Pine and Leech Watershed Phase III Targeted RIM Easement Permanent Land Protection
We will partner with the BWSR RIM Easement Program, Hubbard, Crow Wing, and Cass Counties and Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) to protect 610 acres of high-quality private forest, wetlands, and shoreline in the Northern Forest Ecological Section. This project will be successful because of the sophisticated RAQ scoring, integrative parcel selection, proven outreach tactics, SWCD landowner relationships, and BWSR and SWCD RIM partnership. Development trends seriously threaten Cisco, Golden-winged Warbler, Northern Long-eared Bat, Blanding's Turtles, and over 107 unique, rare, endangered, and threatened species that live in these watersheds' uplands, lowlands, and mature forests.
This project will build the success of the 2020 and 2021 Lessard Sam's Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC) Grant with the Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) easements on targeted private forests, wetlands, and shorelines within the Leech Lake and Pine River Major Watersheds (hydrologic unit codes 07010102 and 7010105). The additional funds will help us meet the watershed protection goals.
These watersheds contain:
-1,250 lakes, which cover 354 square miles same size city of Fort Worth, Texas.
-88 lakes with High to Highest Outstanding Biological Significance (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR)).
-92 wild rice lakes.
-29 Cisco lakes.
In 2019, the MN DNR, Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR), and Technical Service Area 8 developed a protection framework based on MN DNR Fisheries Cisco research. The MN DNR identified a strong correlation between lake water quality and habitat that sustains fish populations and maintains 75 percent forest cover in the watershed. The Leech Lake and Pine River Landscape Stewardship Plans (LSP) determined existing protection levels in each 144 minor watersheds and the number of acres needed to achieve the 75 percent protection goal. The Leech and Pine River Comprehensive Watershed Plans (CWP) adopted the 75 percent protection goal and pinpointed private woodlands as essential to preserving. The CWPs identified issues and concerns and developed a targeted and measurable 10-year implementation plan. Both plans recognized conservation easements as a critical tool for protecting priority groundwater, habitat, and surface water. The team developed a methodology for targeting specific large-tract private forested parcels. The process is called RAQ (Riparian, Adjacent, Quality); each parcel is scored on a 0-9 scale:
Riparian: parcel on the river or lake.
Adjacency: to protected lands, i.e., county, state, or federal land.
Quality: Wild Rice, Cisco, and biodiversity.
The most significant risk for development and fragmentation is riparian private forest lands. The RAQ tool prioritizes private parcels adjacent to state or federal lands (protected lands in the model). This will create extensive, long-lasting habitat complexes. The LSPs calculated private ownership as 49 percent and 28 percent, respectively. Over 320,000 high-quality private forest acres (over 20 acres in size) have no protection status within these watersheds. The LSPs and CWPs selected Headwaters, Whitefish Lake, Lower Pine, Little Pine River, Woman Lake, Steamboat River, and Kabekona River (7 of 12 minor Watersheds) for habitat protection. The staff will use RAQ scores to filter 320,000 to 2,280 acres within the minor watersheds.
The LSPs calculated that property values surrounding these high-quality waterbodies are worth over 10 billion dollars. The Pine River and Leech Watersheds have some of the highest-quality lakes and fisheries within the lower 48 States. The tourism industries within Hubbard, Cass, and Crow Wing Counties generate over $421 million in yearly sales (Explore Minnesota 2019). The private lands within these watersheds deserve protection strategies. This project will implement 10 RIM easements to ensure the habitat stays intact and protect the Leech Lake and Pine River Watersheds' local tourism economy and tax base.
$2,242,000 the second year is to the Board of Water and Soil Resources, in cooperation with the Crow Wing County Soil and Water Conservation District, to acquire permanent conservation easements of high-quality forest, wetland, and shoreline habitat. Up to $120,000 of the total amount is for establishing a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17. Subdivision 8, paragraph (b), does not apply to this project. A list of permanent conservation easements must be provided as part of the final report.
Forestlands are protected from development and fragmentation - This project will measure the number acres of forestland, wetlands, and habitat enrolled into RIM easements. We also will measure the number of miles of shoreline protected and the individual minor watershed 1W1P plan percent protection goal. The other evaluation will include scoring sheet for each conservation easement, public meeting evaluation forms, and anecdotal information from landowners on species on their land, habitat value, and might also include cultural resource protection. This project will employ lessons learned from past easement program which include: excellent communication, direct and correct landowner responsibility information, maps, standard payment rate, direct mailing, and partnering meeting