Photos: Dam modifications restore wildlife habitat

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Oxbow, ND, USA — Work was ongoing Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, to convert a lowhead dam on the Red River to a spillway dam not far from the Oxbow, N.D., Country Club. Retrofitting dangerous dams on the Red River will improve fish habitat and boater safety. River ecologists Neil Haugerud, left, and Luther Aadland, both of whom work for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources monitor boulder placement. (MPR Photo/Ann Arbor Miller) link to this photo

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Oxbow, ND, USA — The boot prints of river ecologists create a path in the snow on the Red River near Oxbow, N.D. Nearby workers are using excavators to place boulders in the river to build a spillway dam. (MPR Photo/Ann Arbor Miller) link to this photo

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Oxbow, ND, USA — An excavator bucket taps a boulder in to place on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, as part of a project to retrofit dangerous dams on the Red River near the Oxbow, N.D., Country Club. This project and others like it will improve fish habitat and boater safety, according to officials with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. (MPR Photo/Ann Arbor Miller) link to this photo

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Oxbow, ND, USA — River ecologist Luther Aadland of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources maneuvers a survey rod into position in the Red River on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, near the Oxbow, N.D., Country Club. Efforts to convert this dam into a spillway dam are underway and will ultimately make this stretch of river safer for boaters while also improving fish habitat. (MPR Photo/Ann Arbor Miller) link to this photo

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Oxbow, ND, USA — Steam rises above open water on the Red River near the Oxbox, N.D., Country Club on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012. Tons of boulders like those visible here are being carefully placed to create a spillway dam, which officials say will prove safer for boaters and improve fish habitat. This is just one of several locations where river dams have been or are being retrofitted. (MPR Photo/Ann Arbor Miller) link to this photo

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Oxbow, ND, USA — Work was ongoing Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, to convert a lowhead dam on the Red River to a spillway dam not far from the Oxbow, N.D., Country Club. Retrofitting dangerous dams on the Red will improve fish habitat and boater safety. River ecologists Luther Aadland, left, and Neil Haugerud with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources were on hand to monitor boulder placement and oversee the project. (MPR Photo/Ann Arbor Miller) link to this photo

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Oxbow, ND, USA — River ecologist Luther Aadland of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources checks boulder placement in the Red River on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, near the Oxbow, N.D., Country Club. Efforts to convert this dam into a spillway dam are underway and will ultimately make this stretch of river safer for boaters while also improving fish habitat. (MPR Photo/Ann Arbor Miller) link to this photo

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Oxbow, ND, USA — Two excavators maneuver boulders into place on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, as part of a project to retrofit dangerous dams on the Red River near the Oxbow, N.D., Country Club. This project and others like it will improve fish habitat and boater safety, according to officials with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. (MPR Photo/Ann Arbor Miller) link to this photo