To provide professional development for one staff member at the national American Association for State and Local History Conference in St. Paul, September 17-20, 2014.
Provides grants to Soil and Water Conservation Districts that focuses on increasing capacity to address four resource concern areas?Soil Erosion, Riparian Zone Management, Water Storage and Treatment, and Excess Nutrients.
Many of Minnesota's wetlands have been lost and the remainder degraded. The original proposal planned for 15,000 acres of wetland/shallow lake enhancement to provide critical habitat for each life stage of waterfowl and wetland wildlife. The six projects subsequently completed with this appropriation enhanced 13,800 acres of wetlands and shallow lakes in the Prarie and Forest/Prairie Ecosections of Minnestoa.
The Accelerated Water Quality Project Implementation Program will increase the connection between landowners, local government units and the landscape to accelerate efforts addressing non-point source loading to surface waters throughout the Red River Valley Conservation Service Area.
Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will cooperate to permanently restore and conserve approximately 800 acres of grassland and 400 acres of wetland as Waterfowl Production Areas in western and southern Minnesota. All lands acquired through this grant proposal will be owned and managed by the Service as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
The goal of this phase of the WPA acquisition program was to protect a total of 760 acres of grassland, wetland and other wildlife habitats as Waterfowl Production Areas open to public hunting. Pheasants Forever purchased 11 parcels totaling 1,310 acres of wetlands and grasslands in Minnesota?s prairie region. In addition to exceeding our acre goals, $28,152.10 of grant funds will be returned.
This program will permanently protect approximately 1,246 acres (8.9-miles) of lake and warm water stream shoreline through fee title and permanent easement acquisition. Our program will also secure 54 Acres (3.1-miles) of permanent habitat management easements that include angler access on designated trout streams.
