We will determine the distribution, relative density, and spatial occupancy patterns of 3 small weasel species in Minnesota to fill key knowledge gaps in weasel distribution and status in Minnesota.
Minnesota Historical Society staff are working to serve Twin Cities area schools with increasingly diverse demographics. Staff are providing more support services for students competing in History Day and American Indian History Day. Staff are also promoting and recruiting students for programs that engage students in history like the American Indian Museum Fellowship Program and the Summer History Immersion Program. These funds also provide general staff and logistical support for diversity outreach efforts.
Partners: Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities (ACTC), Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU), Minneapolis Public Schools, St. Paul Public Schools, Through this program, partners are extending the reach of Minnesota History Day while providing History Day support for students from diverse backgrounds and strengthening the mentoring skills of Minnesota college students. Undergraduate students from ACTC and MNSCU colleges are trained to become History Day mentors and work with History Day students at local schools.
MNHS continues to recruit diverse students from the Twin Cities for programs that engage them in understanding how public organizations present historical narratives. Internally, the Department of Inclusion and Community Engagement supports the diversity and inclusion efforts of other MNHS departments, such as the access advisory group and training for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act officer. Staff also attend cultural competence learning opportunities.
Minnesota History magazine will commission four articles on topics that contribute to MNHS' diversity and inclusiveness strategic priority. Topics will illuminate the historical experiences of people and communities who are currently underrepresented in the pages of Minnesota History. Efforts will be made to find diverse authors for the articles, which could include writers of color or writers from disabled, LGBTQ, religious minority or other underrepresented communities.
MNHS is working to strengthen its presence and visibility as a community resource to Minnesota's diverse communities by supporting a strategic tabling and sponsorship effort at 12 community events, such as Rondo Days, Twin Cities Jazz Festival and the Cultural Heritage and Social Action Summit. In addition, funds supported co-sponsoring and hosting diverse events, such as Twin Cities Black Film Festival and Somali Independence Day events at the Minnesota History Center.
Partners: Minnesota Humanities Center for Indian Fellows; Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES) for Summer Technology Workshop
MNHS is working to serve Twin Cities area schools with increasingly diverse demographics. Staff members provide support services for students competing in National History Day in Minnesota and American Indian History Day. In addition, MNHS promotes and recruits diverse students for programs that engage participants in history. Two of these programs are the American Indian Museum Fellowship Program and the Summer History Immersion Program.
Minnesota’s natural resource professional workforce is much less diverse than its citizenry and many other professional fields. The benefits of a more diverse workforce are many, including the ability of organizations to increase innovation and creativity, attract higher qualified candidate pools, and ensure services that meet the diverse interests and needs of all citizens.
Minnesota’s natural resource professional workforce is much less diverse than its citizenry and many other professional fields. The benefits of a more diverse workforce are many, including the ability of organizations to increase innovation and creativity, attract higher qualified candidate pools, and ensure services that meet the diverse interests and needs of all citizens.
The commissioner shall develop a ten-year strategic state parks and trails plan considering traditional funding and the funding available under the Minnesota Constitution, article XI, section 15. The plan shall incorporate the 25-year framework developed by the University of Minnesota Center for Changing Landscapes. (HF 1231, Art 3, Sec 2)
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.
This program provides critical assistance to MN DNR Parks and Trails Division Regional and District offices to assist with renewal and rehabilitation efforts prioritized locally by field staff. Projects include the following types: State Park Building and Facilities Emergency Repair and Maintenance, Paved Trail Maintenance and Asset Preservation, and State Park and State Forest Trail Renewal. This project is a newly reorganized budget area that consolidates these three smaller project areas reported on in previous years.
Minnesota's iconic northern forest habitats, along with their interlaced wetlands and brushlands, are in need of management for the future due to stressors such as invasive species and climate change. This request will enhance and restore up to 3,250 acres of habitat in the Northern Forest Region on WMAs, AMAs, State Forests, and SNAs to increase forest health and resilience, and ultimately wildlife populations, through activities of a roving crew over three years.
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 savannas to increase wildlife populations. The Prairie Plan, Pheasant Plan, and Wildlife Action Plan will guide our efforts and ensure we are operating in a strategic and targeted manner. This proposal will enhance and restore grasslands on parcels that are permanently protected and most open to public hunting.
This project supports continuing development of County Groundwater Atlases for approximately three years. The goal is to provide this valuable water and resource management information infrastructure to every county.
