All Projects

Over the past 20 years, Minneola Township in Goodhue County has experienced uncontrolled flooding events. These floods have caused extensive damage to private property, public roads, and even loss of life. Storing stormwater higher in the watershed will reduce the amount and intensity of these extreme rain events. Ultimately lowering the volume and rate of storm event flows will cause less damage and improve safety. Just as important are the water quality benefits that will accrue and reduce sedimentation
and improve the health of the Zumbro River.

The Little Red Schoolhouse has a long history in Kanabec County. Built in 1882 for $350, it served as the first schoolhouse for School District No. 2 before finding a home on the fairgrounds. The Little Red Schoolhouse is home to children's art displays and a variety of activities. Funds will provide a new roof, repair the ceiling, and make the necessary adaptations to make the building handicap accessible. Additionally, period costumes will be purchased and a teacher will be hired for programming.

The Chicano Latino Affairs Council in collaboration with the Minnesota Humanities Center will use funding to address the education challenges and opportunities faced by Latino students. The central theme and core value is “culture and language matter,” that culture and language is an asset and not a liability. A research project will focus on identifying specific strengths in Latino culture that improve education engagement.

To hire a qualified historian to conduct primary source research on the history of interracial and immigrant communities in Minneapolis.

To hire a qualified consultant to conduct primary source research on the history of PACER Center, Inc., from its founding in 1976 to the present.

To develop an online database to hold biographical information on candidates from state and federal elections throughout Minnesota's history.

To hire a qualified consultant to research the history of Earl Bakken and technological innovation, in preparation for a future exhibit.

To hire qualified professionals to publish a book on the history of Minnesota's breeding birds.

To hire a qualified historian to conduct primary source research on the history of indigenous peoples who lived along the St. Croix River around what is now Scandia and Marine on St. Croix.

To hire a qualified archaeologist to catalog and review collections from the Vosburg site in order to learn more about the Blue Earth Oneota in Minnesota.

This application expands on the competitive "Future of Farming" CWF Grant that Becker SWCD received in 2022. The project builds resilient agricultural systems and achieves non-point source pollution reductions identified by local and regional water quality monitoring and models. This application will focus on the public water system of the Otter Tail River where the City of Fergus Falls draws their drinking water downstream of Becker County. It will also focus on the groundwater vulnerability of the Straight River located in the Crow Wing River Watershed and the Redeye River Watershed.

The Voyageurs Classroom will connect 5,000 Minnesota youth to Voyageurs National Park over three years to learn about its waters, wildlife, forests and skies, and engage in its preservation.

Our project aims to develop free online resources that teach Hmong language and culture to the public. First, printable literacy and cultural decks – for example, flashcards of the Hmong alphabet, or an overview of a prevalent Hmong tradition – available for download on our website. Our second resource include an interactive web app that teaches introductory Hmong language. Users gain literacy skills of consonants, vowels, and grammar, and can also engage in lessons that teach topics such as common greetings, introductions, survival phrases, pronouns, and more.

The grant funded the execution of four maps and the acquisition of ten photographs for reproduction in the book, A Thrilling Narrative of Indian Captivity, which is scheduled for release by the University of Nebraska Press in 2012. The addition of these maps and photos to the educational resources of the Pond Dakota Heritage Society helps to clarify the story of American-Dakota contact, especially in relationship to the 1862 U.S.-Dakota War.

To capture and convey the Muslim experience in Minnesota through oral interviews and photographic portraits.  The Minneapolis Star Tribune detailed the project in a July 2011 article.

The TAP hosts a performance stage for spoken word, karaoke, and live music. Our friends have often never had a chance to be welcomed to a stage, where they are celebrated for their unique talents, and cheered for their courage in availing themselves in a public venue.The TAP also offers opportunities for artists in our community who create works of art in a variety of mediums. Our friends paint, sculpt, sketch, knit, fashion jewelry, and more. They're encouraged to exhibit and sell their artwork at our events and we supply them with everything they need to display their works, at no cost.

Fourteen permanent RIM Easements on 766 acres of high quality, riparian and forested habitat  have been recorded and will provide lasting wildlife habitat. Attempts were made to acquire three tracts in fee title that would have relied on this funding.  The owner of one tract rejected an offer of the certified appraised value.  Acquisition attempts on the other two tracts were discontinued when it became apparent that the planned use of the land as DNR Wildlife Management Area would be incompatible with local government plans for future municipal growth.

The Greater Blue Earth River Basin Alliance (GBERBA), a nine County/SWCD JPO has identified buffers as a basin priority. This initiative will work towards the goal of identifying all DNR protected shoreland in the GBERBA counties without a 50 foot vegetative buffer. Buffer strips protect surface and groundwater from a multitude of pollutants. During stormwater run off events buffers can remove between 50 and 100 percent of nutrients, pesticides, pathogens, and sediment. The estimated sediment reduction for this project is 756 tons per year prevented from entering our waters.

This program will protect and restore/enhance high quality fish, game, and wildlife habitats by developing complexes or corridors of new and/or expansions of MN DNR Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) and/or Aquatic Management Areas (AMA) in the Program area. The proposed The Green Corridor Legacy Program ? Phase II FY2011 appropriation will be a continuation of the Phase I FY2010 appropriations by LSOHC. The Green Corridor Legacy Program fiscal agent is the Redwood Area Communities Foundation (RACF) dba Green Corridor Inc with oversight/management responsibilities by the Green Corridor Inc.

to construct 1.10 miles of new trail to connect Father Hennepin State Park trail system to the Soo Line Trail System

Eight RIM Wetlands applications were selected for funding on 1146.2 acres from this appropriation. In addition 19 RIM-WRP easements, totaling 2,239 acres were funded. Thus a total of 3,385 acres were protected and restored to wetland and grassland habitat. All easements have been recorded. Leverage from other sources of funds was a little over $4.5M.

To develop an increased number of high quality Dakota and Ojibwe immersion teachers.

The Dakhóta Iápi Okhódakichiye will conduct a series of interviews with first language speakers of the Dakhóta language to understand the systematic absence of Minnesota's first language through a Dakhóta lens. The project has three objectives: 1) Understand the systematic absence of the Dakhóta language from Minnesota, 2) Understand language loss and revitalization from a Dakhóta perspective, and 3) Create Dakhóta language curriculum and archive (bilingual) from the transcripts.