The future of three state listed fish are at risk in 30 miles of the lower Pine River between Crosslake and the confluence of the Mississippi. IBI scores indicate a dam, in place since 1970, is affecting these populations. The dam blocks them from migrating to essential habitats and has degraded spawning substrate. Results of 2012 MPCA sampling on the river indicate these populations may be absent upstream of the dam. This project will reverse the affects and support fishery goals.
Though many parts of the Twin Cities metropolitan area are urbanized, there are also has large areas of natural lands that continue to serve as important habitat for fish, wildlife, and plant communities. However, pressure on these remaining lands continues to intensify as population and development pressures increase.
This program will acquire 1,100 acres of state wildlife management areas (WMA) or federal waterfowl production areas (WPA) to enhance grassland and prairie habitat and provide public recreation opportunities for the citizens of Minnesota. In addition, PF restore an additional 1,500 acres of grassland habitat on permanently protected lands (WPA's or WMA's).
The program protected 848 acres using OHF, and a total of 1,627 acres of forested habitat which leveraged over $2.2 million in other state and federal Department of Defense funding to permanently protect these lands near some of Minnesota's fastest developing cities (Baxter and Brainerd). This was a partnership effort involving The Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Camp Ripley, City of Baxter, Sylvan Township, Cass County, and Crow Wing County. The local press covered the closing of the project on radio, TV, and the newspapers.
A partnership among the City of Baxter, Brainerd Public Schools, Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape program and The Conservation Fund will acquire 200 acres of riparian forest on the upper Mississippi River Headwaters.
This project will complete 18 permanent conservation easements, 30 forest management plans, and 20 best management practices (BMP) around Aitkin and Crow Wing Counties highest quality lakes.
This program will bring focused conservation to one of Minnesota's priority aquatic resources, Lakes of Outstanding Biological Significance. These threatened lakes possess outstanding fisheries and provide habitat for a variety of SGCN; yet, at present, no habitat protection program specifically targets these priority resources. Through this proposal, the Minnesota Land Trust will protect through perpetual conservation easements 1/2 mile of shoreland and 216 acres of habitat associated with the top 10% of these lakes in northeast and northcentral Minnesota.
Landowner-donated conservation easements in Aitkin, Cass, and Crow Wing counties permanently conserved 260 acres and 3.6 miles of critical shorelands for the protection and enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat and continued public recreational enjoyment of these aquatic resources.
This proposal will accomplish 25,000 acres of shallow lake and wetland enhancement and restoration work throughout Minnesota, with a focus on the prairie region. The proposal is comprised of three components: (1) twenty-seven projects to engineer and/or construct wetland infrastructure or to enhance wetlands and shallow lakes; (2) funding for the existing Roving Habitat Crew in Region 4 to continue wetland and shallow lake enhancement work, and; (3) funding to base a new Shallow Lakes program specialist in Windom to accelerate shallow lakes work in the prairie region of SW Minnesota
This pilot program protected 1,210 acres of wild rice lake shoreland habitat in the Northern Forest Section by securing 14 permanent RIM conservation easements and four fee-title acquisitions, surpassing our goal of 700 acres, and doing so $250,202 under budget.
to complete restoration work on the Soo Line Trail in Pine County, including inspection of bridge trestles, surface improvements, culvert replacement, signing, removal of debris, trail widening, and bridge approaches
Native trout require clean, cold water that usually originates from springs, but the springs feeding the 173 designated trout streams in southeastern Minnesota are under increasing pressure from current and expected changes in land use. This joint effort by the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is working to identify and map the springs and the areas that feed water to these springs and to learn how these waters might be affected by development and water use.
to construct 3.8 miles of 10 foot wide asphalt multi-use trail connecting Buffalo Hills Park and Kiwanis Park to the Spur Line Trail, the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail and the Paul Bunyan State Trail
Minnesota’s extensive state park and trail system, the second oldest in the country, is currently comprised of a total of 76 state parks and recreation areas and 13 state trails scattered throughout the state. Some of Minnesota’s state parks and trails have privately owned lands within the designated park boundaries or trail corridors. Purchase of these lands from willing landowners for addition to the state park and trail system makes them permanently available for public recreation and enjoyment and facilitates more efficient management.
Protected through fee title acquisition 340 acres of priority forestland habitat in the northern and southeast ecological sections of the state. All parcels have been included in the DNR State Forest system; providing for long-term, ongoing protection and management of lands for the benefit of all Minnesotans.
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.
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.
This project will increase awareness about outdoor recreation opportunities at Minnesota state parks and trails among underrepresented groups by creating handicap-accessible, touch-screen kiosks, with information in multiple languages, and placing the kiosks in high-traffic, family-oriented locations.
Though many parts of the Twin Cities metropolitan area are urbanized, there are also has large areas of natural lands that continue to serve as important habitat for fish, wildlife, and plant communities. However, pressure on these remaining lands continues to intensify as population and development pressures increase.
Endocrine disrupting contaminants are chemicals that may interfere with natural hormones in humans and wildlife and produce adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects. These chemicals occur in a variety of everyday products, including pharmaceuticals, plastics, detergents, flame retardants, cosmetics, and pesticides. As these chemicals get discharged into the environment, humans and wildlife are exposed. The U.S. Geological Survey and St.
The DNR is directed by Minnesota Law 2016, Chapter 172, Article 2, Section 12 to request proposals for a potential design-build project to augment White Bear Lake with water from East Vadnais Lake.
Wolves are a hot topic in Minnesota, with the public sharply divided on management issues such as wolf hunting. The complexity of the topic lends itself to a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation that is not always helpful to resolving the polarized debate.
Young Forest Conservation Phase III will continue American Bird Conservancy's successful, ongoing efforts to maintain, restore, and enhance Golden-winged Warbler, American Woodcock, and Ruffed Grouse breeding habitat on publicly protected lands in Minnesota. This work also benefits a suite of associated deciduous, mixed upland and lowland forest habitat species within a diverse, contiguous landscape-level forest matrix. Through Phases I and II, ABC completed 5,535 acres of high-quality early successional habitat projects.
Restore 3,647 acres of public forest to help meet wildlife and recreational goals within six Minnesota conservation plans, leverage $500,000 from outside sources for forest restoration on private lands and keep Golden-winged Warbler off the ESA.
Adoption of renewable energy technologies and energy conservation practices can contribute in a variety of ways to the environmental and economic health of rural Minnesota communities through costs savings and emissions reductions. Engaging and coaching students as the leaders in the process of implementing such practices provides the added benefit of increasing knowledge, teaching about potential career paths, and developing leadership experience.
