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.
This proposal serves to protect 580 acres and enhance 140 acres of forest habitats within Minnesota's public forests through fee title acquisition of strategic private forest land inholdings in State, County and National Forests. Successful efforts will 1) greatly increase management efficiencies and effectiveness of surrounding public forest lands, 2) address primary forest habitat management concerns of forest habitat loss, degradation, fragmentation, and 3) serve to address critical forest and recreational user access needs.
The magnitude, timing, and frequency of flow are key attributes governing the structure of native fish and aquatic communities. Through targeted protection projects, the Minnesota Land Trust will conserve these attributes and ensure resiliency of priority coldwater tributaries to Lake Superior. The Land Trust will protect 600 acres and 1.4 miles of shoreline by targeting high quality, priority parcels that will protect habitats for coldwater species such as trout and cisco, but also provide habitat for a number of wildlife species such as American woodcock and golden-winged warbler.
The Duluth Children's Museum recently reopened in its new location, providing a firm foundation to serve the community into the future. This project will allow the museum to add two new interactive arts and cultural heritage experiences; Nibi, an Ojibwe language exhibit focused on water, and CreateSpace, an art and maker area.
The purpose of this project is to develop implementation prioritization strategies to restore and protect the Vermilion River and Rainy River-Headwaters watersheds’ waterbodies and finalize Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) reports for both the Vermilion River and Rainy River-Headwaters watersheds.
This project will meet the following goals: develop, implement, and evaluate the impacts civic engagement outcomes for the Rainy River Headwaters and the Cloquet watersheds; create a citizen understanding of the Watershed Restoration & Protection Strategy (WRAPS) process and the role that citizens, lake associations, institutions of higher education, and other stakeholders can play in attaining water quality restoration and protection; provide opportunities for citizens and stakeholders to assist local partners and state agencies in developing priorities for projects to accomplish resto
This project will provide an important framework for civic and citizen engagement and communication in the International Rainy River-Lake of the Woods Watershed, which will contribute to long-term public participation in surface water protection and restoration activities.
We will characterize environmental drivers contributing to the decline of wild rice using lake sediment cores to reconstruct historical wild rice abundance in relation to lake and watershed stressors.
Under the CREP partnership with USDA, 71 easements were recorded on a total of 4,365 acres to restore previously drained wetlands and adjacent uplands. The easements were accomplished with local implementation done by SWCD, NRCS and FSA staff within the 54 county CREP area and leveraged federal funds for both landowner payments and cost share for conservation practice installation.