With this appropriation, the DNR enhanced and restored over 11,700 acres of public lands or permanently protected private lands under easement. Projects under this appropriation included prescribed fire, prescribed or conservation grazing, woody removal, and enhancing plant diversity. With this appropriation we were able to exceed our target acreage by 38 percent.
We will use a programmatic approach to achieve prioritized aquatic habitat protection, restoration, and enhancement of lakes and streams across all the LSOHC planning regions of Minnesota.
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.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) will complete six fish passage projects to reconnect reaches of habitat for fish and other aquatic life, restore 71 acres on eight rivers to create over six miles of diverse habitat, and enhance 224 acres of riparian and terrestrial habitat on Aquatic Management Areas. The footprint of fish passage projects is small, but projects will reconnect over 290,000 acres of lake and river habitat.
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. The Prairie Plan and Wildlife Action Plan will guide our efforts to ensure we are operating in a strategic and targeted manner. This proposal will enhance and restore grasslands on 2,856 acres that are permanently protected using prescribed fire, tree removal, high-diversity seedings, and similar practices. Most lands enhanced with these funds are public and open to hunting.
This DNR Aquatic Habitat appropriation used a programmatic approach to achieve prioritized aquatic habitat restoration, and enhancement of lakes and streams across all the LSOHC planning regions. Two large stream restoration projects totaling 54 acres were completed with this appropriation. Also, habitat enhancement projects were completed on 51 Aquatic Management Areas, totaling 1252 acres. Stream habitat work for this appropriation and LSOHC-funded projects from other appropriations was aided by funding for a stream restoration coordinator and interns.
This DNR Aquatic Habitat appropriation used a programmatic approach to achieve prioritized aquatic habitat restoration, and enhancement of lakes and streams across all the LSOHC planning regions. Two stream restoration projects totaling 23 acres were completed with this appropriation. Also, habitat enhancement projects were completed on 43 Aquatic Management Areas, totaling 849 acres. Stream habitat work for this appropriation and LSOHC-funded projects from other appropriations was aided by funding for a stream restoration coordinator and interns.
To hire qualified consultants to research the history of Minnesota's 21st century African American community, in preparation for a future documentary film.
This training will be for State employees who have purchased this new type of discharge measuring equipment. This training is needed to ensure that accurate and complete discharge measurements are made which is supplied to Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Consulting firms, Local units of government, federal government and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) modelers.
There are currently more than 21,000 miles of drainage ditches and many thousands of miles of subsurface tile located throughout Minnesota and overseen by over 100 different local drainage authorities. Historically public records of these drainage systems have been maintained primarily in hard copy following differing protocols depending on local requirements. However, this antiquated approach limits the usability and accessibility of public drainage records creating various challenges for drainage management efforts.
The Drinking Water Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC) program identifies environmental contaminants for which current health-based standards currently do not exist or need to be updated, investigate the potential for human exposure to these chemicals, and develop guidance values for drinking water. Contaminants evaluated by CEC staff include contaminants that have been released or detected in Minnesota waters (surface water and groundwater) or that have the potential to migrate to or be detected in Minnesota waters.
To hire a qualified consultant to prepare a Conditions Assessment for the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad Company Passenger Station to establish a rehabilitation plan for the structure, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
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.
Minnesota's twelve regional library systems, which encompass more than 350 public libraries in all areas of the state, can benefit from a portion of the Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Through State Library Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education, each regional library system is eligible to receive a formula-driven allocation from the annual $2.5 million Minnesota Regional Library System Legacy Grant. East Central Regional Library (ECRL) is a consolidated regional public library system in east central Minnesota.
Minnesota's twelve regional library systems, which encompass more than 350 public libraries in all areas of the state, can benefit from a portion of the Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Through State Library Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education, each regional library system is eligible to receive a formula-driven allocation from the annual $2.5 million Minnesota Regional Library System Legacy Grant. East Central Regional Library (ECRL) is a consolidated regional public library system in east central Minnesota.
Minnesota’s 12 regional public library systems, which encompass 350 public libraries in all areas of the state, benefit from a portion of the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Through State Library Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education, each regional public library system receives a formula-driven allocation from the annual $3 million Minnesota Regional Library Legacy Grant.
Minnesota’s Legacy Amendment raises revenue for Clean Water, Outdoor Heritage, Parks and Trails, and Arts and Cultural Heritage. Libraries are beneficiaries of a portion of the Arts and Cultural Heritage Funding.
