Restoration Evaluations Program
This program annually evaluates a sample of up to ten Outdoor Heritage Fund habitat restoration projects and provides a report on the evaluations in accordance with state law (M.S. 97A.056, Subd. 10).
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) are jointly responsible for convening a restoration evaluation panel (REP) of technical experts to annually evaluate a sample of up to 10 habitat restoration projects completed with outdoor heritage funding, as provided in M.S. 97A.056, Subd. 10. Primary goals of the REP reports include improving future habitat restorations in the state and providing for transparency and accountability in the use of Legacy funds. The REP will evaluate the selected habitat restoration projects relative to the law, current science, stated goals and standards in the restoration plans, and applicable guidelines. The program coordinator, as statutorily required, is responsible for both identifying the sample of projects to be evaluated by the panel and providing a report to the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC) and the legislature determining whether restorations are meeting planned goals, identifying problems with implementation of restorations and, if necessary, providing recommendations on improving restorations. As part of the restoration evaluation process, site assessments will be conducted on the selected habitat restoration projects.
In 2011 BWSR and DNR leadership initiated a year-long interagency project, staffed by a project manager and an interdisciplinary team of technical and professional experts, to cooperatively develop recommendations for the formation and implementation of the program, ensuring the effective coordination between the two responsible agencies and consistency in program development. The project team established recommendations for the development and implementation of a Restoration Evaluations Program, including options for administration of the program and recommendations on the process and methods for selecting and evaluating habitat restoration projects and reporting on the panel findings (see attached Development and Implementation of a Habitat Restoration Evaluation Program for Legacy Projects).
In 2012 the DNR hired a full time Restoration Evaluation Coordinator to manage implementation of the program. As directed in statute a restoration evaluation panel (REP) of technical experts was seated. This panel consists of:
Chris Weir-Koetter – DNR, Parks and Trails
Greg Larson – BWSR
Sue Galatowitsch – University of Minnesota
Greg Berg – Stearns County SWCD
Greg Hoch - DNR, Wildlife
Mark Oja – MN NRCS
The first REP meeting was convened in May 2012. At this time annual priorities for the fiscal year 2012 & fiscal year 2013 reports were established. Six Outdoor Heritage Fund projects have been selected for evaluation during the 2012 field season. Two of these evaluations will be reported in the fiscal year 2012 report on October 31st 2012, four will be reported on in the fiscal year 2013 report on June 30th 2013. It is anticipated that up to ten projects will be evaluated and reported on for the fiscal year 2014 report.
This request supports a portion of the interagency Restoration Evaluations Program, which provides for the evaluation of habitat restoration projects completed with funds from the Parks and Trails Fund (M.S. 85.53), Outdoor Heritage Fund (M.S. 97A.056), and Clean Water Fund (M.S. 114D.50) as required by state law.
$45,000 in the first year is to the commissioner of natural resources for a technical evaluation panel to conduct up to ten restoration evaluations under Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 10.