Southeast Minnesota Protection and Restoration Phase 11
This project will protect approximately 852 acres using conservation easement and fee land acquisition, and restore and enhance approximately 240 acres of declining habitat for important wildlife species. Actions will occur in strategically targeted, resilient corridors of biodiversity significance within the Blufflands of Southeast Minnesota, resulting in increased public access and improved wildlife habitat.
The Southeast Blufflands is Minnesota's most biodiverse region. Some 86 different native plant communities have been mapped by the Minnesota Biological Survey (MBS) in the program area, covering nearly 150,000 acres. These communities provide habitat for 183 rare state-listed plants and animals and more Species in Greatest Conservation Need than anywhere else in the state. These imperiled species are concentrated within 749 Sites of Biodiversity Significance.
Despite this biological richness, only 5% of the region has been protected to date.
The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Minnesota Land Trust (MLT) and The Trust for Public Land (TPL), in partnership, are working to change this circumstance. Through our Southeast Minnesota Protection and Restoration Program, we are working to expand and connect larger contiguous blocks of protected lands, allowing land managers to restore, enhance and maintain high-quality habitats at a scale difficult to accomplish with fragmented ownership. Protecting and managing these lands is not only important for ecological reasons, but also benefits public enjoyment of these lands and the resources they provide. This program is increasing access to public lands to meet the continued high demand for outdoor recreation within the region.
This Program has a long, proven track record of protecting, restoring and enhancing lands that meet both state and local priorities for biodiversity conservation, land access and watershed health. To date, the Partnership has protected 8,797 acres of priority lands and 39 stream and river miles, and has restored/enhanced 2,611 acres of habitat.
This 11th Phase of our Southeast Minnesota Protection and Restoration Program continues this body of work:
1.Conservation Easements. MLT will protect 600 acres of high-quality private land through conservation easements and develop restoration and habitat management plans for eased lands. MLT will identify potential projects within targeted priority areas through an RFP process coupled with local outreach via SWCD offices. This competitive landowner bid process will rank projects based on ecological value and cost, prioritizing the best projects and securing them at the lowest cost to the state.
2.Fee Acquisition. TNC and TPL will coordinate with MN DNR on all potential fee title acquisitions. TNC and TPL will assist the participating DNR Divisions by conducting all or some of the following activities: initial site reviews, negotiations with the willing seller, appraisals, environmental reviews and acquisition of fee title. TNC and TPL will transfer lands to the DNR except when TNC ownership is appropriate. Fee acquisition of forest (113 acres), prairie (133 acres) and 0.9 miles of coldwater trout stream is planned.
3.Restoration and Enhancement. TNC will use a stewardship crew and contractors to restore/enhance approximately 240 acres of bluff prairie, floodplain, riparian habitat and forest within priority complexes of protected lands. Ecological restoration enhancement management plans will be developed in coordination with the DNR staff, landowners and/or hired subcontractors.
$3,675,000 the first year is to the commissioner of natural resources for agreements to acquire lands in fee and permanent conservation easements and to restore and enhance wildlife habitat on public lands and permanent conservation easements in southeast Minnesota as follows: $1,311,000 to The Nature Conservancy; $942,000 to Trust for Public Land; and $1,422,000 to Minnesota Land Trust. $168,000 of the amount to Minnesota Land Trust is to establish a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17. A list of proposed land acquisitions, restorations, and enhancements must be provided as part of the required accomplishment plan.
Large corridors and complexes of biologically diverse wildlife habitat typical of the unglaciated region are restored and protected - We will track the acres of priority parcels protected within the Conservation Opportunity Areas (COA) identified as priorities in regional planning. Success within each COA will be determined based on the percentage of area protected, restored and/or enhanced
Landowners and Private