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.
Diverse habitat is critical to sustaining quality fish populations in lakes and rivers. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) will complete nine fish passage projects to restore habitat connectivity for fish and other aquatic life, and restore reaches of five different rivers, creating nine miles of diverse aquatic habitat. Though the actual footprint of fish passage projects is relatively small, these projects will reconnect over 10,000 acres of lake and river habitat.
Undersized or improperly designed culverts often create barriers to critical cold water habitat needed to sustain robust Brook Trout populations along Minnesota's North Shore of Lake Superior streams in a changing climate. Protecting and restoring connectivity to the highest quality remaining habitat for Brook Trout is critical to continue populations into the future and is a cost effective strategy to increase resiliency to a changing climate.
Minnesota's iconic northern forests, wetlands, and brushland habitats require management beyond basic forestry practices or at smaller scales than commercial operations work. Other enhancements, such as brushland shearing or mowing have low commercial value but high wildlife value. These additional habitat enhancements improve the quality of the forests for both wildlife and outdoor recreation.
Grasslands continue to be the most threatened habitat in the state. This programmatic request will build on the DNR's history of enhancing and restoring grasslands, embedded wetlands, and oak savannas to increase wildlife populations. The Prairie Plan, Pheasant Plan, and Wildlife Action Plan will guide our efforts to ensure we are operating in a strategic and targeted manner.
MNDNR's St. Louis River Restoration Initiative (SLRRI) is a collaborative program enhancing and restoring the St. Louis River estuary. This 12,000 acre estuary is a unique resource of statewide significance. SLRRI's vision for the estuary includes diverse, productive, and healthy aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems of the river and watershed. Through SLRRI Phase 9 MNDNR and MLT will restore or enhance an additional 90 acres of priority aquatic, wetland, and forested habitat for important fish, game, and SGCN.
Acquire approximately 230 acres of high priority habitat for designation as Wildlife Management Area or Scientific and Natural Area in the LSOHC Prairie, Forest/Prairie Transition, and Northern Forest Planning Sections emphasizing Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan, Conservation That Works, 3.0 WMA and AMA Acquisition & Management Strategic Plan and, SNA Strategic Land Protection Plan with priority given to sites of high and outstanding biodiversity significance by the Minnesota Biological Survey.
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.
to construct 30 miles of beginner/intermediate natural surface singletrack trail purpose built for mountain biking at Lester Park, Mission Creek, Piedmont, and Brewer Park areas of Duluth
Native Prairie Bank will help landowners conserve native prairie though outreach to 10,000 landowners and practitioners, restoration and enhancement of 870 acres, and protection of 600 acres through conservation easements.
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
To provide real world economic results of cover crops and alternative tillage implementation. Environmental benefits do not have to come at a cost of bottom line profitability.
This work will provide a more comprehensive assessment of the ecological hazards associated with quinone outside inhibitor (QoI) fungicides and their major environmental transformation products
Climate change has and will have profound effects on Minnesota’s economy, agriculture, tourism, and natural resources. While climate change is often discussed in the broader contexts of its potential impacts at a national or international level, research has shown that climate change education and behavior change happens more effectively when the issue is made local and relevant.
The Parks and Trails Division is creating innovative programs to attract new audiences to Minnesota state parks and trails. Skill-building programs, such as "I Can Camp!," provide a trial opportunity by eliminating the barriers of needing to have pre-existing knowledge or gear for the activity.
Elm Creek Restoration Phase IV is a in-stream habitat restoration project that includes 3,670 linear feet of stream bank restoration upstream of Mill Pond Lake
to construct a solar powered potable water supply which will consist of a potable water supply well, solar pump and DC motor, on-site solar panel mounted to an adjacent frame and to the batteries used to power the pump motor with a user on/off switch at w
to construct a new sustainable single track trail in the Elm Creek Park Reserve for mountain bikers, hikers, trail runners and snowshoers that has two difficulty levels
This education project will build the next generation of conservationists in Minnesota by engaging youth and adults in science and outdoor learning through radio, podcasts, citizen science and schoolyard exploration.
We will increase community awareness of natural resources through directed outreach and engagement targeting a diverse audience that more accurately reflects the community in which we are restoring natural areas.
5000 acres of grassland and wetland habitat will be enhanced or restored through this proposal to benefit upland dependent species on Minnesota lands open to public hunting. These include 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.
Minnesota Trout Unlimited will enhance and restore degraded habitat for fish and diverse wildlife in and along priority trout streams located on existing public lands and conservation easements in the Metro area and southeast Minnesota. Increasing threats to these highly prized, yet relatively scarce, resources require accelerating habitat work to reduce the backlog of degraded stream reaches and buffer streams from the increased frequency and intensity of large rainfall and flood events.
6,870 acres of grassland and wetland habitat will be enhanced or restored through this proposal to benefit upland dependent species on Minnesota lands open to public hunting. These include 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.
This program enhanced 10,064.8 and restored 50.7 acres for a total impact of 10,115.5 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 and the forest/prairie transition regions of Minnesota.
In this phase of the Enhanced Public Lands - Grassland program, Pheasants Forever (PF) will enhance or restore 4,000 acres of upland and wetland habitat. The goal of this program is to improve habitat on existing Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs), and National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) that are open to public hunting. PF does this by working with agency partners to develop restoration and enhancement plans and hiring local, private contractors to complete work.
