This project will support the inaugural season of the Culture Workers Collaborative (CWC), a cohort program for Minnesota culture bearers seeking to lead their communities in amplifying cultural heritage, building identity, and increasing cultural self-determination. Over the course of the program, culture bearers will 1) participate in 15 monthly professional development sessions; 2) carry out a series of 31 culturally diverse humanities activities that empower their communities in building identity and culture.
To construct an exhibit building adjacent to the fire tower now located on the Beltrami County Fairgrounds. The new building will replicate an authentic 1950s ranger station and will house an exhibit of Minnesota forest fire service activity, Ojibwa cultural history, a display of Paul Bunyan legends and artifacts, and space for historical, cultural and environmental education.
The proposed alum treatment will reduce internal phosphorus loading by 527 lb/yr and ensure Forest Lake remains below the state standard of 40 ?g/L summer average phosphorus concentration. Forest Lake is not listed as impaired for nutrients, but summertime phosphorus readings occasionally exceed state standards, meaning this lake is at great risk of becoming impaired. CLFLWD sets its own goal for Forest Lake to achieve and maintain a summertime average phosphorus concentration of 30 ?g/L (i.e., even lower than the state standard).
The focus of this project will be on protection efforts to maintain or improve the water quality of Forest Lake by reducing phosphorus loads to the lake, especially from storm water. The two main objectives of this project are to compile and make minor updates to a large body of diagnostic work that already exists for Forest Lake, and to develop a comprehensive, site-specific implementation plan for best management practices (BMPs).
Our program/project will protect and maintain intact forest ecosystems through the use of perpetual conservation easements and other tools. This program/project will directly protect approximately 187, 277 acres of forest and wetlands with permanent conservation easements and 1,344 acres with fee acquisition.
This project will develop an enhanced street sweeping plan for the City of Forest Lake that optimizes phosphorus removal from increasing sweeping frequency with the cost of additional sweeps. In addition, this project will identify road-specific street sweeping timing and frequency, quantify expected phosphorus load reductions, itemize costs of enhanced street sweeping, and recommend funding options to the City of Forest Lake.
Forest Lake Area Schools, the Rice Creek Watershed District and the City of Forest Lake have partnered to develop the first phase of a long-term stormwater reuse and education program starting. This project will result in stormwater pond retrofits and construction of new irrigation infrastructure to reduce potable groundwater usage by over 4 million gallons per year. Further, educational curriculum will be developed to integrate the reuse technology and water conservation concepts. Clear Lake is an important regional resource and boasts a very active lake association.
Forest Lake is one of the top recreational lakes in the metro area with a diverse and healthy fishery along with thee public accesses. The water quality of Forest Lake also impacts downstream waters, particularly Comfort Lake, the Sunrise River, and ultimately Lake St. Croix. A water quality study was completed for Forest Lake identifying nutrient reduction goals to meet state water quality standards for all three basins of Forest Lake along with the Comfort Lake-Forest Lake Watershed District's (CLFLWD) long term goal water quality goals for the lake.
The Minnesota DNR and the Minnesota Forest Resources Council work with forest landowners, managers and loggers to implement a set of voluntary sustainable forest management guidelines that include water quality best management practices (BMPs) to ensure sustainable habitat, clean water, and productive forest soils, all contributing to healthy watersheds. This project will monitor the implementation of these forest management guidelines and BMPs on forested watersheds in MN.
This leadership workshop series will provide the participants (citizen leaders) with knowledge, skills, processes and tools that can help to strengthen their current efforts and nurture new ones.
This project will build the first comprehensive list of Minnesota moths and butterflies. Information gained through surveys and outreach efforts will inform land managers and inspire public appreciation.
To restore the Freeman Doud Cabin and Sunnyside School, located on the Beltrami County fairgrounds. During the fair, visitors will be able to able to observe the log cabin restoration and chinking process. Display boards will depict the history of the cabin, show where it was built on Lake Bemidji, and acquaint people with the importance of preserving this history.
BWSR will administer funding to eligible County projects that provide funds and other assistance to low income property owners to upgrade or replace Noncompliant Septic Systems. BWSR will also manage annual reporting completed by each County.
This project will finalize HSPF watershed model construction and complete the calibration/validation process. The consultant will add representation of point source discharges to the model. The consultant will compile flow data for the purposes of calibration and validation. An initial hydrologic calibration will be performed and submitted for approval.
This project will maximize the utility and usefulness of three HSPF models that have been constructed and calibrated for hydrology. The contractor will identify and reduce parameterization errors in the following three HSPF models: 1) Buffalo River Watershed, 2 ) Thief River Watershed, 3) Bois de Sioux-Mustinka Watersheds. This will result, not only in a better hydrology calibration, but will also improve each of the models’ ability to more accurately estimate sediment and pollutant loads and concentrations.
This project involves the water quality monitoring of, and data analysis for four major watersheds (8-digit Hydrologic Unit Codes) in the Rainy River Basin. This monitoring will assist in providing the water chemistry data needed to calculate annual pollutant loads for the Major Watershed Pollutant Load Monitoring Network (MWPLMN) and provide short term data sets of select parameters to other Agency programs.
The Lower St. Croix Watershed (LSCW) consists of an abundance of natural resources making it conducive for both agricultural production and urban areas. The watershed also contains various geologic features rendering substantial areas of the watershed to have vulnerable groundwater including DWSMA vulnerability, pollution sensitivity to wells, pollution sensitivity to near surface materials, karst features, and well testing show ? 5 mg/L nitrate.
