All Projects

274 Results for
Recipient
MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust Inc; Friends of the Mississippi River, Great River Greening, MN Land Trust, Trust for Public Land
2015 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,210,700
Fund Source

In Phase 5, Friends of the Mississippi River and Great River Greening enhanced 277 acres at six sites, exceeding their goals by 48 acres (21%). The Minnesota Valley Trust acquired fee title to 32.4 acres for two high-priority additions to the Rapids Lake Unit, Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The Minnesota Land Trust and the Trust for Public Land were unable to finalize their easement and fee title acquisitions when landowners changed their minds. OHF grant funds spent were leveraged more than 110% with $1,343,128 in other funds.

Carver
Dakota
Hennepin
Ramsey
Sherburne
Recipient
MVNW Refuge Trust Inc; FMR; GRG; MLT; TPL
2022 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$4,229,000
Fund Source

Metro Big Rivers Phase 11 will protect 185 acres in fee title and 222 acres in permanent conservation easement, restore 49 acres and enhance 187 acres of priority habitat in the big rivers corridors in the Metropolitan Urbanizing Area (643 acres total). The partnership will leverage the OHF grants at least 19% with partner funds, private funds, local government contributions, and landowner donations of easement value. Significant volunteer engagement will be invested in habitat enhancement activities.

Carver
Chisago
Dakota
Hennepin
Ramsey
Scott
Sibley
Washington
Recipient
MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust Inc; Friends of the Mississippi River; Great River Greening; MN Land Trust
2019 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$2,630,000
Fund Source

Metro Big Rivers Phase 8 will protect 100 acres in fee title and 130 acres in permanent conservation easement, and enhance 700 acres of priority habitat in the big rivers corridors in the Metropolitan Urbanizing Area. MBR partners will leverage the OHF appropriation by at least 40% with partner funds, private funds, local government contributions and Clean Water Funds, as well as landowner donations of easement value. Significant volunteer engagement will be invested in many habitat enhancement activities, although not technically counted as leverage.

Anoka
Carver
Dakota
Hennepin
Scott
Sherburne
Sibley
Washington
Recipient
The Conservation Fund
2019 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,174,000
Fund Source

Using the best science and biological data available, this project will protect sites that the DNR and has identified as high priority habitat acquisitions that are vital to support specific wildlife targets in the Metro Section Planning region. The Conservation Fund (TCF) will proactively contact and negotiate land protection with willing landowners in these complexes in coordination with DNR and local conservation groups and local communities to maximize wildlife populations of statewide and local importance.

Anoka
Hennepin
Isanti
Recipient
MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust Inc; Friends of the Mississippi River, Great River Greening, MN Land Trust, Trust for Public Land
2016 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$2,000,000
Fund Source

The Metro Big Rivers (MBR) Partnership successfully completed its work under the Phase 6 / ML2015 OHF appropriation, protecting 485 acres across 5 projects (198% of proposed) and restoring and enhancing a total of 1,055 acres (185% of proposed). The Partnership expended 99% of the OHF funds granted awarded to it and leveraged the grant by 57% with nearly $1,141,000 in other funds.

Carver
Dakota
Isanti
Ramsey
Scott
Sherburne
Wright
Recipient
MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust Inc; Friends of the Mississippi River, Great River Greening, MN Land Trust, Trust for Public Land
2017 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$4,000,000
Fund Source

The Metro Big Rivers (MBR) partners successfully completed their work with the Phase 7 / ML2016 OHF appropriation. MBR exceeded original acreage goals by 14% and completed work on a total of 1,199 acres. Partners protected 145 acres through fee title acquisition and 194 acres through permanent conservation easement, restored 241 acres and enhanced 619 acres.

MBR 7 expended 99% of the OHF funds granted and leveraged the grant by 49% with almost $2 million in other funds.

Anoka
Carver
Chisago
Dakota
Hennepin
Isanti
Ramsey
Sherburne
Washington
Recipient
Great River Greening, MN Land Trust, Friends of Mississippi River, Trust for Public Land, MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Inc.
2012 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$5,000,000
Fund Source

With this final report, Metro Big Rivers Phase 2 is complete and significantly exceeded its original acreage targets of protecting, restoring and enhancing priority wildlife habitat within the three big rivers corridors in the Metropolitan Urbanizing Area. Specifically:
* Metro Big Rivers 2 planned to protect 733 acres, but actually protected 1,430 acres.
* Metro Big Rivers 2 planned to restore 15 acres and enhance 135 acres, but actually restored 15 acres and enhanced 178 acres.

