levels, but it was ditched to the river to drain as quickly as possible. We are partnering with Anoka County Parks to install risers on the culverts along the historical ditch, raising the elevation and the duration of water retention. Rather than allowing this oxbow to flood more frequently, we are helping it retain water for longer.

Stay tuned for project updates and photos as construction begins later this year! For more information, contact Jared Wagner, Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

It is easy to recognize large, eroding riverbanks as a problem. Along the Rum River, which flows through the Anoka Sand Plain, twenty-foot-tall cliffs along outer bends are not an uncommon sight. Stabilizing these banks protects the land behind them and keeps soil and nutrients out of the river. Exactly how to approach stabilization is a balancing act unique to each site. 

At the most extreme, steel and concrete walls are used to protect valuable infrastructure and roads. Rock riprap is a common practice employed to protect homes near eroding shorelines. In some cases, particularly where no infrastructure is at risk, a vegetative approach can be best. These vegetative approaches often require less equipment and cost much less than hard armoring, and they provide additional habitat benefit for wildlife.

At a new conservation easement along the Rum River in Isanti County, we employed crew members from Conservation Corps MN & Iowa to plant 600 live willow and dogwood cuttings along the toe of an eroding Rum Riverbank. The riverbank is far from any homes or infrastructure. The land behind the riverbank was a corn field that will be planted with native vegetation. Because the risk of loss at this site is so minimal, we opted for a soft, natural approach over expensive hard armoring. The hope is that the planted stakes will take root and grow, establishing dense tree cover along the lower slope. The upper slope will continue to shift until it reaches equilibrium, but if the toe remains in place, the bank will have a chance to heal and fully revegetate over time. Because the investment of time and materials was so low, we can try again if the stakes die from flooding or drought. 

For more information, contact Jared Wagner, Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Dellwood River Park offers ample opportunities to walk in nature, fish from the shore, or enjoy the view just outside of the City of St. Francis. In 2023, ACD installed bendway weirs to deflect erosive flow off the riverbank. These rock weirs protect the trees along the shore, improve water quality, and provide excellent fishing opportunities. Over the coming years, ACD and the City of St. Francis will work together to further enhance habitat in the park by managing invasive species and restoring native vegetation.

~7 acres of open space currently dominated by invasive smooth brome and reed canary will be restored to native prairie and ~10 acres of woodland will be managed for buckthorn to include a native understory. The habitat enhancement will be funded with grant dollars from the Outdoor Heritage Fund of the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment, as well as matching dollars and continued maintenance by the City. Stay tuned for continued updates!

For more information, contact Jared Wagner, Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

This October held the 2025 annual joint meeting of the Lake George Improvement District and Lake George Conservation Club. Members, as well as representatives from ACD, MNDNR, and Lake Restorations Inc., gathered to discuss lake water quality monitoring, aquatic vegetation management efforts, and cost-share opportunities for shoreline enhancement. A couple of highlights from this year include:

• Curly leaf pondweed, a prolific invasive plant, has been almost non-existent in vegetation surveys in recent years. A few plants were found in mid-summer 2025, so management of this plant, along with Eurasian watermilfoil, will continue.
• The native plant community remains robust, with some species of native pondweeds transitioning from non-existent in 2018 to prevalent in 2025, according to the MNDNR vegetation survey data.
• New lakeshore cost-share opportunities will be available next year. Outreach will begin this coming winter or spring. The goal of these projects is to mitigate shoreline erosion using bioengineering practices with rock only as needed.

A third proposal for habitat enhancement in the Rum River Corridor was selected for funding by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. Numerous project partners plan to use these Legacy Amendment funds to enhance 27 acres of wildlife habitat and almost a quarter mile of streambank and fish habitat from the Rum's beginnings at Lake Mille Lacs to the Rum's confluence with the Mississippi River in the City of Anoka. State funds from the Outdoor Heritage Fund, part of the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment, will total $1,356,000, with an additional $150,000 in matching funds provided by partner organizations. The grant period is five years from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2030. 

The Rum River Corridor is critical for habitat and species richness for Species in Greatest Conservation Need, including Blanding's Turtle and two native mussel species. It is also part of the Wildlife Action Network in Minnesota's Wildlife Action Plan. Phase 3 builds upon the successful implementation of Phase 1 and the ongoing enhancements to the Rum River habitat in Phase 2. The partnership has expanded to address this critical and valuable wildlife corridor as a whole, extending beyond the borders of Anoka County, where Phase 1 began.

For more information, check out the links below or contact Jared Wagner, Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment
Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council

Outdoor Heritage Fund