The Berger Fountain, known as the dandelion fountain to most, was installed in 1975 by Benjamin Berger and has been a beloved neighborhood landmark in Loring Park and a favorite location for wedding photographers and children ever since. Ben Berger was a park board commissioner and, after seeing a dandelion fountain in Australia, fundraised to build a sister fountain right here in Minnesota.
Move for America will engage youth ages 14-18 in interactive groups to increase participants' relationships across differences; interest in and understanding of civic engagement; media fluency and source evaluation. Through this project, youth will build the skills, knowledge, and relationships they need to be active, connected, and informed citizens.
This project is for stressor identification data collection in targeted areas of the Big Fork River Watershed for the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) Project. This effort will identify and prioritize targeted restoration and protection areas where there are data gaps within the Big Fork River Watershed to maintain and enhance water quality.
The purpose of this contract is to expand data collection efforts, public participation efforts, and provide technical assistance in targeted areas of the Big Fork River Watershed for the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) Project. A key aspect of this effort is to develop implementation strategies for targeted areas of the watershed to help state agencies, local governments, and other watershed stakeholders determine how to best proceed with restoring and protecting the watershed.
"This project will meet the following goals: develop, implement, and evaluate the impacts civic engagement outcomes for the Big Fork River Watershed; create a citizen understanding of the Watershed Restoration & Protection Strategy (WRAPS) and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) process and the role citizens and 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 restoration as well projects to accomplish protection of high quality waters; and
To prepare a comprehensive plan for the renovation and preservation of the Bigfork City Hall, eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
The "Bigfork River Target Watershed Assessment – Lake of the Woods & Koochiching Soil and Water Conservation Districts" Project focuses on collecting water chemistry and field parameters at Bear River, Big Fork River (4 sites), Caldwell Brook and Sturgeon River. The project will support the biological assessments being completed by MPCA staff for this Target Watershed Assessment. This work will also train and develop Koochiching SWCD staff to enable them to continue water quality monitoring in the Rainy River Basin.
To contract with qualified professionals to prepare construction documents for the preservation of the Bigfork Village Hall, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
This study will leverage our current bioacoustics monitoring framework to assess avian diversity at the statewide scale through a citizen science acoustic monitoring program, with a focus on private lands.
This project consists of the design of a new marina/dock complex on Birch Lake in Babbitt Minnesota. The City will own and operate the marina/dock complex.
The goal of this project is to facilitate strategic networking, relationships, and learning in targeted groups to assess, build, and leverage community capacity (i.e. community resources and values) to increase knowledge of the Blue Earth River watershed’s water resources and increase best management practice (BMP) adoption to restore and protect water quality in the Blue Earth River watershed. Additional goals include providing information that is readily available to the general public for updates on Watershed Approach work in the Blue Earth River watershed.
The goal of this project is to develop and write the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report for the Blue Earth River Watershed to provide restoration strategies to improve water quality for impaired waters and protection strategies to maintain the quality of water for water bodies meeting standards.
The goal of this project is to reduce the number of vulnerable unused wells located within sensitive areas and to prevent potential groundwater contamination. Most Minnesotans rely on groundwater as their primary source of drinking water. Unused and improperly sealed wells can serve as an open conduit to groundwater aquifers, allowing surface water runoff, contaminated water or improperly disposed waste to reach an uncontaminated aquifer. Properly sealing unused and improperly sealed wells is a preventive practice that protects groundwater aquifers from contamination.
The purpose of this project is to expand the County's long standing well sealing efforts by reducing the current inventory of identified well sealing projects.
The Blue Earth SWCD will be monitoring 7 stream sites located in the Le Sueur River Watershed. The stream sites will be monitored at the road crossing locations via bridge, culvert or shore. Onsite conditions will be recorded, water sample readings will be taken for Secchi tube, specific conductance, temperature, pH, DO, and photos taken.
With limited funds and limited staff time available for targeting critical service areas and implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs), Geographic Information System (GIS)-based tools that pinpoint locations where BMPs will have the highest effectiveness are increasingly important. The Blue Earth County/SWCD Watershed Implementation Targeting project will utilize LiDAR topographic data to determine areas of high importance for BMP implementation. The county is located in the Blue Earth, LeSueur, Watonwan and Middle Minnesota watersheds where there is a high density of impaired waters.
This project will conduct Inventory and Inspection of four drainage ditches in Blue Earth County: JD116, CD5, CD86 and CD56. The inventory of these drainage ditches is important in order to identify where erosion, sediment and/or nutrients contribute substantially to water quality degradation. The project will also prioritize sites for future side inlet control, buffer strip implementation, and/or storage and treatment implementation.
The goal is to facilitate strategic networking, learning, and implementation in targeted groups to assess, build, and leverage community capacity (i.e. community resources and values) to increase best management practice (BMP) adoption to restore and protect water quality in the Blue Earth River watershed
Vegetated buffer and filter strips along waterways is a practice that addresses many surface water concerns. Establishing permanent vegetation along waterways is an implementation priority in the Blue Earth County Water Management Plan and required by local ordinance and Minnesota Rules. Minnesota Shoreland Rules, Chapter 6120 and the County Shoreland Ordinance contain standards for agricultural uses in shoreland. Agricultural uses are permitted in shoreland areas if steep slopes and shore and bluff impact zones are maintained in permanent vegetation.
Ravine, stream bank and bluff erosion contribute significant amounts of sediment to rivers and streams. The MPCA report, Identifying sediment sources in the Minnesota River Basin, found the Blue Earth and Le Sueur watersheds contribute as such as half of the sediment to the Minnesota River, even though they account for only one-fifth of its drainage area. These watersheds contain the majority of the bluffs in the basin as well as many large
ravines.
The Blue Earth Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) will be monitoring 7 stream sites with 5 located in the Watonwan River Watershed and 2 located in the Minnesota River at Mankato Watershed. The stream sites will be monitored at the road crosssing locations via bridge, culvert or shore. Onsite conditions will be recorded, water sample readings will be taken for secchi tube, specific conductance, temperature, ph, DO, and phtots taken. The Blue Earth SWCD will work with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) on final reports and results of the water monitoring efforts.
Through the construction of new interactive exhibits and the creation of educational programming, the Duluth Children's Museum will highlight the community and culture of Duluth and the surrounding region. A climbable, playable model of Duluth's iconic canal lighthouses and an educational Ojibwe waaginogaan are among the planned new elements being added to the museum experience.
This series is designed to build cross-cultural connections and understanding, and connections to the values of creativity and inclusivity. The specific arts and cultural activities included in this proposal include: 1) Underrepresented Visual Artist Series; 2) Theater production of POTUS 2) Theater production of Invisible Fences; 3) Minnesota Media Arts School (MMAS) Partnership with Underrepresented Communities; 4) Underrepresented Filmmaker Focus at the Minnesota Film Festival; 5) LGBTQIIA+ / BIPOC / Elder / Disabled Feature Storytelling Series.
Move for America is a new initiative designed to preserve and celebrate the diverse cultural heritage of Minnesota by fostering intercultural exchange and education. It will consist of a direct exchange program involving students from community and technical colleges in Minneapolis and Saint Paul (urban centers) and two rural counties: Otter Tail County and Lyon County. This project includes two full exchanges, each with 30-40 participants over two weekends.
While aspen is one of the most dominant forest types, predicted future conditions will negatively impact aspen growth. Increasing tree diversity can provide increase ecological and economic resilience.
The goal of this project is to use a science-based and participatory approach to understanding and promoting conservation practices in the agricultural community.