Anoka
Carver
Chisago
Dakota
Ramsey
Scott
Sherburne
Sibley
Washington
Recipient
MN Valley NWR Trust, Friends of Mississippi River, Great River Greening, MN Land Trust, Trust for Pulbic Land
2013 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$3,680,000
Fund Source

Metro Big Rivers Phase 3 protected 67 acres of significant habitat along more than 1 mile of the Mississippi River, restored 8 acres of prairie and enhanced 495 acres of priority habitat (47 wetland acres, 50 prairie acres and 398 forest acres) in the Metropolitan Urbanizing Area.

Anoka
Carver
Chisago
Dakota
Hennepin
Ramsey
Scott
Sibley
Washington
Wright
2021 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$0
2020 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$0
2019 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$0
2018 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$0
2017 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$0
2016 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$0
2015 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$0
2014 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$0
2013 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$0
2012 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,000,000
2011 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$4,000,000
Fund Source

This project will establish a groundwater monitoring network in the 11 county metropolitan area. The network will provide information about aquifer characteristics and natural water trends by monitoring healthy aquifers (non-stressed systems). The project will also develop an automated system that captures groundwater level and water use data. This system will enhance evaluation of changes in aquifers that are stressed by pumping from existing wells.

Anoka
Carver
Chisago
Dakota
Hennepin
Isanti
Ramsey
Scott
Washington
Wright
Sherburne
Recipient
MN National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Inc., Trust for Public Land, Friends of the Mississippi River, Great River Greening
2011 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$2,397,000
Fund Source

The Metro Big Rivers Habitat partnership will work within the Minnesota, Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers and key tributaries of the Metro Urbanizing Area to expand and improve critical habitat for game and non-game wildlife and increase public access to outdoor recreation opportunities. The partnership will use the OHF grant to protect 249 acres (175 acres by fee title acquisition and 74 acres by conservation easement) and restore / enhance 158 acres with OHF and leveraged funds.

Carver
Chisago
Dakota
Ramsey
Scott
Scott
Recipient
City of Morton
2015 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$198,000

Morton, Minnesota is home to many unique natural, cultural, and historic sites, including sites from the US-Dakota War and some of the oldest exposed rock, called Morton Gneiss, on the planet. The City of Morton is using this appropriation to develop a municipal site along the Minnesota River in Morton to be converted into a public canoe landing and campground and a trail connection between the Minnesota River State Water Tail and natural and cultural sites in the area including the Morton Outcrop Scientific and Natural Area.

Redwood
Renville
Recipient
The Nature Conservancy
2020 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,058,000
Fund Source

The Minnesota Forest Recovery Project completed habitat enhancement on 5519 unique acres of public lands in Lake, Cass, Itasca, St. Louis, Cook, and Beltrami Counties. Multiple treatments on some parcels ensured success of enhancement efforts.

Beltrami
Cass
Cook
Itasca
Lake
St. Louis
Recipient
DNR
2020 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$4,573,000
Fund Source

The Minnesota Forests for the Future Program will use $4.573 million in the Northern and Southeast Forest sections to protect and enhance habitat. In the Northern Forest, we propose to protect 1,500 acres with permanent conservation easements and 400 acres in fee title acquisition, and to enhance 100 acres. In the Southeast Forest, we propose to add 100 acres to the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest and enhance 300 acres of existing state forest land.

Becker
Crow Wing
Goodhue
Hubbard
Lake
Morrison
Wabasha
Winona
Recipient
Trout Unlimited
2020 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$2,359,000
Fund Source

Minnesota Trout Unlimited will enhance and restore habitat for fish and wildlife in and along priority coldwater streams located on existing conservation easements and public lands around the state. Trout streams are a relatively scarce resource and increasing threats to them require accelerating habitat work to reduce the backlog of degraded stream reaches. Population outcomes will be maximized by improving the connectivity of habitat and fish and wildlife populations, and building upon work on adjacent sections.

Dakota
Fillmore
Houston
Lake
Pine
St. Louis
Wabasha
Winona
Recipient
MN Trout Unlimited
2014 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$2,470,000
Fund Source

Minnesota Trout Unlimited enhanced in-stream and riparian habitat for trout and other wildlife along more than 11 miles of coldwater streams across the state.  We far exceeded our original targets, enhancing habitat on 135 acres rather than 78.  We completed 16 separate stream habitat projects. Leveraging other funding and efficiently contracting projects allowed us to add habitat projects and adjust to changing conditions. 

