Minnesota Public Radio is the state's largest cultural organization, providing 96 percent of the population with free access to some of the best broadcast cultural programming in the world. Minnesota Public Radio is using a grant from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund to implement projects around the following four goals:
This funding is for arts, arts education, and arts access, and to preserve Minnesota's history and cultural heritage.
The Minnesota Children's Museum will develop a literacy focused exhibit to catalyze community engagement around early childhood learning and education.
Minnesota Youth in Government (YIG) is a youth-led experience that engages middle and high school youth in democratic governing leadership. Students learn about government process and gain an understanding of local, state, national and international concerns. They research and debate, participate in model Assemblies, United Nations, Youth Conferences on National Affairs, retreats and trainings, and National Judicial Competition, and gain an appreciation of diverse viewpoints in respectful ways.
This Minnesota Forests for the Future project protected 3,293 acres of forest and forested wetlands with perpetual working forest conservation easements in Lake and Crow Wing Counties ensuring public benefits, management access and sustainable managed forests.
The Minnesota's Heritage Forest - Transition to Public Ownership Program is focused on the protection of forest lands in northern Minnesota by purchasing land from The Conservation Fund (TCF) for permanent conservation, management and protection by MN DNR and northern MN Counties. In 2020 TCF purchased more than 72,000 acres of forest land Minnesota from the PotlatchDeltic Corp., securing these lands to provide time for conservation partners to permanently conserve these forest lands.
The Clean Water Fund (CWF) and Outdoor Heritage Fund (OHF) were used together to secure easements on buffer areas. 71 easements have been recorded for a total of 1,083.9 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 2,105.0 acres. Only the OHF acres are being reported in this final report to be consistent with the approved accomplishment plan.
The Minnesota State Band is a 45-piece concert band that performs a wide variety of music throughout the year. This year, the band celebrates 125 years as an arts organization. We are a part of Minnesota's rich history.
When we receive legacy funding, our goals are to increase the number of concert tours, continuing to reach out to smaller communities around Minnesota, sharing our love of music with residents, and planning joint events with school and community music and arts groups throughout our state.
In Phase 6, The Mississippi Headwaters Board in partnership with The Trust for Public Land and BWSR assisted by 8 County SWCDs will permanently protect an additional 1,235 acres of critical fish and wildlife habitat along the first 400 miles of the Mississippi River, its major tributaries, and 9 headwaters lakes.
Phase 1 of this project is primarily geared towards project planning and coordination among project partners, developing an initial civic engagement strategic plan, holding a watershed kick-off meeting, and gathering and summarizing available water quality data.
Phase 2 of the Mississippi River - Brainerd Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) project will: develop the WRAPS report and the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study, which allocates pollutant load reductions for impaired waters; implement a civic engagement plan; and develop watershed modeling scenarios to help understand implementation needs in the watershed.
This project will develop a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report as well as Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) studies where needed. The TMDLs will provide the quantitative pollutant load reduction estimates and a set of pollutant reduction and watershed management strategies to achieve water quality standards for the impairments within the watershed. Strategies for protecting the unimpaired waters within the watershed will also be included.
This acquisition protected 2.7 miles of Mississippi river shoreline and nearly 2,000 acres of wetland and forest/upland habitat through fee title acquisition just east of Brainerd, MN.
Through the ML2015 Mississippi Headwaters Habitat Partnership appropriation, we permanently protected 1,923 acres of wildlife habitat in the quickly developing Mississippi Headwaters area. These accomplishments exceed the appropriation goal by 209%. Utilizing both fee-title acquisition and conservation easements, the partnership protected 10 projects, totaling over 11 miles of shoreline along the Mississippi River, its tributaries and nearby lakes.
The Mississippi Headwaters Habitat Corridor Project Phase 1 (ML 16) achieved permanent protection of 1,478 acres of fish and wildlife habitat, including 11 miles of shoreland on the Mississippi River and on an adjacent lake. This accomplishment exceeded the appropriation goal by 178%. Utilizing fee-title acquisition and RIM conservation easements adjacent to public land, large habitat protection complexes were established, including one complex in Crow Wing County that protected over 9 contiguous miles along the Mississippi River.
The Mississippi Headwaters Board in partnership with The Trust for Public Land and BWSR assisted by 8 County SWCDs will permanently protect an additional 830 acres of critical fish and wildlife habitat along the first 400 miles of the Mississippi River, its major tributaries, 9 headwaters lakes and adjacent minor watersheds. Phases 1-7 have already protected 10,259 acres and 47 miles of shoreland using fee title acquisitions and conservation easements to create or expand permanently protected aquatic and upland wildlife habitat corridors/complexes.
