Southeast Minnesota Protection and Restoration Phase 9
This project will protect approximately 1,098 acres using conservation easement and fee land acquisition, and restore and enhance approximately 753 acres of declining habitat for important wildlife species. Actions will occur in strategically targeted areas 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. This program is increasing access to public lands to meet the continued high demand for outdoor recreation within the region.
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 has a long, proven track record of protecting, restoring and enhancing lands that meet both state and local priorities for biodiversity, land access and watershed health. To date, the Partnership has protected 7,457 acres of priority lands and 27 miles of stream, and has restored/enhanced 1,177 acres of habitat.
This 9th Phase of our Southeast Minnesota Protection and Restoration Program continues this body of work:
1.Conservation Easements. MLT will protect 729 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 (217 acres), prairie (152 acres) and 1 mile of shoreline.
3.Restoration and Enhancement. TNC will use a stewardship crew and contractors to restore/enhance approximately 730 acres of bluff prairie, floodplain, riparian habitat and forest within priority complexes of protected lands. MLT will restore and enhance 23 acres of habitat on existing easements, and identify restoration/enhancement priorities on its other existing easement lands in the Southeast. Ecological restoration enhancement management plans will be developed in coordination with the DNR staff, landowners and/or hired subcontractors.
$4,068,000 the first year is to the commissioner of natural resources for agreements as follows: (1) $1,294,000 to The Nature Conservancy to acquire lands in fee for wildlife management under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.05, subdivision 8; for scientific and natural areas under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.05, subdivision 5; for state forests under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.05, subdivision 7; for aquatic management areas under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.05, subdivision 14; and to restore and enhance wildlife habitat; (2) $1,393,000 to The Trust for Public Land to acquire lands in fee for wildlife management under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.05, subdivision 8; for scientific and natural areas under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.05, subdivision 5; for state forests under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.05, subdivision 7; and for aquatic management areas under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.05, subdivision 14; and (3) $1,381,000 to Minnesota Land Trust to acquire permanent conservation easements and to restore and enhance wildlife habitat, of which up to $168,000 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 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
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