This project will build a working watershed SWAT model that can readily be used by the MPCA to provide information to support conventional parameter TMDLs and to identify critical areas for BMP installation/evaluation that can be supported by the efforts of the local Farmer Led Council as well as other land owners within the Mississippi River-Winona watershed.
Whitewater Watershed Project will work in coordination with Winona County, Root River (Houston County) Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), and Wabasha County SWCD to collect water quality and chemistry parameters on eight Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) approved stream sites and two lake sites within the Mississippi River Winona/La Crescent watershed during the 2020-2021 sampling season. Parameters to be tested include: TSS, TP, Chloride, CaCO3 (hardness), E. Coli, Chl - a corrected for Pheo, hardness, specific conductance, clarity, temperature, pH, DO.
This project will identify areas for potential Best Management Practice (BMP) placement and identify strategies to strengthen social capacity and effectively engage citizens in development of the upcoming Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report.
This project will address Step 2b in the Watershed approach process and computation of TMDLS for those impaired waters determined to be in need of them.
This project proposes utilizing a precision conservation framework to assess two small impaired agricultural watersheds (HUC12) to determine optimal locations of best management practices and structures on the landscape that will address local water quality issues in a more strategic manner. The watershed assessment process will create GIS-generated maps that will be available to local SWCD staff that will inform decision-making for interested landowners.
The Mississippi River Winona/La Crescent (WinLaC) Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) Update Project will help local watershed partners prioritize areas of the WinLaC watersheds through watershed monitoring and analysis, inventorying wells and mapping Best Management Practices (BMPs).
This project is for a contract with Emmons & Olivier Resources Inc to develop Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs; a federal clean Water Act requirement) and a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report for the for Mississippi River - LaCrescent and Winnebago River watersheds.
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.
We propose a programmatic approach to achieve prioritized aquatic habitat protection for trout streams in Minnesota, with an emphasis on Southeast and Northeast Minnesota. We propose to protect 3.75 miles of trout streams, including approximately 75 acres with permanent conservation easements on private land. Protected lands will be designated as Aquatic Management Areas (AMA's) administered by the Minnesota
DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Minnesota Legislative Society will expand the Model Legislature program to Central Minnesota through St. Cloud State University by bringing in local elected officials to participate as legislators in the process. It will incorporate caucus meetings and involve students as lobbyists. The Model Legislature event engages students directly by: working in committees that mirror standing committees of the Minnesota legislature; debating, amending, and voting on bills in committee; debating and sending to the governor for the program.
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.
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.
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, fieldwork, data management, and interpretation expenses associated with monitoring and assessment activities.The ambient groundwater monitoring network describes the current condition and trends in Minnesota's groundwater quality.
This project supports monitoring and assessment activities by MPCA EAO staff and includes lab analysis, equipment, fieldwork, data management, and interpretation expenses associated with monitoring and assessment activities.The ambient groundwater monitoring network describes the current condition and trends in Minnesota's groundwater quality.
The goal of this project is to analyze and document database architecture, platform, table structures, systems and data fields at six Minnesota agencies (Board of Soil and Water Resources, Department of Natural Resources, MN Department of Agriculture, MN Department of Health, Metropolitan Council, and MN Pollution Control Agency) for 30+ databases related to water.
To hire a qualified historian to complete the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for Phelps and Somsen Halls on the campus of Winona State University.
We will develop camera trapping methods for small mammals, a new tool in the toolbox to to fill key knowledge gaps in status of Minnesota mammal species.
The Nature Conservancy and US Fish and Wildlife Service will work together to permanently protect native prairie and associated complexes of wetlands and native habitats in western and central Minnesota by purchasing approximately 705 acres of fee title properties and/or permanent habitat easements. Approximately 350 acres will be native prairie. Work will be focused in areas identified as having significant biodiversity by the Minnesota Biological Survey and located in priority areas in the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan.
The Nature Conservancy and US Fish and Wildlife Service will work together to permanently protect native prairie and associated complexes of wetlands and native habitats in western and central Minnesota by purchasing approximately 875 acres of fee title properties and/or permanent habitat easements. Approximately 469 acres will be native prairie. Work will be focused in areas identified as having significant biodiversity by the Minnesota Biological Survey and located in priority areas in the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan.
The Nature Conservancy and US Fish and Wildlife Service will work together to permanently protect native prairie and associated complexes of wetlands and native habitats in western and central Minnesota by purchasing approximately 620 acres of fee title properties and/or permanent habitat easements. Approximately 333 acres will be native prairie. Work will be focused in areas identified as having significant biodiversity by the Minnesota Biological Survey and/or the US Fish and Wildlife Service and located in priority areas in the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan.
This program will permanently protect remnant native prairie and associated wetland complexes in western Minnesota by purchasing fee title properties and/or habitat easements. Lands and easements purchased through this program by The Nature Conservancy will be transferred to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and will become units of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge to be owned and managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
This appropriation allowed the permanent protection of 887 acres in western Minnesota. These properties included 664 acres of remnant native prairie, 76 acres of associated wetlands complexes, and 8,500' of streamfront. For this phase we originally planned to protect 740 acres with a minimum of 375 native prairie. Both targets were exceeded - 120% of total acres and 177% of native prairie acres.
This appropriation allowed the permanent protection of 977 acres in western Minnesota. These properties included 752 acres of remnant native prairie, 78 acres of associated wetland complexes, 8,950' of stream front, and 9,400' of lakeshore. Lands and easements purchased through this program by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) are transferred to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and become units of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. These lands are owned and managed by the FWS.
This appropriation allowed the permanent protection of 1,283 acres in western Minnesota, including 583 acres of remnant prairie, 500 acres of other grasslands, 88 acres of wetlands, and more than 8,150' of streamfront. For this phase we had originally planned to protect 1,090 acres, with at least 545 acres of native prairie. We exceeded both goals, protecting 118% of the total acre goal and 107% of the native prairie acre goal. All parcels that were purchased with this funding by TNC have been transferred to the USFWS as part of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge.
The Nature Conservancy and US Fish and Wildlife Service will work together to permanently protect native prairie and associated complexes of wetlands and native habitats in western and central Minnesota by purchasing approximately 1,112 acres of fee title properties and/or permanent habitat easements. Approximately 726 acres will be native prairie. Work will be focused in priority areas identified in the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan that have significant biodiversity by the Minnesota Biological Survey.
The Nature Conservancy and US Fish and Wildlife Service will work together to permanently protect native prairie and associated complexes of wetlands and native habitats in western and central Minnesota by purchasing approximately 1,020 acres of fee title properties and/or permanent habitat easements. Approximately 545 acres will be native prairie. Work will be focused in areas identified as having significant biodiversity by the Minnesota Biological Survey and located in priority areas in the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan.
This proposal requests renewed funding for a new integrated process with potential to promote nutrient removal/recovery and renewable energy production at rural municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTP).
