Minnesota's twelve regional library systems, which encompass more than 350 public libraries in all areas of the state, can benefit from a portion of the Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Through State Library Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education, each regional library system is eligible to receive a formula-driven allocation from the annual $2.5 million Minnesota Regional Library System Legacy Grant.
This project will help restore and protect two unique resources in southern Washington County - Trout Brook and Lake St. Croix. Previous assessments identified the 100 sites in southern Washington County that contribute the most to the existing excess nutrient problem and declining water quality of Lake St. Croix. Twenty-two of those sites are in the Trout Brook watershed and also contribute to sediment and turbidity that are degrading habitat in this cold-water stream.
With roughly 70,000 residents, Minnesota is home to the largest Hmong population in the United States. The top spinning game of Tuj Lub (pronounced - too loo) has its roots in Southeast Asia and holds cultural significance to the Hmong community. Formal Tuj Lub courts, constructed near a multi-shelter picnic area at Keller Regional Park, seek
Turtle Island Skywatchers - Innovative Research and Data Visualization project works to protect Minnesota water, wildlife, and natural resources while empowering Indigenous youth as leaders and all citizens as researchers.
Every year, one of the most important embodiments of CAPI's mission is to host Twin Cities World Refugee Day (TCWRD), an event that we have coordinated since 2013 to honor the contributions and cultures of Minnesota's 120,000+ refugees. It is a point of connection for those sharing a common bond as refugees, as well as for others seeking to learn about and engage the diverse refugee community. The event brings local refugee artists to present unique creative elements of their cultures.
This project will complete a chloride management plan which will lay out a strategy for addressing chloride impacts to our surface waters for the 7-county metropolitan area. This chloride management plan will satisfy EPA requirements for impaired waters, address waters not yet listed, and develop a strategy to protect waters that are currently meeting the water quality standards.
This project will provide the MPCA and all local partners in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (TCMA) the information and tools necessary to improve and/or maintain water quality with respect to chloride for the 7-county metropolitan area during the winter maintenace period.
This project will provide modeling services to support the completion of the Typo Lake and Martin Lake Excess Nutrients TMDL report. A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report quantifies pollutant levels, identifies sources of pollution, and proposes ways to bring water quality back to an acceptable level.
We will reconstruct historical lake conditions to identify factors linked to successful walleye fisheries and guide effective management in the face of warming temperatures, invasive species, and nutrient loading.
Minnesotans increasingly value native fishes. For example, >95% of bowfished species in MN are native, yet all are poorly understood. Foundational natural resource data is absolutely necessary for all stakeholders.
Our goals are to engage 100,000 underserved youth statewide in environmental education, engaging them in the conservation and preservation of Minnesota wilderness through the experiences in the outdoors.
Though many parts of the Twin Cities metropolitan area are urbanized, there are also has large areas of natural lands that continue to serve as important habitat for fish, wildlife, and plant communities. However, pressure on these remaining lands continues to intensify as population and development pressures increase.
The Cannon River is a designated Wild and Scenic River that originates in Rice County and joins the Mississippi River 120 miles downstream near Red Wing. The Upper Cannon, which encompasses 29% of the entire watershed, has been identified as a priority subwatershed.
This project will support the monitoring of reaches where there are data gaps, incorporate new data and relevant data, continue identification of pollutant sources, complete load duration curves, coordinate and encourage participation in stakeholder meetings. The information gathered during Phase IIB will be utilized towards the development of a Draft Restoration (TMDL) and Protection Plan (Plan).
This project will develop a watershed restoration plan that provides quantitative pollutant load reduction estimates and a set of pollutant reduction and watershed management strategies to achieve water quality standards for all impairments within the watershed. It will also an important 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.
This project will continue to protect and improve Valley Creek, a world-class trout stream located in the Valley Branch Watershed District. Stabilizing Ravine 2E, which conveys runoff from a 150-acre watershed directly into the main stem of Valley Creek, will prevent 7 tons of sediment from depositing in the creek and silting over trout spawning sites on an annual basis. It will also reduce the annual total phosphorus load to Valley Creek and the nutrient-impaired Lake St. Croix by 51 pounds per year.
This project will collect up to one year of water quality and stream flow information on Kelle’s Coulee to aid in the development of the Valley Branch Watershed District Restoration and Protection study. The information being collected by the Washington Conservation District will be used in developing the models necessary to complete the TMDL for Kelle’s Coulee.
