Otter Cove Children's Museum will be a state-of-the-art educational and cultural center in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, providing a much-needed accessible, indoor play space for the children of Otter Tail County and beyond. Otter Cove was started and driven by a group of moms but the actual place, Otter Cove, is for children and the "critters" who live there; the otter in the Otter Romp Playground, the fox at the cafe, the beaver at the dentist office, the raccoon at the grocery store, the swan on the stage, the mice at the bookstore, and the skunk at the veterinarian.
This project includes new exhibit components and enhancements; facilitating diverse workshops and performances for children and families, and four mini camps for children ages 6-12 during school/summer breaks.
Wilderness Inquiry engages 20,000 Minnesotans through outdoor adventures, promoting equity in access to outdoor activities, places, and careers and supporting stewardship and conservation values for current and future generations.
The Conservation Partners Legacy Grant Program (CPL) is managed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to provide competitive matching grants of up to $400,000 to local, regional, state, and national non-profit organizations and governments. Grant activities include the enhancement, restoration, or protection of forests, wetlands, prairies, and habitat for fish, game, or wildlife in Minnesota. A match of at least 10% from nonstate sources was required for grants of $100,000 or less, and a match of at least 15% from nonstate sources was required for grants over $100,000.
The Perpich Arts Integration Network of Teachers (PAINT) fosters collaborative arts integration in Minnesota through K-12 teacher professional development and funding to schools. With Perpich Center facilitation, teacher teams develop and implement arts-integrated lessons and units. PAINT program components include:
Provide professional development workshops at three Greater Minnesota locations for 60 teachers to use phenology education curriculum and community science resources, reaching >7,000 students in the first three years.
The study will assess existing phosphorus data records and create a model to explain phosphorus loading into the Red River of the North. Studies have found that the majority of nutrient loading in the stream located in agricultural areas occurs with sediment loading since nutrients are typically bound to sediment particles.
This project will complete a Watershed Restoration and Protection (WRAP) Plan that includes a set of pollutant reduction and watershed management strategies to achieve water quality standards for the listed pollutants, and that are understood and adoptable by local units of government and other stakeholders. This project will also provide an important water quality framework for civic and citizen engagement and communication, which will contribute to long-term public participation in surface water protection and restoration activities throughout the watershed.
To develop a partnership between historic preservationists and university faculty to integrate preservation curriculum into existing educational programs.
Continuing pollinator habitat creation and enhancement on 11 sites from Lakeville to St. Cloud, with public engagement and education centered on youth, schools, and community awareness of natural resource stewardship.
This project will develop the Pomme de Terre Watershed Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study for the second round of the 10-year watershed approach cycle in the Pomme de Terre watershed. This phase of the project will address 4 stream impairments and 3 lake impairments and produce a draft TMDL document. A second phase may be needed as the stressor ID report identifies more stream reaches with TMDL relevant stressors.
The goal is to facilitate strategic networking, learning, and participation of targeted groups to assess, build, and leverage community capacity (i.e. community resources and values) to become aware of water quality issues and increase best management practice adoption to restore and protect water quality in the Pomme de Terre River watershed. This goal will benefit the completion of the second cycle of the watershed approach by providing useful information important in the completion of Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies (WRAPS) report.
The Pomme de Terre River watershed is located in west central Minnesota and occupies a portion of six counties. For many years surface water quality within the watershed has been a concern to local government. In 1982 the Pomme de Terre River Association Joint Powers Board (JPB) was formed to begin addressing this issue. In 2002 the Pomme de Terre River was placed on the Impaired Waters list for turbidity. The goal of the JPB is to improve the local water resources within the watershed through voluntary efforts and building relationships with local landowners.
The Pomme de Terre River watershed is located in west central Minnesota and occupies a portion of six counties. For many years surface water quality within the watershed has been a concern to local government. In 1982 the Pomme de Terre River Association Joint Powers Board was formed to begin addressing this issue. In 2002 the Pomme de Terre River was placed on the Impaired Waters list for turbidity. This project is a continuation of a 2011 Clean Water Fund project.
