St. Croix Watershed Habitat Protection and Restoration Phase 3
Wild Rivers Conservancy, Minnesota Land Trust, and The Trust for Public Land will work in partnership to permanently protect approximately 668 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.
As one of the nation's first "Wild and Scenic" rivers, the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and surrounding watershed is home to a diverse abundance of native flora and fauna, rivaling any other location within the upper Mississippi River Basin. Boasting of high-quality fishing and hunting, as well as hiking, biking, and boating, the Riverway is also a recreation "hot-spot" for the nearby Twin Cities Metro area and upwards of 750,000 of visitors each year.
Despite its "Wild and Scenic" designation, land just outside the thin Riverway boundary remains highly vulnerable. With upwards of 75% of the watershed's brushland and forest habitat in private holdings, the threat of development, fragmentation, and conversion to agriculture is substantial.
The ML19 St. Croix Watershed Habitat Protection and Restoration Phase 1 appropriation marked the beginning of the first ever permanent protection program dedicated solely to the St. Croix River watershed. Since then, partners have quickly learned just how ready landowners are for permanent protection options in such a pristine watershed.
Strategic outreach to landowners within the highest priority areas for habitat, water quality, and recreational opportunities has led to a line-up of people wanting conservation easements, as well as increased interest in selling private land via fee-title for conservation.
To date, the St. Croix Watershed Habitat Protection and Restoration program partnership has four active easement projects totaling over 1,150 acres and one active fee-acquisition project totaling approximately 730 acres. The ML19 funds are largely allocated; moreover, ML21 funds - which will become available in July 2021 - are already largely obligated. The partnership needs additional funding support to continue the program.
Building upon the growing momentum and interest in permanent land protection, we seek to increase the amount of land permanently protected in the St. Croix, resulting in the conservation of well connected, functional forests and rivers that sustain and enhance wildlife habitat. In this partnership consisting of Wild Rivers Conservancy (Conservancy), 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 within landscape.
TPL will protect approximately 234 acres through fee-title acquisition 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 434 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 Conservancy will provide overall program administration and landowner outreach and engagement.
$3,704,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for agreements as follows: (1) $1,449,000 to The Trust for Public Land to acquire land in fee; (2) $2,160,000 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 $192,000 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) $95,000 to the Wild Rivers Conservancy 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
Landowners and Private