Carlton
Cook
Dakota
Fillmore
Lake
Olmsted
St. Louis
Winona
Recipient
MN Trout Unlimited
2015 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,900,000
Fund Source

Minnesota Trout Unlimited enhanced in-stream and riparian habitat for trout and other wildlife along coldwater streams located on public lands and Aquatic Management Area easements across the state.  We completed 12 separate projects encompassing 118 acres and 9.3 miles of stream habitat.  Leveraging other funding and efficiently contracting projects allowed us to increase the scope of some projects and adjust to changing conditions.  We enhanced more acres of habitat and more stream length than originally proposed.    

Becker
Carlton
Cook
Dakota
Fillmore
Lake
St. Louis
Wabasha
Recipient
The Nature Conservancy
2012 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$4,500,000
Fund Source

Goals for Phase 2 of the MN Prairie Recovery Program were to: protect 1200 acres native prairie/savanna; restore 250 acres grassland; enhance 6000 acres grassland/savanna with fire, invasive species removal, and grazing; and continue a new prairie conservation model.

Becker
Big Stone
Chippewa
Clay
Kandiyohi
Kittson
Lac qui Parle
Mahnomen
Marshall
Norman
Pennington
Polk
Pope
Roseau
Stearns
Stevens
Swift
Wilkin
Recipient
MN DNR
2012 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$5,409,000
Fund Source

This Minnesota Forests for the Future project protected 19,439 acres of forest and forested wetlands with perpetual working forest conservation easements in Lake, Itasca and Koochiching Counties ensuring public access, management access and sustainably managed forests.

Itasca
Koochiching
Lake
St. Louis
Recipient
DNR
2022 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$2,971,000
Fund Source

The MN Forests for the Future Program will use $2,971,000 in the Northern, Southeast and Transition Forest sections to protect 1,966 acres of habitat with permanent working forest conservation easements. Phase 8 builds upon past land protection work and focuses on permanently protecting working forests threatened by conversion to non-forest uses. This program will also protect habitat in priority cold-water refuge watersheds by implementing protection strategies identified in local watershed plans.

Becker
Cass
Crow Wing
Hubbard
Lake
Morrison
Rice
Recipient
MN Trout Unlimited
2022 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,033,000
Fund Source

Minnesota Trout Unlimited will enhance and restore degraded habitat for fish and wildlife in and along priority coldwater streams located on existing public lands and conservation easements. Trout streams are a relatively scarce resource. Increasing threats to them require accelerating habitat work to reduce the backlog of degraded stream reaches, improve riparian forests to improve stream flows and temperatures, and buffer streams from larger, more frequent rainfall and flood events. Outcomes will be maximized by improving the connectivity of habitat and fish and wildlife populations.

Cook
Dakota
Fillmore
Goodhue
Lake
St. Louis
Wabasha
Recipient
MN Deer Hunters Association
2019 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,938,000
Fund Source

The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA), in collaboration with county, state, federal, tribal, university and non-governmental organizational (NGO) partners, seeks to continue the successful work of the Moose Habitat Collaborative (Collaborative) by improving nearly 10,000 acres of foraging habitat for moose in northeast Minnesota. The project builds on the Collaborative’s previous efforts to enhance forest habitat by increasing stand complexity and production while maintaining thermal components of the landscape with variable enhancement methods.

Cook
Lake
St. Louis
Recipient
DNR
2019 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,473,000
Fund Source

This Minnesota Forests for the Future project protected 1,947 acres of forest and forested wetlands with 1,478 acres of perpetual working forest conservation easements and 469 acres of fee title acquisition in Cass, Hubbard, Lake and Morrison Counties; ensuring public benefits, management access and sustainable managed forests.

Cass
Hubbard
Lake
Morrison
Recipient
MN Trout Unlimited
2019 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$2,291,000
Fund Source

Minnesota Trout Unlimited and its partners, chapters, and volunteers enhanced habitat for trout, as well as other fish, game and wildlife, in or along more than 9 miles of coldwater streams around the state. We adapting to challenging conditions caused by the pandemic by shifting budget from small projects using hand labor (which was largely unavailable for the past 3 years) to very large scale projects utilizing heavy machinery and extensive habitat materials.

Fillmore
Goodhue
Houston
Olmsted
Winona
Recipient
MN DNR
2010 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$2,100,000

The Minnesota County Biological Survey (MCBS) is an ongoing effort begun in 1987 by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that is systematically surveying, county-by-county, the state's natural habitats. The effort identifies significant natural areas and collects and interprets data on the status, distribution, and ecology of plants, animals, and native plant communities throughout the state. Through 2009 surveys have been completed in 74 of Minnesota's 87 counties and have added nearly 17,000 new records of rare features to the DNR's information systems.

