The "Bigfork River Target Watershed Assessment – Lake of the Woods & Koochiching Soil and Water Conservation Districts" Project focuses on collecting water chemistry and field parameters at Bear River, Big Fork River (4 sites), Caldwell Brook and Sturgeon River. The project will support the biological assessments being completed by MPCA staff for this Target Watershed Assessment. This work will also train and develop Koochiching SWCD staff to enable them to continue water quality monitoring in the Rainy River Basin.
This study will leverage our current bioacoustics monitoring framework to assess avian diversity at the statewide scale through a citizen science acoustic monitoring program, with a focus on private lands.
This project consists of the design of a new marina/dock complex on Birch Lake in Babbitt Minnesota. The City will own and operate the marina/dock complex.
Bois Forte Tribal Leaders have acknowledged the potential loss of our Native Language and unique Ojibwe dialect. With a mere 6 fluent speaker's remaining, it is critical that we utilize creative methods to preserve the language. This project will provide funds to purchase appropriate equipment that will be used to record elders as they tell the history of Bois Forte and teach of the clan system and identify families. The recordings will preserve their knowledge for future generation.
To increase the Ojibwe language fluency, proficiency and literacy fo the Bois Forte Indian Community through partnerships with existing language perservation programs to develop a curriculum for pre-K learners, and K-6th grade.
This full-scale pilot will evaluate supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) for managing PFAS in biosolids and water treatment residuals. SCWO can destroy PFAS in a variety of wastes and recover energy.
1.) Continue to develop and expand K-6 immersion site curriculum. 2.) Provide fluent speakers in the classroom. 3.) Develop appropriate testing and evaluation procedures. 4.) Incorporate and participate in community-based training and engagement. 5.) Execute 5-year Strategic Plan.
1.) Continue to develop and expand K-6 immersion site curriculum. 2.) Provide fluent speakers in the classroom. 3.) Develop appropriate testing and evaluation procedures. 4.) Incorporate and participate in community-based training and engagement. 5.) Execute 5-year Strategic Plan.
To provide a space for cultural events and demonstrations at the Northern Minnesota District Fair. By building a performance area and installing a sound system, the fair will have created a dedicated space for history skits, 4-H demonstrations, concerts, and other arts and cultural heritage related programming.
We will partner with urban municipalities and school districts to support planting of climate-resilient tree species. Activities include planting trees, gravel bed nursery creation, tree assessment and mapping, and community.
Through the construction of new interactive exhibits and the creation of educational programming, the Duluth Children's Museum will highlight the community and culture of Duluth and the surrounding region. A climbable, playable model of Duluth's iconic canal lighthouses and an educational Ojibwe waaginogaan are among the planned new elements being added to the museum experience.
Funds are to be used to protect, enhance and restore water quality in lakes, rivers and streams and to protect groundwater and drinking water. Activities include structural and vegetative practices to reduce runoff and retain water on the land, feedlot water quality projects, SSTS abatement grants for low income individuals, and stream bank, stream channel and shoreline protection projects. For the fiscal year 2012, BWSR awarded 13 local governments with funds to complete 143 projects. More information is available in the detail reports below.
The Camp Ripley ACUB Phase VI project protected almost 1070 acres of high quality habitat along the Mississippi and Crow Wing Rivers and near the Nokasippi and Gull River WMAs through approximately 14 conservation easements.
Phase VIII of the RIM Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape ACUB Partnership utilized permanent RIM conservation easements to acquire 1,755-acres of high quality habitat within the ACUB work area. We secured 7 easements including the two one contiguous block but done as two easements for legal reasons) Cushing Land Company easements that totaled 1,464 acres. In total one of the largest RIM easements ever acquired.
The Camp Ripley ACUB Phase VII project protected 598.2 acres of high quality habitat along the Crow Wing, Gull, Nokasippi, and Mississippi River corridors through nine conservation easements.
The project protect approximately 1090 acres of habitat for fish, game and wildlife with easements along the Mississippi and Crow Wing Rivers and tributaries. Protection will reduce infringement and development and improve watershed function.
While aspen is one of the most dominant forest types, predicted future conditions will negatively impact aspen growth. Increasing tree diversity can provide increase ecological and economic resilience.
Revitalizing the old deer yards into Caribou Yards is a transformative initiative aimed at creating habitats for a herd of caribou. The need for this project arises from the closure of the old deer yards, which were previously inhabited by white-tailed deer until the last one passed away of old age. Subsequently, the fencing surrounding these three habitats has weathered and suffered damage during the years of inoccupancy.
To remodel an existing commercial building to be established as the Pillager Arts Center. The Pillager Arts Center will be an epicenter for arts education for the community and serve as a space where people can interact with other creative minds.
To update and enhance cultural heritage exhibits at the Cass County Fair. Projects will include brightening display areas, installing speakers, and removing outdated displays to replace with new exhibits of art and cultural artifacts from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwa and other pieces relating to regional heritage.
This 3-part project is developing and installing shoreline buffer projects on Ten Mile Lake, and the Roosevelt, Lawrence, Leavitt Lake area (RALALA).An additional part will correct roadway erosion contributing to sedimentation and water quality degradation on Buxton Road between McKeowen and Mann Lakes. Woodrow Township will work with Cass County SWCD/ESD and adjacent landowners to construct sedimentation basins and rain gardens and restructure the roadbed by reducing the slope to eliminate erosion and sedimentation.
This monitoring project includes lake and stream monitoring and encompasses all of Cass County, and surrounding counties. The project will obtain water quality data for streams; in 2009, lakeshed assessments indicated that many surface waters throughout the county were data deficient. This project will address the need for sufficient data on a county-wide basis and fulfill the State’s intensive watershed monitoring program goals by obtaining water quality data at targeted lake and stream sites.
This project will include lake and stream monitoring on 23 lakes and 4 streams found within the Leech Lake River and Pine River watersheds in Cass County. The project will be conducted in an effort to gain sufficient data on these data-deficient lake and stream sites within these watersheds. All of the proposed monitoring sites are target sites located in the targeted watersheds for 2012. Cass ESD is partnering with Hubbard SWCD, the Leech Lake Band of Objibwe, and RMB Environmental Laboratories to conduct the fieldwork for this project.
To hire a qualified architect to prepare a conditions assessment and planning documents for the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, proposed to be used as a community center, and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.