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.
The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University (CSB+SJU), in partnership with the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM), will collect and analyze archival records and oral testimonies on Native American boarding schools in order to develop educational materials that promote truth and healing. The project includes: 1) archival research; 2) oral testimonies; 3) developing curricular materials from these archival and oral records.
To hire qualified professionals to rebuild the chancel wall in the Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
In the North Fork Crow River Watershed, land use is mainly row crop agriculture with an extensive drainage system. Many of the existing tile lines have open intakes that transport sediment and nutrients to open ditches that drain to the North Fork Crow River. The river flows into Rice Lake which has elevated phosphorus levels. Studies show a major source of phosphorus loading comes from animal manure. Field applied manure has potential to runoff to open tile intakes being a direct path to surface water.
Rice Lake, in Stearns County, is an impaired water for nutrients that has a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Implementation plan developed. Rice Lake is one of the larger lakes in the county, offering major water recreation opportunities, economic benefits as well as fish and wildlife habitat. It is a priority for Stearns County to implement projects that have positive impacts on this resource.
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.
The Clean Water Fund (CWF) and Outdoor Heritage Fund (OHF) were used together to secure easements on buffer areas. 25 easements have been recorded for a total of 672.1 acres and are reported in the output tables for the final report (acre total does not include Clean Water Fund acres). The total acreage from both CWF and OHF sources for recorded easements is 1,152.4 acres. Only the OHF acres are being reported in this final report to be consistent with the approved accomplishment plan.
Under the CREP partnership with USDA, 28 easements were recorded on a total of 2,390 acres to restore previously drained wetlands and adjacent uplands. Two easements are RIM wetland easements that were required to complete wetland restoration work on an adjacent easement secured with 2018 Wetlands funding. The landowners received the RIM-Only payment rate. 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 landowner payments and conservation practices.
This program is a part of a comprehensive clean water strategy to prevent sediment and nutrients from entering our lakes, rivers, and streams; enhance fish and wildlife habitat; protect groundwater and wetlands. Specifically the Riparian Buffer Easement Program targets creating buffers on riparian lands adjacent to public waters, except wetlands. Through the Reinvest in Minnesota Program (RIM) and in partnership with Soil and Water Conservation Districts and private landowners, permanent conservation easements are purchased and buffers established.
Develop outdoor recreation facilities including a nature study/observation area, roads and trails, information boards and signs. Park includes shoreline adjacent to the Mississippi Wild & Scenic River. The new trails will provide safety and accessibility along the bluff line overlooking the river and prevent erosion caused by existing, informal earthen trails.
To hire a consultant to complete a publicly available, digital-audio tour of the city's historically significant Mississippi River built environment based on recommendations in a Community Education and Marketing Plan.
We propose identifying hot spots of groundwater chloride pollution of surface waters due to excessive road salt use, which is a long term source increasing chloride impairment of surface waters.
The project goal is to conduct water chemistry monitoring at one subwatershed site, one basin site, and one major watershed site in 2016 and 2017 based on flow conditions, targeting runoff events using protocols defined in the Watershed Pollutant Load Monitoring Network (WPLMN) Standard Operating Procedures and Guidance. The data collected will be submitted to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and used in the FLUX32 model for calculating pollutant loads.
This project will focus on monitoring & assessment, stressor ID assistance, problem investigation, watershed prioritization and targeting, Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report development, Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report updates and continuing civic engagement for the Sauk River Watershed.
The goal of this project is to compile the observed flow and water quality data and update the Sauk River Watershed HSPF model calibration through 2019. The Sauk River Watershed HSPF model simulates hydrology, sediment (sand, silt, and clay), temperature, phosphorus, nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and chlorophyll a.
This program will permanently protect, restore and enhance critical habitat within the Sauk River Watershed, which has experienced considerable habitat loss and is at high risk for more land conversion. Using conservation easements and fee land acquisition, we will protect approximately 660 acres of priority habitat in Minnesota's Prairie and Forest-Prairie Transition Area. We will restore/enhance approximately 224 acres of wetlands and accompanying uplands to create habitat for waterfowl and populations of Species in Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN).
The Sauk River and its seven reservoir lakes are impaired for turbidity, e.coli and excessive nutrients. Local studies conducted on Sauk Lake, the Sauk River Chain of Lakes and the lower reach of the Sauk River identified urban stormwater runoff as a source of sediment and nutrient loading. This project will address stormwater runoff concerns within the communities of Sauk Centre, Cold Spring and St. Cloud by providing treatment through bioretention and infiltration.
There are fifty-seven impaired water bodies in the Sauk River watershed. The goal of this project is to provide the necessary tools for the Sauk River Watershed District (SRWD) and local agencies to work together to target priority areas, install the necessary water quality restoration projects, and track what has been completed to achieve reduction goals for each impaired waterbody. First, technology will be utilized to determine where high priority runoff areas are within the Sauk River watershed. Advanced sub-watershed modeling will be refined to a smaller scale.
The Sauk River's CWMP identifies altered hydrology and excessive sediment & nutrients as the top priority resource concerns to be addressed. Goals for each priority resource concern are found on pages 4-6 and 4-21 of the CWMP. To achieve these goals, The CWMP contains multiple prioritization schemes, on both a watershed-wide and watershed management unit basis, to achieve these goals - refer to pages 4-8 through 4-11 and 4-22 through 4-31 of the CWMP.
The Sauk River Watershed District (SRWD) shall conduct water quality sampling for the Sauk River and tributary sites, as well as several lakes, for Cycle 2 of the Intensive Watershed Monitoring (IWM) during 2018 and 2019. Field monitoring will be completed at 14 stream locations and 9 lakes designated by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Data management will also be completed by the SRWD, including entering and submitting all data to Canvas and compiling all photos, calibration logs and other documents as requested.
This work order will extend all of the timeseries in the Sauk River Watershed Hydrological Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF) model through 2019. The Sauk River Watershed HSPF model simulates hydrology, sediment (sand, silt, and clay), temperature, phosphorus, nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and chlorophyll a.
This project will complete an assessment of watershed lakes and streams. The assessment will include biological and stressor id analysis, which will support a summary report on lake conditions and protection strategies for lakes included in this watershed study.
The Sauk River Stormwater Runoff Reduction and Riparian Restoration Project is a watershed-wide effort to reduce the amount of nutrients delivered by stormwater and bank erosion to area surface waters. Funds will be used to assist local schools and municipalities with their restoration project design, installation, and financing.
Acquire approximately 44 acres along the Sauk River for a regional park to provide nature-based outdoor recreation including nature trails, canoe access, snow shoeing, and cross country skiing.
The Sauk River Chain of Lakes Community Partners Area has many lakes that are not meeting state water quality standards or are in jeopardy of not meeting standards and are in desperate need of runoff reduction strategies. The Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District is eager to work with willing sponsors within the project area to educate, inform and expand the conservation culture to assist in siting and implementing water quality projects on the landscape.
