DNR completed nine stream habitat projects with this appropriation. Four fish passage projects opened up access to 180 miles of river and 13,521 acres of lake and wetland habitat. We enhanced habitat on 39 Aquatic Management Areas, totalling 1440 acres, through the efforts of four positions funded by this appropriation. It also funded two stream habitat positions that oversaw the completion of 23 DNR projects and over 50 partner-lead projects funded by various OHF sources.
Work resulting from this appropriation resulted in the acquisition, development, and inclusion of 2,095 acres into the state Wildlife Management Area (WMA) system, 74 acres into the the state Scientific and Natural Area system, and through easement acquisition added 387 acres to the state Native Prairie Bank.
The following table provides a short summary of the accomplishments under this appropriation. In total, the DNR enhanced and restored 283 sites for a total of 17,087 acres.
We used a programmatic approach to achieve prioritized aquatic habitat protection, restoration, and enhancement for lakes, trout streams, and rivers across all LSOHC planning regions of Minnesota.
With this appropriation, the DNR enhanced and restored over 11,700 acres of public lands or permanently protected private lands under easement. Projects under this appropriation included prescribed fire, prescribed or conservation grazing, woody removal, and enhancing plant diversity. With this appropriation we were able to exceed our target acreage by 38 percent.
DNR modified six dams to allow fish passage and enhanced in stream habitat on two rivers with this appropriation. Also, habitat enhancement project were completed on 28 Aquatic Management Areas and three metro parks, totaling 1,002 acres. Stream habitat work for this appropriation and LSOHC-funded projects from other appropriations was aided by funding for a stream restoration coordinator and interns. These positions aided in public outreach, survey work, design, permitting, contracting, and coordination with project partners on these complex projects.
We will use a programmatic approach to achieve prioritized aquatic habitat protection, restoration, and enhancement of lakes and streams across all the LSOHC planning regions of Minnesota.
Acquire 910 acres of high priority habitats for designation as Wildlife Management Areas or Scientific & Natural Areas emphasizing Prairie Conservation Plan implementation and coordinating with partners. All lands will be open for public hunting, fishing and trapping.
We restored 2,081 acres of grassland and enhanced 42,425 acres of grassland for a total of 44,506 acres of wildlife habitat across 329 sites with these funds.
The 1901 Dodd Ford Bridge, a significant contributor to the development of Amboy, was slated for replacement by Blue Earth County. Federal funds were sought by the County for the project. This initiated section 106 and 4(f) reviews, which concluded that it would be prudent and feasible to renovate the bridge on site. However, more specific data is required about the historic bridge renovation program and costs. The grant money assisted in funding the hire of a consultant to examine costs and methods to restore and preserve the 1901 Dodd Ford Bridge.
This project replaced bridge #4 on the Douglas State Trail. A grant from the Federal Recreation Trail Program contributed funding towards this project, and leveraged the Legacy funding.
For this project, eahpro is interested in focusing efforts in obesity prevention and chronic diseases through amplification and celebration of Somali arts, culture and heritage in Minnesota, because different Somali dances are exercise which help to prevent obesity and chronic disease. If we get help from Minnesota humanities center (MHC) we will create multicultural event and dinners to show different communities how Somali culture and heritage and dance are important and can be part of prevention of chronic diseases.
to construct a multi-use path forming a continuous, regional path between Viola Road Trail and Towne Club Road Trail, with interconnection to Quarry Hill Nature Center and future connection to Chester Regional Trail
The Why Treaties Matter exhibit made possible by previous Legacy funding explores the relationships between Minnesota's Dakota and Ojibwe tribes and the United States Government. The Minnesota Indian Affairs Council and the Humanities Center will take the work and impact of the exhibit deeper by creating a curriculum to complement the exhibit.
Improving the educational achievement of Minnesota's students is a strategic priority for MNHS. The Educational Achievement initiative allows MNHS to create partnerships with three school districts--one rural, one suburban and one urban--and evaluate how a variety of educational programs measurably improve student achievement across multiple grade levels over multiple years.
Partners: Northland Schools, Remer, and Washington Technology Magnet School, St. Paul
Improving the educational achievement of Minnesota's students is a strategic priority for MNHS. The Educational Achievement initiative allows MNHS to create partnerships with two school districts
Partners: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU), University of Minnesota (U of M), Minneapolis Public Schools, St. Paul Public Schools
Through this program, partners are extending the reach of National History Day in Minnesota. MNHS professional staff members coordinate school services with an emphasis on support for students from diverse backgrounds. Higher education partnerships help build college readiness skills for middle and high school students and strengthen the mentoring skills of Minnesota college students.
To improve public accessibility at the James J. Hill Reference Library, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, to better comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Heartland Democracy will partner with Commonbond’s Skyline Tower’s Teen Program to engage a cohort of teenagers who are primarily Somali- and Ethiopian-American in the Empowering U program—discovering their own motivation to engage in civic affairs, along with the tools to do so.
MNHS strives to attract high school interns from underrepresented communities to encourage engagement and diversify the institution. Legacy funds supported four high school-age gallery assistants in spring 2016. These students received professional on-the-job experience interacting with visitors in the History Center galleries and at public events. Students contributed more than 300 hours to MNHS. Fifty percent of these students were from communities of color.
The Summer Legacy program supported four gallery assistants, beginning in FY16 and continuing into FY17.
This program enhanced 10,583 and restored 198 acres for a total impact of 10,781 acres by restoring wetlands, removing invasive trees, seeding prairies, prescribed burning, and installing infrastructure for conservation grazing. These practices took place on Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA's), and Wildlife Management Areas (WMA's) in the prairie, metro and the forest/prairie transition regions of Minnesota. We exceeded our acre goals in every category, brought $45,768.51 in match funds, and are returning $833.50 in funds.
6289 acres of grassland and wetland habitat will be enhanced through this proposal to increase the productivity of game and non-game upland species on Minnesota lands open to public hunting including Wildlife Management Areas (WMA), Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA), and National Wildlife Refuges (NWR). We will accomplish this by working with our partners to follow best practices to conduct wetland restorations, conservation grazing, invasive tree removal, prescribed fire, and diversity seeding in the prairie, forest/prairie transition, and metro regions.
To hire a qualified and experienced HVAC engineer to evaluate current system preparatory to better control of the Clearwater County History Museum environment
To hire a qualified and experienced HVAC engineer to evaluate how well the current system controls the environment of the Augsburg University archives.
A comprehensive report, including three options for new service, was developed by a consortium of professionals for a new HVAC system for the Plummer House of the Arts. This group of professionals consisted of an AIA/LEED certified architect, an HVAC engineer, an historical consultant and a forester. The Henry S. Plummer House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and contains pieces of art and furnishings requiring museum quality climate control.
