MNHS continues to strive for environmental, economic and social sustainability in its sustainability program. To pinpoint opportunities for ongoing progress, the sustainability program will harmonize a broader range of institutional needs and objectives. The program will establish integrated, continuous, electronic reporting that unites environmental, social and economic risk analysis. This reporting will be used to further reduce our environmental impact and improve the sustainability of our operations as a whole.
With the approval by the U of M Board of Regents of a recently proposed MA program in Heritage Studies and Public History, the Teaching Heritage Collaborative will shift focus to the development of program curriculum and recruitment. In addition, the History Day partnership between the U of M and MNHS will be enriched through further development of campus engagement programs.These will include new cohorts of the Summer History Immersion Program for high school students as well as on-campus research experiences during the school year.
The administration of the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant Program ensures rigor, fairness, honesty, integrity, and consistency in the distribution of ACHF funding. Grants staff consult on, review, evaluate, respond to, mentor, coach, shape, and monitor grant projects from initial applicant contact to project closeout, reporting, and monitoring.
Through a competitive process, the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants Program awards grants to historical organizations statewide to support projects of enduring value for the cause of history and historic preservation. Each of the more than 500 active historical organizations in Minnesota serves an important role in preserving significant stories of the people and events of Minnesota.
As required by law, the Minnesota Historical Society appoints a citizen advisory panel, the Historic Resources Advisory Committee, to guide grant decisions for the program.
Then Now Wow is a long-term educational exhibit designed specifically for Minnesota's children and families. This year staff created a comprehensive marketing strategy to increase overall attendance while driving specific increases among diverse families. New programs, including a monthly offering called WOW! Family Sundays, will give families the opportunity to discover the connections between old and new through activities, games, hands-on art projects and sharing stories.
The Together in Time project meets the needs of a diverse, aging population by empowering them as lifelong learners, encouraging them to tell stories, and supporting their caregivers in carrying out their essential roles.
Crack seal and seal coat 1.5 miles of trail at Lake Minnewashta Regional Park and 3.4 miles of trail on the Dakota Rail Regional Trail. This maintains user satisfaction of 164,000 visits, and 107,000 visits annually to Lake
The primary goal of this project is to examine the calibration and validation of recently extended Hydrological Simulation Program – FORTRAN (HSPF) watershed models for the Mississippi River-Headwaters, Mississippi River-Grand Rapids, Mississippi River-Brainerd, Mississippi River-Sartell, Mississippi River-St. Cloud, Leech Lake, Pine River, Crow Wing River, Long Prairie River, and Redeye River watersheds and revise the calibration.
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 $2.2 million Minnesota Regional Library System Legacy Grant. Viking Library System (VLS) is a federated regional public library system with central services located in central western Minnesota.
The Metropolitan Council was awarded $1,250,000 from Minnesota Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment funds for a Water Efficiency Grant Program during the Minnesota Legislature's 2021 First Special Session. The Metropolitan Council (Council) implemented a water efficiency grant program effective July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2024. Grants were awarded on a competitive basis to municipalities that are served by a municipal water system. The Council provides 80% of the program cost; the municipality must provide the remaining 20%.
The goal of this project is to develop guidance for water quality parameter evaluation and calibration for Hydrological Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF) applications focused on dissolved oxygen (D.O.), nutrient, and algal simulation, along with a demonstration of the guidance by step-by-step application to D.O.-impaired Minnesota watersheds.
This program supports communities as they plan and implement projects that address emerging drinking water supply threats. It supports the exploration cost-effective regional and sub-regional solutions, leverages inter-jurisdictional coordination, and prevents overuse and degradation of groundwater resources.
DNR regional clean water specialists and area hydrologists work with regional staff from other state agencies and with local partners to help identify the causes of pollution problems and determine the best strategies for fixing them. We collect and analyze stream channel stability and streambank erosion data to help identify root causes of certain water quality impairments in streams.
The Watershed Health Assessment Framework (WHAF) is a web-based tool for resource managers and others interested in the ecological health of Minnesota's watersheds. The framework uses five ecological components to organize and deliver information about watershed health conditions in Minnesota. The five components are hydrology, connectivity, biology, geomorphology, and water quality. Statewide GIS data from DNR and partner agencies are used to calculate health scores that reveal similarities and differences between watersheds.
The DNR provides technical support related to the causes of altered hydrology and watershed management solutions. We use state-of-the-art models and statistical methods to look at cumulative impacts of drainage and land-use practices and determine the benefits of best management practices. This involves collaboration with multiple partners at multiple scales.
This project delineates and maps watersheds (drainage areas) of lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands for the state of Minnesota and provides watershed maps in digital form for use in geographic information systems. These maps become the basis for clean water planning and implementation efforts.
MNHS continues to focus on broadening access to many of its Legacy-funded programs through the Internet. This funding supports the web development professionals who plan, build and implement digital components that are part of many Legacy-funded history projects. MNHS also uses the web to report on its use of Legacy funds at legacy.mnhs.org and for the public to apply for Legacy grant funds at legacy.mnhs.org/grants.
The goal of this project is to maintain and make enhancements to the Winter Maintenance Assessment tool (WMAt), which is a necessary technical resource and planning tool for stakeholders and permittees to implement the chloride reduction strategies described in the Chloride Management Plan. The WMAt is critical for assisting stakeholders in meeting the water quality goals of the Chloride Management Plan without compromising public safety, and allowing for consideration of the varying resources and conditions for each individual winter maintenance program.
The WW1 America exhibit will be a new traveling exhibit created by Minnesota History Center staff and focused on America during the World War I era, 1914-1919. The 5,000-square-foot exhibit will depict the era as a dramatic time in American history when the nation grappled with massive upheavals brought on by social movements, mobility and modernity at home, while exerting its growing military, industrial and cultural influence abroad. Visitors will gain a better understanding of this often-overlooked period in U.S. history.