This Phase 6 request for Ducks Unlimited’s Living Lakes program will enhance 1,000 acres of shallow lakes and restore 50 acres of small wetlands by engineering and installing water control structures for Minnesota DNR and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on public lands and wetlands under easement. Structures will be used by DNR and Service partners to restore wetland hydrology and actively manage shallow lake water levels to enhance their ecology for ducks, other birds, and hunters in the Prairie Region of Minnesota.
This Phase 7 request for Ducks Unlimited's Living Lakes program will enhance 1,160 acres of shallow lakes and restore 120 acres of small wetlands by engineering and installing water control structures for Minnesota DNR and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on public lands and wetlands under easement. Structures will help DNR and Service agency partners restore wetland hydrology and actively manage shallow lake water levels to enhance their ecology for ducks, other birds, and hunters in Minnesota's Prairie Pothole Region.
In this Phase 4 of our ongoing "Living Lakes" program to enhance shallow lakes and restore wetlands, DU successfully enhanced 5,952 acres of shallow lakes and wetlands and restored 59 acres of wetlands by completing 16 separate projects for waterfowl and other wildlife in the Prairie, Transition, and Metro Sections in partnership with Minnesota DNR, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and private landowners.
This Phase 9 request for Ducks Unlimited's Living Lakes program will enhance or restore 1,440 acres of wetlands and adjacent prairie grasslands for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Minnesota DNR on public lands and private lands under permanent easement. DU biologists and engineers will design wetland restorations and water control structures for active management of shallow lake water levels to enhance their ecology for ducks, other wildlife, and people, primarily in SW Minnesota's Prairie Pothole Region.
This Phase 10 request for Ducks Unlimited's Living Lakes program will enhance or restore 1,325 acres of wetlands and adjacent prairie grasslands for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Minnesota DNR on public lands and private lands under permanent easement. DU biologists and engineers will design wetland restorations and water control structures for active management of shallow lake water levels to enhance their ecology for ducks, other wildlife, and people, primarily in SW Minnesota's Prairie Pothole Region.
This Phase 8 request for Ducks Unlimited's Living Lakes program will enhance or restore 1,070 acres of wetlands and adjacent prairie grasslands for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Minnesota DNR on public lands and private lands under permanent USFWS easement. Where required, DU engineers will design water control structures to restore wetland hydrology and allow active management of shallow lake water levels to enhance their ecology for ducks, other wildlife, and people, primarily in Minnesota's Prairie Pothole Region.
Up to $205,000 to match $1,729,000 of a Federal Transportation Enhancement grant, Transportation Enhancement ARRA funds and Carver County Regional Rail Authority funds for land acquisition, trail design, trail and trailhead construction of 6.9 mile segment of the Dakota Rail Regional Trail. Any remaining funds used to partially finance the match to a $1 million Federal Transportation Enhancement grant to design and construct a trail in Lake Minnewashta Regional Park and a trail underpass of Trunk Highway 41 that links to a City of Chanhassen trail.
Provide approximately 15 matching grants for local parks, trail, acquisition of natural areas and trails to connect people safety to desirable community locations and regional or state facilities.
The goal of this project is to develop a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for all impaired stream reaches and lakes within the Long Prairie and Red Eye Watersheds.
This project will provide surface water quality data to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to inform the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies (WRAPS) update process. All locations are in the Douglas County portion of the Long Prairie Watershed. Sites have been targeted based on local knowledge and citizen concerns. A culvert inventory will also be completed through this project. This will provide flow path data that will be utilized in future water quality analysis and project designs.
This project will gather watershed data to support the development of a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy with parameter-specific targets that will maintain or improve water quality for the Long Prairie River Watershed. This project will also provide an important framework for civic and citizen engagement and communication, contributing to long-term public participation in surface water protection and restoration activities throughout the watershed.
This project is to finalize the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) and Watershed Restoration & Protection Strategies (WRAPS) for the Red Eye and Long Prairie Watersheds.
This funding will be used to help fulfill the goals established in the Long Prairie CWMP. Approximate goals addressed are listed with the activities addressing them. Anticipated projects to be implemented include agricultural waste management facilities, agricultural land management, exclusion fencing, rain gardens, subsurface sewage treatment upgrades, shoreline restorations, and forestry. Other projects will be considered as opportunities arise.
This Sauk River Watershed District project will conduct the Whitney Park river clean-up, adopt a river program and other community events as part of their healthy living programs; will collaborate with the city of St. Cloud to install a rain garden demonstration site at Whitney Park; use local radio and public television stations to promote the District’s “neighborhood rain garden initiative” and other incentive programs.
This project will revise a recently completed draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report for the Lower Minnesota River Watershed Project. The revision is to correct wasteload allocations for regulated stormwater entities.
The goal of this project is to develop draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) computations for six impaired lakes and two impaired streams, and to provide TMDL development documentation for selected draft TMDL report sections.
Katha Dance Theatre (KDT) will produce a mainstage program of three world premiere dance concerts to share the art, culture, and history of India through the art of Kathak dance - the 2,000-year-old classical dance style of North India. These productions will include the world premiere of GANGA. The Myth and Reality, the world premiere of PANCHATANTRA, and the world premiere of PRAKRITIR PRATISODH Nature's Revenge. The first will premiere in St. Paul, the second in Minneapolis, and the third will play in another Twin Cities venue (TBD).
Leveraging new statewide climate data, we will assess future change in the duration, frequency and magnitude of heavy precipitation and drought events and engage communities to prepare for these extremes.
Project Outcome and Results
The Metro Conservation Corridors (MeCC) Partnership completed its fifth phase of work to accelerate protection and restoration of remaining high-quality natural lands in the greater Twin Cities metropolitan area. Work was accomplished by strategically coordinating and focusing conservation efforts within a connected network of critical lands that stretches from the area's urban core to its rural perimeter, including portions of 16 counties.
Project Outcome and Results
In its Critical Lands Protection Program, The Trust for Public Land (TPL) used $380,000 ENRTF funds to secure fee title on 21.63 ENRTF acres of 402 total acquired acres. TPL conveyed these lands to public agencies for permanent protection. Individual project successes include the following:
With this appropriation, the Minnesota Land Trust plans to protect 100 acres of high quality forest, prairie, wetland, or shoreline habitat by securing permanent conservation easements and dedicating funds for their perpetual monitoring, management, and enforcement. Lands being considered for permanent protection in this round of funding are located in Chisago, Goodhue, Hennepin, Isanti, and Washington counties.