Beltrami
Clearwater
Cook
Koochiching
Lake
Lake of the Woods
St. Louis
Recipient
MN Trout Unlimited
2016 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,890,000
Fund Source

Minnesota Trout Unlimited volunteers, chapters and partners will enhance habitat for fish, game and wildlife in and along numerous coldwater streams on existing Aquatic Management Areas and other public lands around the state, while leveraging approximately $3 million for this.

Dakota
Fillmore
Houston
Hubbard
Lake
St. Louis
Wabasha
Winona
Recipient
DNR
2017 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,839,000
Fund Source

This Minnesota Forests for the Future project protected 3,293 acres of forest and forested wetlands with perpetual working forest conservation easements in Lake and Crow Wing Counties ensuring public benefits, management access and sustainable managed forests.

Crow Wing
Lake
Recipient
Redwood Area Communities Foundation
2012 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,000,000
2013 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,000,000

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Brown
Chippewa
Nicollet
Redwood
Renville
Yellow Medicine
Recipient
The Nature Conservancy
2013 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$4,610,000
Fund Source

The goals for this project were to: protect 1,200 acres native prairie/wetland/savanna; restore 250 acres prairie/wetland; enhance 6,000 acres grassland/savanna with fire, invasive species removal, and grazing; and continue a new prairie conservation model. This phase resulted in a total of 1,425 acres protected, 22,298 acres enhanced, and 110 acres restored. When combined with phases 1 and 2 of the Prairie Recovery Program we have cumulatively protected 4,070 acres, enhanced 58,134 acres and restored 314 acres using OHF funds.

Becker
Big Stone
Chippewa
Clay
Kandiyohi
Kittson
Lac qui Parle
Mahnomen
Marshall
Pennington
Polk
Pope
Roseau
Stearns
Swift
Wilkin
Recipient
Minnesota Deer Hunters Association
2013 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$960,000
Fund Source

The Minnesota Moose Collaborative (Collaborative) has implemented a variety of habitat enhancement treatments across the core of moose range in Northeast Minnesota on County, State, Federal, and Tribal lands since 2013.  Moose browse has been improved through treatments that regenerate preferred brush and tree species. The Collaborative has also planted over two million trees including white spruce, white pine, jack pine, and white cedar.

Cook
Lake
St. Louis
2014 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$0
2013 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,350,000
2012 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,350,000
2011 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$2,800,000
2010 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$2,800,000
Fund Source

This project will create a high accuracy elevation dataset - critical for effectively planning and implementing water quality projects - for the state of Minnesota using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and geospatial mapping technologies. Although some areas of the state have been mapped previously, many counties remain unmapped or have insufficient or inadequate data. This multi-year project, to be completed in 2012, is a collaborative effort of Minnesota's Digital Elevation Committee and partners with county surveyors to ensure accuracy with ground-truthing.

Anoka
Benton
Carlton
Carver
Cook
Dakota
Goodhue
Hennepin
Isanti
Kanabec
Lake
Meeker
Mille Lacs
Morrison
Ramsey
Scott
Sherburne
St. Louis
Washington
Recipient
The Nature Conservancy
2011 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$3,653,000
Fund Source

This program proposes a 15-year goal to provide protection to the remaining 90,000 acres of native prairie/savanna, a 20-year goal to restore and protect an additional 500,000 acres of diverse grasslands/savannas, and a 10-year goal to increase management capacity to annually manage 300,000 acres of grassland and savannas per year. This proposal takes the first steps to achieve these goals by initiating a comprehensive, coordinated and collaborative prairie conservation initiative. Annual investments by the LSOHC will be required to realize these ambitious outcomes.

Clay
Kandiyohi
Kittson
Lac qui Parle
Mahnomen
Marshall
Meeker
Pennington
Polk
Pope
Red Lake
Roseau
Stearns
Stearns
Recipient
DNR
2017 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,023,200
Fund Source

DNR acquired a fee-title parcel designated as an Aquatic Management area in Itasca County.  This acquisition protected 41 acres and exceeded the accomplishment plan goal.  Nine trout stream conservation easements were also added to the AMA system.  Two Forests for the Future easements with a combined total of 171 acres were acquired, achieving protection in priority watersheds while maintaining working forest in private ownership.

Crow Wing
Fillmore
Houston
Hubbard
Itasca
Olmsted
St. Louis
Wabasha
Recipient
MN DNR
2015 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$600,000

Moose, one of Minnesota's prized wildlife species, are dying at much higher rates in Minnesota than elsewhere in North America. Recently observed increases in mortality rates amongst some moose in northeastern Minnesota have led to concern that the population there may be entering a decline like that seen in the northwestern part of the state, where moose populations fell from over 4,000 to fewer than 100 in less than 20 years. Additionally the specific causes of increased mortality amongst individual moose remain under investigation.

