Straight River (central Minnesota)
Encyclopedia
The Straight River is a tributary
of the Fish Hook River
, 23 miles (37 km) long, in north-central Minnesota
in the United States
. Via the Fish Hook, Shell
, and Crow Wing
Rivers, it is part of the watershed
of the Mississippi River
, draining an area of approximately 60 mi2 in a rural region. The river is known as one of Minnesota's best trout
fishing
streams.
The river's name is a translation of the Ojibwe name for Straight Lake, through which the river flows near its source.
and Two Inlets State Forest, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of Pine Point
in Pine Point Township
in northeastern Becker County
. It flows initially southeastwardly, passing through Straight Lake, then east-southeastwardly into southwestern Hubbard County
. It flows into the Fish Hook River in Hubbard Township
, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Park Rapids
. The river flows in the Northern Lakes and Forests ecoregion
, which is characterized by conifer and hardwood
forests on flat and rolling till plain
s and outwash plain
s.
The Straight River is fed by spring
s which provide water cold enough to support an abundant trout
population, and is known in sport fishing for catches of brown trout
exceeding 20 inches (50.8 cm) in length. The river formerly supported a population of brook trout
which declined due to rising water temperatures. In the early 1990s a group of organizations including Trout Unlimited
sued
the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
, seeking heightened protection of the Straight River; the department has since begun scrutinizing the irrigation
activities of agricultural operations in the river's watershed, which may threaten the springs feeding cold water to the river.
's stream gauge
in Straight River Township
near Park Rapids, the annual mean flow
of the river between 1987 and 2005 was 60.8 ft3 per second. The highest recorded flow during the period was 149 ft3 per second on . The lowest recorded flow was 21 ft3 per second on .
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Fish Hook River
Fish Hook River
The Fish Hook River, also spelled Fishhook River, is a tributary of the Shell River, nine miles long, in north-central Minnesota in the United States. The river's source, Fish Hook Lake, collects short tributaries known as the Portage River and the Potato River...
, 23 miles (37 km) long, in north-central Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Via the Fish Hook, Shell
Shell River (Minnesota)
The Shell River is a tributary of the Crow Wing River, 45 miles long, in north-central Minnesota in the United States. Via the Crow Wing River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining a rural region....
, and Crow Wing
Crow Wing River
The Crow Wing River is a tributary of the Mississippi River approximately in length. The river arises in a chain of 11 lakes in southern Hubbard County, Minnesota and flows generally southeast, entering the Mississippi at Crow Wing State Park, northwest of Little Falls, Minnesota. Its name is a...
Rivers, it is part of the watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, draining an area of approximately 60 mi2 in a rural region. The river is known as one of Minnesota's best trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
streams.
The river's name is a translation of the Ojibwe name for Straight Lake, through which the river flows near its source.
Geography
The Straight River rises in the White Earth Indian ReservationWhite Earth Indian Reservation
The White Earth Indian Reservation is the home to the White Earth Nation, located in northwestern Minnesota. It is the largest Indian reservation in that state...
and Two Inlets State Forest, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of Pine Point
Pine Point, Minnesota
Pine Point is a census-designated place in Becker County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 337 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
in Pine Point Township
Pine Point Township, Minnesota
Pine Point Township is a township in Becker County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 419 as of the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 35.8 square miles , of which 34.4 square miles is land and 1.4 square...
in northeastern Becker County
Becker County, Minnesota
Becker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 32,504. Its county seat is Detroit Lakes. A portion of the White Earth Indian Reservation extends into the county.-History:...
. It flows initially southeastwardly, passing through Straight Lake, then east-southeastwardly into southwestern Hubbard County
Hubbard County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,376 people, 7,435 households, and 5,345 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile . There were 12,229 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
. It flows into the Fish Hook River in Hubbard Township
Hubbard Township, Hubbard County, Minnesota
Hubbard Township is a township in Hubbard County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 786 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water...
, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Park Rapids
Park Rapids, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,276 people, 1,476 households, and 788 families residing in the city. The population density was 547.5 people per square mile . There were 1,616 housing units at an average density of 270.1 per square mile...
. The river flows in the Northern Lakes and Forests ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
, which is characterized by conifer and hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
forests on flat and rolling till plain
Till plain
A till plain is an extensive flat plain of glacial till that forms when a sheet of ice becomes detached from the main body of a glacier and melts in place depositing the sediments it carried. A till plain with irregular topography is referred to as a ground moraine.-See also:*Glacial till plains...
s and outwash plain
Sandur
A sandur is a glacial outwash plain formed of sediments deposited by meltwater at the terminus of a glacier.- Formation :Sandar are found in glaciated areas, such as Svalbard, Kerguelen Islands, and Iceland...
s.
The Straight River is fed by spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
s which provide water cold enough to support an abundant trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
population, and is known in sport fishing for catches of brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
exceeding 20 inches (50.8 cm) in length. The river formerly supported a population of brook trout
Brook trout
The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
which declined due to rising water temperatures. In the early 1990s a group of organizations including Trout Unlimited
Trout Unlimited
Trout Unlimited is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of freshwater streams, rivers, and associated upland habitats for trout, salmon, other aquatic species, and people. Often contracted as "TU," the organization began in 1959 in Michigan...
sued
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is the agency of the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with conserving and managing the state's natural resources. The agency maintains areas such as state parks, state forests, recreational trails, and recreation areas as well as managing minerals,...
, seeking heightened protection of the Straight River; the department has since begun scrutinizing the irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
activities of agricultural operations in the river's watershed, which may threaten the springs feeding cold water to the river.
Flow rate
At the United States Geological SurveyUnited States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
's stream gauge
Stream gauge
A stream gauge, stream gage or gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water surface elevation and/or volumetric discharge are generally taken and observations of biota may also be...
in Straight River Township
Straight River Township, Minnesota
Straight River Township is a township in Hubbard County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 662 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 35.3 square miles , of which, 34.3 square miles of it is land and...
near Park Rapids, the annual mean flow
Discharge (hydrology)
In hydrology, discharge is the volume rate of water flow, including any suspended solids , dissolved chemical species and/or biologic material , which is transported through a given cross-sectional area...
of the river between 1987 and 2005 was 60.8 ft3 per second. The highest recorded flow during the period was 149 ft3 per second on . The lowest recorded flow was 21 ft3 per second on .