MeCC V Supplemental - Critical Land Acquisition - 3.1
Project Outcome and Results
In its Critical Lands Protection Program, The Trust for Public Land (TPL) used $890,000 from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) to secure fee title on portions totaling 50.2 acres of 407 total acquired acres. TPL conveyed these lands to public agencies for permanent protection. Individual project successes include the following:
- TPL spent $552,000 2010 ENRTF funds to protect 10.8 ENRTF acres of land as part of a larger 69-acre purchase of a high biodiversity corridor including forest, bluffland, wetland and rare calcareous fen. TPL conveyed the land to the Department of Natural Resources as the Savage Fen SNA on the Credit River addition in Scott County.
- TPL spent $338,000 2010 ENRTF to protect 39.4 ENRTF acres of land as part of a 338-acre acquisition of one of the largest undeveloped and contiguous tracts of open space in the Twin Cities Metro Area. TPL then conveyed the land to Anoka County. Located at the confluence of Cedar Creek and the Rum River, this land will be managed by the County as the Cedar Creek Conservation Area.
TPL leveraged $890,000 in TPL Metro Conservation Corridors (MeCC) 2010 funding on these projects with $1,090,000 in non-state funds to protect 357 additional pro-rated acres of land. $300,000 of this was non-state public funds and $790,000 of this was from private land value donations. Additionally, $300,000 in state RIM funds were used to protect 5.9 pro-rated acres and $3,400,000 in Outdoor Heritage Funds were used to protect 250.8 pro-rated acres. TPL's 2009 ENRTF funds in the amount of $62,000 and DNR's 2009 and 2010 ENRTF funds in the amount of $358,493 were used to protect 7.2 pro-rated acres and 7.1 pre-rated acres respectively. SNA 2006 bonding dollars in the amount of 289,507 were also used to protect 5.7 pro-rated acres. All acres acquired total 407.
*Please note, since a portion of TPL's 2009 ENRTF funding was used for the Cedar Creek Conservation Area project, a portion of these results was also reflected in TPL's 2009 MeCC Work Program update and Final Report.
PROJECT RESULTS USE AND DISSEMINATION
As conservation transactions were completed, The Trust for Public Land disseminated information on the TPL website, www.tpl.org, broadcast emails to Embrace Open Space (EOS) and TPL list serve members, distributed press releases, and included information in TPL's newsletters as appropriate. TPL also worked with the long-term stewards to ensure information was distributed to their listserves and posted on their websites as well.
$1,750,000 is added to Laws 2009, chapter 143, section 2, subdivision 4, paragraph (f), from the trust fund to the commissioner of natural resources for acceleration of agency programs and cooperative agreements. Of this appropriation, $1,750,000 is for agreements as follows: $890,000 with the Trust for Public Land; $485,000 with Minnesota Land Trust; $325,000 with Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Inc.; and $50,000 with Friends of the Minnesota Valley for planning, restoring, and protecting important natural areas in the metropolitan area, as defined under Minnesota Statutes, section 473.121, subdivision 2, and portions of the surrounding counties, through grants, contracted services, technical assistance, conservation easements, and fee title acquisition. Land acquired with this appropriation must be sufficiently improved to meet at least minimum management standards as determined by the commissioner of natural resources. Expenditures are limited to the identified project corridor areas as defined in the work program. This appropriation may not be used for the purchase of residential structures, unless expressly approved in the work program. All conservation easements must be perpetual and have a natural resource management plan. Any land acquired in fee title by the commissioner of natural resources with money from this appropriation must be designated as an outdoor recreation unit under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.07. The commissioner may similarly designate any lands acquired in less than fee title. A list of proposed restorations and fee title and easement acquisitions must be provided as part of the required work program. All funding for conservation easements must include a long-term stewardship plan and funding for monitoring and enforcing the agreement.
Click on "Final Report" under "Project Details".
Click on "Final Report" under "Project Details".