The Minnesota River is wild, historic and scenic. This report was designed to illustrate the resources that make that assessment appropriate and lay the groundwork for the river's inclusion in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Program. The Minnesota River is considered to be scenic and unique because it flows through the deeply cut valley of Glacial River Warren. the river's preservation is highly impotent due to its recreational opportunities and history. The analysis includes geological and water quality data for the basin. Also included is a list of species that can be found in the river valley.

The Upper Watonwan River was sampled to determine what biological characteristics exist there. It was determined that the major problems facing the river were overland flooding and inability of the channel to handle the heavy spring flows. The major forms of wildlife found within the watershed were pheasants, waterfowl, deer and fur bearers. The report suggests that any activities such as channelization or retention site construction should take into consideration the economic consequences from the loss of hunting dollars

Biological assessment of the Minnesota River Basin was performed partly through the analysis of benthic macroinvertebrate communities. The study sites included mainstem, major and minor tributaries within the watershed. The communities were sampled using Hester-Dendy, kick-net and hand picking techniques. Once the community compositions were sorted they were analyzed using a series of metrics.

The MRAP fish study used the index of Biological Integrity (IBI) and habitat quality to assess the status of the Minnesota River Watershed's fish community and measure pollution impacts to the system. The first consideration the researchers needed to address was the establishment of biological criteria for the Minnesota River Basin. It was determined that an IBI score of 30 would be considered the criteria. 116 sites were then sampled using electrofishing techniques.