The Mississippi Headwaters Habitat Corridor Project Phase IV (ML 18) achieved permanent protection of 1,590 acres of critical fish and wildlife habitat, including 12 miles of shoreland on the Mississippi River and adjacent lakes/tributaries. This accomplishment exceeded the appropriation goal by over 200%. Seven (7) fee-title acquisitions and 12 RIM conservation easements adjacent to public land created or expanded large habitat protection complexes. Acquisitions included 4 additions to county forests and 3 additions to DNR public land.
The Mississippi Headwaters Habitat Corridor Project Phase III (ML 17) achieved permanent protection of 1,694 acres of critical fish and wildlife habitat, including 14.5 miles of shoreland on the Mississippi River and adjacent lakes/tributaries. This accomplishment exceeded the appropriation goal by over 200%. Fee-title acquisitions and RIM conservation easements adjacent to public land created or expanded large habitat protection complexes, including a new 232 acre WMA in Crow Wing County.
In Phase 7, The Mississippi Headwaters Board in partnership with The Trust for Public Land and BWSR assisted by 7 County SWCDs will permanently protect an additional 2,015 acres of critical fish and wildlife habitat along the first 400 miles of the Mississippi River, its major tributaries, and 9 headwaters lakes. Previous phases have already protected 4,130 acres and 34 miles of shoreland using fee title acquisitions and conservation easements to create or expand permanently protected aquatic and upland wildlife habitat corridors.
This project will support the sampling of six stream sites: two reaches of the Little Rock River, two Locations on the Kanaranzi Creek, one location on the East Branch of the Kanaranzi Creek as well as one location on the Ocheyedan River.
The goal of this project is to extend the existing Upper Big Sioux, Lower Big Sioux, Little Sioux, and Rock River Hydrologic Simulation Program Fortran (HSPF) watershed models. The contractor will produce an HSPF model with meteorological, point source, and atmospheric deposition input timeseries extended through 2023.
Jumping worms are an invasive, exotic that poses a threat to forests by removing soil organic matter and seedlings. It is necessary to develop IPM tactics for mitigating jumping worms.
DNR acquired a fee-title parcel designated as an Aquatic Management area in Itasca County. This acquisition protected 41 acres and exceeded the accomplishment plan goal. Nine trout stream conservation easements were also added to the AMA system. Two Forests for the Future easements with a combined total of 171 acres were acquired, achieving protection in priority watersheds while maintaining working forest in private ownership.
Update the state's 20-year-old native plant community classification guides to incorporate new data; streamline user application and access to products; and increase connections to evolving climate and vegetation trends.
The protection of insect-feeding animals is reliant on sustained insect abundance. We will investigate the ecological roles and energy transfer by Minnesota insects and train future insect researchers
Construction funding is needed to stabilize a unique shoreline site using a bioengineered design incorporating native plants soil wraps, stream barbs and root wads to create aquatic habitat.
Native to the western United States and Canada, mountain pine beetle is considered the most devastating forest insect in North America. Trees usually die as a result of infestation and an unprecedented outbreak in the west is currently decimating pine forests there. While mountain pine beetle is not presently believed to reside in Minnesota, there are risks posed by an expanding species range resulting from warming climate and the potential for accidental introduction via lumber imports from infested areas.
Native to the western United States and Canada, mountain pine beetle is considered the most devastating forest insect in North America. Trees usually die as a result of infestation and an unprecedented outbreak in the west is currently decimating pine forests there. While mountain pine beetle is not presently believed to reside in Minnesota, there are risks posed by an expanding species range resulting from warming climate and the potential for accidental introduction via lumber imports from infested areas.
This project supports monitoring and assessment activities by MPCA EAO staff and includes lab analysis, equipment, and fieldwork expenses associated with monitoring and assessment activities within the described priority watersheds.
Lake Monitoring: Lakes are monitored for nutrients, clarity and other information to provide the data needed to assess the aquatic recreation use support.
This project supports monitoring and assessment activities by MPCA EAO staff and includes lab analysis, equipment, and fieldwork expenses associated with monitoring and assessment activities.
Lake Monitoring: Lakes are monitored for nutrients, clarity and other information to provide the data needed to assess the aquatic recreation use support.
