We will partner with the BWSR RIM Easement Program, Hubbard, Crow Wing, and Cass Counties and Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) to protect 610 acres of high-quality private forest, wetlands, and shoreline in the Northern Forest Ecological Section. This project will be successful because of the sophisticated RAQ scoring, integrative parcel selection, proven outreach tactics, SWCD landowner relationships, and BWSR and SWCD RIM partnership.
The Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) partnered with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR), Crow Wing County (CWC), Technical Service Area VIII (TSA8), Big Pine Lake Association, the City of Crosslake, and the Crosslake Army Corps to construct five-rock riffle structures that added 40,000 square feet of key spawning habitat for walleye, smallmouth bass, shorthead, greater redhorse, and several minnow species plus restore access to the 15 lakes upstream.
The Brainerd Lakes area is one of Minnesota's most beloved "up north" destinations. With a population of 162,000 that expands by approximately 300,000 annually, North Central Minnesota is home to a complex mix of year-round residents, second home owners, seasonal visitors, and a growing immigrant population. The area is home to both promise and challenge. WonderTrek Children's Museum and its partners envision a more connected region and state and actively works to create connections by bringing together visitors and residents from diverse backgrounds in shared experiences.
Continuing pollinator habitat creation and enhancement on 11 sites from Lakeville to St. Cloud, with public engagement and education centered on youth, schools, and community awareness of natural resource stewardship.
Mille Lacs Lake is recognized as one of the premier walleye producing lakes in the world. The current water quality of the lake is good, however recent monitoring of the lake and its watershed indicates the potential to develop problems. Since 1997, the Mille Lacs Lake Watershed Management Group has worked to preserve the water quality of Mille Lacs Lake. Five priority projects were identified by the Group partners in an effort to preserve water quality. Support for these projects was provided by a grant from the Clean Water Fund.
To hire qualified professionals to replace the roof and do additional restoration on the City of Brainerd Water Tower, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
We propose to integrate Minnesota Wildflowers Information, an online tool for plant identification, with the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas, to preserve and extend this popular ENTRF-supported resource for future use.
This project helps Minnesota entities that directly or indirectly cause PFAS and microplastics contamination stop the flow of the contaminants by developing strategies to manage solid waste streams.
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.
The SWCD initiated Project Recharge to create and apply a protection strategy to address declining water quality trend reported in a 2008 large lakes analysis. The report contained watershed and trend analysis for lakes over 1,000 acres in size and led to targeting of lands located within lakesheds containing the highest ratio of impervious to pervious surfaces. These included the Cities of Breezy Point, Crosslake, and Fifty Lakes.
The Duluth Children's Museum is a place for every family to learn and play. Highlighting local cultures through new exhibits, programming, and partnership, the museum will draw new audiences.
The program protected 848 acres using OHF, and a total of 1,627 acres of forested habitat which leveraged over $2.2 million in other state and federal Department of Defense funding to permanently protect these lands near some of Minnesota's fastest developing cities (Baxter and Brainerd). This was a partnership effort involving The Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Camp Ripley, City of Baxter, Sylvan Township, Cass County, and Crow Wing County. The local press covered the closing of the project on radio, TV, and the newspapers.
A partnership among the City of Baxter, Brainerd Public Schools, Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape program and The Conservation Fund will acquire 200 acres of riparian forest on the upper Mississippi River Headwaters.
This project will complete 18 permanent conservation easements, 30 forest management plans, and 20 best management practices (BMP) around Aitkin and Crow Wing Counties highest quality lakes.
Two permanent RIM Easements on 494 acres of high quality, riparian habitat in the Little Nokasippi WMA area of influence have been recorded and will provide lasting wildlife habitat.