Within the Valley Branch Watershed District (VBWD), there 47 Minnesota Department of Natural Resoruces (MN DNR)-protected basins with surface areas larger than 10 acres and three DNR-protected streams. Only Sunfish Lake is currently on MPCA’s 303(d) Impaired Waters List for aquatic recreation due to excessive nutrients. However, Bay Lake, Eagle Point Lake, Downs Lake, Goose Lake, Kramer Pond, and Echo Lake are on the draft 2012 Minnesota 303(d) Impaired Waters List for aquatic recreation due to excessive nutrients, and Kelle’s Coulee is on the draft 2012 list due to bacteria.
Valley Creek is one of only a few high-quality, naturally reproducing trout streams in the Twin Cities. Stormwater runoff, which causes bank erosion and carries excessive sediment and contaminants into the creek poses the largest threat to this stream and to the phosphorus-impaired Lake St. Croix. Overall, two projects are expected to reduce sediment delivery to Valley Creek by 36 tons per year. The reduction in sediment load will also prevent 31 pounds of phosphorus, per year, from entering Valley Creek and Lake St. Croix.
This program seeks to permanently protect, restore and enhance priority lands within the watershed of Valley Creek, a coldwater fishery that flows directly into the St. Croix River. We propose to accomplish this protection by acquiring land and conservation easements and restoring the riparian woodlands, prairies, oak savannas, and in-stream areas that provide significant habitat for fish and other wildlife.
Our grant application seeks to promote and preserve Vietnamese culture through the use of traditional Lunar New Year celebration which includes storytelling, music and dance.
Use mobile AI-assisted technologies to survey lake visitors. Assess perceptions of water quality and perceived threats. Combine survey data with water quality data and trend monitoring to inform lake management.
Washington County Department of Public Health and Environment seeks to continue a 100% cost share assistance well sealing program. County residents rely on groundwater for 100% of their drinking water. Sealing unused wells has long been a priority for the county, as they are a potential threat to health, safety, and the environment. The presence of several groundwater contamination areas only highlights the need to seal off these unused wells.
As part of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's (MPCA's) watershed monitoring Approach, the Washington Conservation District will collect water quality samples on three lakes in the Lower St. Croix River Watershed in 2019-20; Comfort Lake, Square Lake, and Big Marine Lake. Rural and agricultural land uses are major components of all three lakes' subwatersheds and semi-urban land use is present in the Comfort lake subwatershed.
To increase access to a variety of performance art at the Washington County Fair. Funds will be used to showcase a miming presentations by Theatre of Fools, a Native American dance demonstration by the Little Thunderbirds, and a comedy show by author Michael Perry, who discusses today’s small town fardmand family culture.
To hire a qualified consultant to develop a Historic Structure Report that will help preserve the Washington County Historic Courthouse, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Washington County seeks to preserve the ecological integrity of the St. Croix River by completing a 85-acre permanent conservation easement to protect critical riparian habitat and over one mile of shoreland. The property is located in Denmark Township within the state-managed portion of the St. Croix Scenic Riverway and is one of the remaining large lots along the lower St. Croix River. It provides a critical connection needed to create a continuous corridor of forested bluff lands and ravines.
Washington County possesses some of the best remaining wildlife habitat in the Metro Urbanizing Area. For a decade, Washington County and the Minnesota Land Trust have collaborated in protecting these resources, blending funding from the County's Land and Water Legacy Program (LWLP) and State's Outdoor Heritage Fund.
Brown's Creek Watershed District, City of Stillwater and Oak Glen Golf Course will work together to harvest and reuse stormwater for golf course irrigation, reducing thermal loading to Brown?s Creek, a designated trout stream listed as impaired due to high thermal and total suspended solids loading, and reduce phosphorous loading to Lake St. Croix, impaired for excess nutrients. The primary goals are to reduce phosphorous loading to Brown?s Creek and the St. Croix River/Lake St Croix by 67-124 pounds per year and thermal loading to Brown?s Creek by 0.4 degrees Celsius.
Minnesota Sea Grant seeks to create a science-policy fellowship program to train Minnesota's science-policy workforce and advance Minnesota's water resource policy, emulating Sea Grants successful federal-level fellowship program.
We propose robotics-based educational activities for middle-school youth on water quality in Minnesota. Youth will gain skills for measuring water quality and communicating results through group study and hands-on projects.
