The 400-mile stretch of the Mississippi River from its headwaters at Lake Itasca to Morrison County near Little Falls is the focus of this project. Working in cooperation with the eight member counties, this project will develop implementation plans and strategies geared specifically for the Mississippi River and incorporate them into the individual County Comprehensive Local Water Plans. These recommendations will be for specific strategies, often crossing county boundaries for implementation.
Completion of priority assessments to aid in implementing future projects. Three possible assessments have been identified for further consideration. The first is a subwatershed assessment in the South Fork Rush Creek subwatershed in Corcoran, which is adjacent to the previously completed Rush Creek Headwaters SWA. This would identify mainly agricultural BMPs for implementation in partnership with Hennepin County. The second is a feasibility assessment of re-meandering the outlet of Diamond Lake to Diamond Creek, which was identified in the Diamond Creek SWA.
Several lakes in the Shingle Creek watershed have been designated Impaired Waters for excess nutrients, and the Watershed Commission and cities continue to undertake BMPs to reduce total phosphorus and sediment to the lakes to help improve water quality. This project is the completion of subwatershed assessments in two priority areas to identify future BMPs addressing ongoing lake nutrient impairments. The areas are the drainage area to the Gaulke/ Memory Lane/ Hagemeister Pond system tributary to Middle Twin Lake; and the drainage area to Eagle Lake.
Expanding COMPAS' Prism Arts, MN Teaching Artists from African, Indigenous, and/or Asian heritages, will develop & deliver arts residencies that teach an art form with roots in their cultural heritage. Residencies will include learning the art form's cultural context, artists from that culture who have influenced it, and creating the art form alongside the Teaching Artist. Artists will select the MN community where their residency will be delivered, focusing on increasing access to the art form.
