The Niigaane program focus is on Ojibwemowin curriculum development and delivery. Ojibwemowin is the vehicle used to educate our students in kindergarten through sixth grade. We rely on our First Language Elder Speakers to help facilitate and guide our teachers and students in Ojibwe language acquisition. Ojibwe cultural activities are integrated within the academic lessons. Ojibwemowin classes and family centered activities are hosted by Niigaane staff to promote language preservation and acquisition efforts for all family and community members.
Provide approximately 15 matching grants for local parks, trail, acquisition of natural areas and trails to connect people safety to desirable community locations and regional or state facilities.
The objectives of this project are to update and extend the simulation periods of the St. Louis River and Cloquet River watershed Hydrologic Simulation Program – FORTRAN (HSPF) model and the Duluth urban area HSPF model and conduct recalibration of the hydrology and water quality simulations. The model updates will support work to update the existing Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) reports.
The goal of the St. Louis River Watershed Mercury Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is to determine the mercury reductions needed to meet the water quality standards for mercury and support healthy consumption of fish by people and wildlife. Fishing is important in this watershed for economic and cultural reasons, including the exercise of tribal treaty rights; Fond du Lac’s 0.77 ng/L water quality standard protects subsistence fishing. This project will result in the development of the Mercury TMDL calculations and associated mercury source assessment.
This project will gather watershed data necessary for the development of a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report to maintain and improve water quality for the St Louis River Watershed.
The St. Louis River watershed is one of the largest watersheds in northern Minnesota and the largest single contributing watershed to Lake Superior. Surface waters are abundant with 353 lakes and 97 streams segments. Large areas of forest and wetlands help to sustain areas of exceptional water quality. However, land use changes have degraded many lakes, rivers, and streams. 21 stream reaches have aquatic life impairments, as identified by high turbidity (1 reach), poor quality aquatic macro-invertebrate community (16 reaches), and/or poor quality fish community (12 reaches).
Leveraging new statewide climate data, we will assess future change in the duration, frequency and magnitude of heavy precipitation and drought events and engage communities to prepare for these extremes.
The ENRTF grant will introduce 12 young people to conservation careers through full-time, paid internships and apprenticeships on the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (16 FTEs over 2 years).
This grant will fund the creation of a new Coordinator position with a primary focus on the Mille Lacs Lake subwatershed. Although not currently impaired, the Lake faces increasing development and land use pressure. Implementation of protection strategies is essential to the Lake's long-term health but current staffing does not allow sufficient time to be spent on project development and outreach to identify interested landowners.
This project will implement five stormwater control BMPs and educate watershed landowners regarding proper management of stormwater control. These projects will serve to change behavior and perceptions of how stormwater may be managed, and demonstrate how easy changes may have a positive impact on land stewardship and water quality protection. 100 rain barrels will be distributed at a reduced cost to critical landowners.
This is phase one of a three phase project to remove litter from every mile of the sub-surface 82-mile shoreline of Mille Lacs Lake by use of scuba divers. This first phase is considered the pilot research phase. It’s important for the project success to get under the surface of both the lake, and the issue. The goal is to understand what the submerged litter issues look like in the lake, are there excessive tire dumps going on, invasive species problems, and/or clarity issues.
Expanding waste diversion practices across the state this project will: create 16 jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, provide data to measure the social, economic, and environmental benefits of waste diversion.
This Minnesota Forests for the Future project protected 1,947 acres of forest and forested wetlands with 1,478 acres of perpetual working forest conservation easements and 469 acres of fee title acquisition in Cass, Hubbard, Lake and Morrison Counties; ensuring public benefits, management access and sustainable managed forests.
Legacy funds allow the Minnesota Zoo to extend the season of the Wells Fargo Family Farm beyond its historical May to September season to include full programming and exhibits from April through November.
The Minnesota Forest Recovery Project completed habitat enhancement on 5519 unique acres of public lands in Lake, Cass, Itasca, St. Louis, Cook, and Beltrami Counties. Multiple treatments on some parcels ensured success of enhancement efforts.
The MN Forests for the Future Program will use $2,971,000 in the Northern, Southeast and Transition Forest sections to protect 1,966 acres of habitat with permanent working forest conservation easements. Phase 8 builds upon past land protection work and focuses on permanently protecting working forests threatened by conversion to non-forest uses. This program will also protect habitat in priority cold-water refuge watersheds by implementing protection strategies identified in local watershed plans.
