St. Croix Watershed Habitat Protection and Restoration Phase 2
The St. Croix River Association, Minnesota Land Trust, and The Trust for Public Land will work in partnership to permanently protect approximately 544 acres of critical wildlife habitat on the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River watershed through fee-title acquisition and conservation easements. The goals of the program are to protect high quality wildlife habitat, improve conservation connectivity, and provide public access for outdoor recreation opportunities.
The St. Croix River is one of the nation's first federally designated ?Wild and Scenic? rivers and is home to a diverse abundance of native flora and fauna, rivaling any other location within the greater Upper Mississippi River basin. It contains large swaths of unspoiled brushland and forest habitat, critical for the survival of game species, non-game species, and threatened populations of wildlife including populations of sharp-tailed grouse and endangered Karner blue butterflies. To the north, pineries provide an abundance of forest products that sustain rural communities, along with seasonal economic boosts from visitors who come for an array of outdoor activities ? from hunting and fishing, to hiking, biking and boating.
Despite its federal protections as a "Wild and Scenic" river, the watershed beyond the Riverway boundary is quite vulnerable. With more than 75% of the watershed's brushland and forest habitat in private holdings, the threat of development, fragmentation, and conversion to agriculture is substantial.
Building upon years of woodland owner outreach and increased interest in private forest stewardship, we seek to increase permanent protection options for landowners that result in the conservation of well connected, functional forests and rivers that sustain and enhance wildlife habitat. In partnership with the Minnesota Land Trust (MLT) and The Trust for Public Land (TPL), we seek to protect large intact forest patches that are managed for complexity; sustain riparian forests that are managed for connectivity; and restore lands that are important to the 128 listed Species in Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) that are known to occur within this landscape.
Funding allocated through Phase I of the St. Croix Watershed Habitat Protection and Restoration program has largely been committed to projects that will be completed within the next year. The partnership is requesting ML 2021 funding for Phase II of the program to continue the important work of permanently protecting some of Minnesota's highest quality habitat.
TPL will protect approximately 244 acres in fee focusing on lands that have been identified as high priority in statewide and regional plans as immediate opportunities for protection. TPL will convey lands to the DNR, except when LGU ownership is appropriate, for permanent ownership, management, and stewardship.
MLT will acquire approximately 300 acres of conservation easements and develop habitat management plans for eased acres. Projects within targeted priority areas will be identified through a competitive RFP process and subsequently ranked based on ecological value and cost, prioritizing the best projects and securing them at the lowest cost to the state. MLT will negotiate and close all conservation easements.
The St. Croix River Association will provide overall program administration and landowner outreach and engagement.
$3,112,000 the first year is to the commissioner of natural resources for agreements as follows: (1) $1,494,000 to The Trust for Public Land to acquire land in fee; (2) $1,493,000 to Minnesota Land Trust to acquire permanent conservation easements and to restore and enhance natural habitat systems in the St. Croix River watershed. Of this amount, up to $144,000 to Minnesota Land Trust is to establish a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17; and (3) $125,000 to the St. Croix River Association to coordinate and administer the program under this paragraph. A list of proposed land acquisitions and permanent conservation easements must be provided as part of the required accomplishment plan.
Forestlands are protected from development and fragmentation - This project will be measured by the acres of high quality forestlands that are permanently protected from development and fragmentation. Protected land will also be evaluated by its proximity to existing public lands as well as connectivity to other protected forestlands.
A network of natural land and riparian habitats will connect corridors for wildlife and species in greatest conservation need - This project will be measured by the acres of wildlife corridors protected and evaluated based on the observed use by wildlife populations and evidence of SGCN
Private and Private Landowner