Mille Lacs Lake Watershed and Upper Rum River Watershed Coordinator
This grant will fund the creation of a new Coordinator position with a primary focus on the Mille Lacs Lake subwatershed. Although not currently impaired, the Lake faces increasing development and land use pressure. Implementation of protection strategies is essential to the Lake's long-term health but current staffing does not allow sufficient time to be spent on project development and outreach to identify interested landowners. The Coordinator's principle activity will be implementation of the Mille Lacs Lake Watershed Management Group's Lake Stewardship Program which incentivizes increased water quality protection using recognition and financial assistance.
Annie Felix-Gerth
$6,000,000 the first year and $6,000,000 the second year are for targeted local resource protection and enhancement grants and statewide program enhancements for technical assistance, citizen and community outreach, and training and certification, as well as projects, practices, and programs that supplement or otherwise exceed current state standards for protection, enhancement, and restoration of water quality in lakes, rivers, and streams or that protect groundwater from degradation, including compliance.
After engaging in outreach activities and enrolling landowners in the Lake Stewardship Program, there will be greater awareness of the role each landowner and citizen has in protecting the water quality in Mille Lacs Lake and the larger watershed. Such kn
This project has resulted in an estimated annual reduction of 8.11 pounds of Phosphorus, 6.22 tons of Sediment, .08 tons of Soil Loss.
LOCAL LEVERAGED FUNDS