PDTRA will use this funding to pursue goals stated in the CWMP. PDTRA has ID'd 5 priority areas to focus sediment & phosphorus reduction goals: Northern Lakes, Christina/Pelican Lakes, PDT River Lakes Chain, PDT River Corridor, & Drywood Creek. Plans include but aren't limited to: water & sediment control basins, alternative tile intakes, waste pit closures, grade stabilizations, livestock exclusions, shoreline restorations/stabilizations, cover crops.
The Pomme de Terre River watershed is located in west central Minnesota and occupies a portion of six counties. For many years surface water quality within the watershed has been a concern to local government, and in 1982 the Counties and SWCDs within the watershed area formed the Pomme de Terre River Association Joint Powers Board to begin addressing this issue. In 2002 the Pomme de Terre River was placed on the Impaired Waters list for turbidity.The project partners are collaborating to improve surface water quality within the watershed with a grant from the Clean Water Fund.
The goal of the Pomme de Terre River Association (JPB) is to improve local water resources within the watershed through targeted voluntary efforts and build strong relationships with local landowners, producers, and citizens. Utilizing the State's first Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy, the JPB has targeted and identified specific areas and activities required for marked water quality improvement.
The Pomme de Terre River Association will partner with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to conduct water quality monitoring in the Pomme de Terre River Watershed. The purpose will be to determine if waters meet the states non-point source pollution standards. The data collected will be utilized to produce the cycle two Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report and supporting documents for the watershed. Through the utilization of this funding a total of 11 lakes and 7 stream reaches will be assessed.
This project will establish a framework with the Pomme de Terre River Association (PDTRA), county staff, Soil and Water Conservation District staff, and state agencies that will outline their involvement throughout the development of the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) for the Pomme de Terre River watershed. This work will form the basis to establish restoration and protection strategies that local governments and watershed organizations can use to make decisions that will lead to protecting and restoring the waters in the watershed.
The goal of this project is to extend through 2016, calibrate, and validate the existing watershed model using Hydrological Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF) for the Pomme de Terre River Watershed. The contractor will produce an HSPF model that can readily be used to provide information to support conventional parameter Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) studies.
Certain stretches of the Pomme de Terre River have been identified as impaired. This project will quantify the reductions in pollutant loading that would be necessary to bring water quality in the impaired stretches to an acceptable level. It will also identify strategies that would improve water quality in these impaired stretches. Some funds will support public input activities into the Pomme de Terre River watershed management plan.
The goal of the Pomme de Terre River Association (PDTRA JPB) is to improve the local water resources within the watershed through targeted voluntary efforts and the building of strong relationships with local landowners, producers, and citizens. To further our efforts in strategically working to achieve our reduction goals, listed in our Major Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies Report and Turbidity Total Maximum Daily Load report, we would like to further define our Priority Management Zones through the development of a hydrological conditioned Digital Elevation Model.
The Pomme de Terre River Association (PDTRA) will use this funding to pursue goals stated in the Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan. PDTRA has identified five priority areas to focus sediment & phosphorus reduction goals: Northern Lakes, Christina/Pelican Lakes, Pomme de Terre River Lakes Chain, Pomme de Terre River Corridor, and Drywood Creek. Plans include but aren't limited to: water & sediment control basins, alternative tile intakes, shoreline restorations/stabilizations, critical area plantings, grass waterways and SSTS upgrades.
The Pope Soil and Water Conservation District Chippewa River Watershed Surface Water Assessment Grant (SWAG) monitoring program will provide knowledge of water quality to local partners and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Five sites, comprised of two lakes and three along two streams, will be monitored over the course of two years. There are 5 townships throughout the Chippewa watershed that each house a monitoring site: Nora, New Prairie , White Bear Lake, Barsness, and Gilchrist.
To provide a year round venue for arts and cultural and heritage events that will also provide handicapped accessible restroom facilities with a breastfeeding and diaper change area.
To offer demonstrations, hands-on activities, dance, music and spoken word performances on the history of the Armed Services and Native American culture.