Cook
Lake
St. Louis
Statewide
Recipient
MN Deer Hunters Association
2014 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$2,000,000
Fund Source

The Minnesota Moose Habitat Collaborative enhanced approximately 7349 acres of moose habitat in northern forests of Northeastern Minnesota within Cook, Lake and St. Louis counties on county, state, and federal land.

Cook
Lake
St. Louis
Recipient
Ruffed Grouse Society
2022 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,809,000
Fund Source

The Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS), in collaboration with federal, state, county, tribal, university and non-governmental organizational (NGO) partners, seeks to continue the successful work of previous Moose Habitat Collaborative (Collaborative) grants to stabilize/sustain Minnesota's moose population by enhancing ~8,000 acres of cover/forage habitat for moose.

Cook
Lake
St. Louis
Recipient
MN DNR
2016 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$200,000
Beltrami
Kittson
Marshall
Roseau
Recipient
MN DNR
2017 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$600,000
Anoka
Becker
Benton
Big Stone
Blue Earth
Brown
Carver
Chippewa
Chisago
Clearwater
Cottonwood
Dodge
Douglas
Faribault
Fillmore
Goodhue
Grant
Hennepin
Houston
Isanti
Jackson
Kittson
Lac qui Parle
Le Sueur
Lincoln
Lyon
Mahnomen
Martin
McLeod
Meeker
Mille Lacs
Mower
Murray
Nicollet
Nobles
Olmsted
Otter Tail
Pennington
Polk
Pope
Ramsey
Red Lake
Renville
Rice
Rock
Roseau
Sherburne
Sibley
Stearns
Stevens
Swift
Todd
Traverse
Waseca
Washington
Watonwan
Wilkin
Winona
Wright
Yellow Medicine
Recipient
MN DNR
2014 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$750,000

Prior to European settlement more than 18 million acres of prairie covered Minnesota. Today less than 1% of that native prairie remains, and about half of those remaining acres are in private landownership without any formal protection currently in place. Through this appropriation the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will work with private landowners of high quality native prairie sites to protect remaining native prairie using a variety of tools. Approximately 200 acres are expected to be permanently protected through Native Prairie Bank conservation easements.

Norman
Otter Tail
Pennington
Pipestone
Polk
Pope
Red Lake
Redwood
Renville
Rice
Rock
Roseau
Stearns
Stevens
Swift
Traverse
Watonwan
Wilkin
Yellow Medicine
Recipient
The Nature Conservancy
2020 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$2,383,000
Fund Source

The Nature Conservancy and US Fish and Wildlife Service will work together to permanently protect native prairie and associated complexes of wetlands and native habitats in western and central Minnesota by purchasing approximately 705 acres of fee title properties and/or permanent habitat easements. Approximately 350 acres will be native prairie. Work will be focused in areas identified as having significant biodiversity by the Minnesota Biological Survey and located in priority areas in the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan.

Becker
Big Stone
Brown
Chippewa
Clay
Cottonwood
Grant
Jackson
Kandiyohi
Kittson
Lac qui Parle
Lincoln
Lyon
Mahnomen
Marshall
Murray
Nicollet
Nobles
Norman
Otter Tail
Pennington
Pipestone
Polk
Pope
Red Lake
Redwood
Renville
Rock
Roseau
Stearns
Stevens
Swift
Traverse
Wilkin
Yellow Medicine
Recipient
The Nature Conservancy w/USFWS
2021 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$2,295,000
Fund Source

The Nature Conservancy and US Fish and Wildlife Service will work together to permanently protect native prairie and associated complexes of wetlands and native habitats in western and central Minnesota by purchasing approximately 620 acres of fee title properties and/or permanent habitat easements. Approximately 333 acres will be native prairie. Work will be focused in areas identified as having significant biodiversity by the Minnesota Biological Survey and/or the US Fish and Wildlife Service and located in priority areas in the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan.

Becker
Big Stone
Brown
Chippewa
Clay
Cottonwood
Grant
Jackson
Kandiyohi
Kittson
Lac qui Parle
Lincoln
Lyon
Mahnomen
Marshall
Murray
Nicollet
Nobles
Norman
Otter Tail
Pennington
Pipestone
Polk
Pope
Red Lake
Redwood
Renville
Rock
Roseau
Stearns
Stevens
Swift
Traverse
Traverse