The Project and Outreach Coordinator will facilitate efforts within the watershed to provide landowner support and assistance in identifying areas in need of conservation plans and best management practices. The coordinator would use the Watershed Protection and Restoration Strategy Report and county water plans to target and prioritize outreach and education to maximize water quality benefits. This will greatly multiply the number of educated landowners in the watershed and increase the number of projects implemented.
This project primarily focuses on riparian restoration (permanent vegetative buffer enhancements and plantings) on 6.5 miles (both sides) of targeted tributaries, ditches, and wetlands within five sub - watershed areas identified in the Snake River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) Report. These plantings will consist of native perennials, trees, and shrubs where practical. In addition to the riparian plantings, this project will include fence exclusions for cattle and heavy use protections at cattle crossings in streams and ditches.
Continue and finalize watershed models using Hydrologic Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF) for the Grand Marais Creek and Snake River Watersheds and complete the calibration/validation process.
Pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural nutrients serve important functions in crop production and the treatment of disease. However, these chemicals become pollutants when discharged into surface waters through wastewater, storm water, and agricultural runoff. There are natural processes, though, that help break down and remove these pollutants from water. One such process is the role that sunlight interacting with dissolved organic matter naturally present in surface water from decaying plant materials and algae has in transforming these contaminants.
Sustainable energy production is a major challenge facing our society. Solar energy is renewable and is a viable and attractive option. However, there are obstacles to widespread use. Current technology is expensive, making it difficult for businesses and homeowners to implement, and solar cells are commonly made using toxic and rare elements or using processes that require large amounts of energy. To become commonplace, solar cells must be inexpensive and robust, and they must be made of abundant, cheap, nontoxic materials.
Over the past several years six environmental learning centers located around the state - Audubon Center of the North Woods, Deep Portage Learning Center, Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center, Laurentian Environmental Learning Center, Long Lake Conservation Center and Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center – have been implementing demonstrations of energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy on their campuses for use as educational tools for the thousands of students and visitors that come to the centers each year.
The Minnesota State Legislature asked the Minnesota Humanities Center to award arts and cultural heritage grants to the Somali community through the competitive grant process. Legacy funds are appropriated to the Humanities Center to support such work. A small portion of each appropriation was reserved by the Humanities Center for direct expenses related to administering the grant. Should any portion of this reserve be unused, the difference will be awarded to the respective organizations.
Conduct well survey to determine property owners that may need to seal wells, survey compilation, update PCSI well status and mailing and develop spill response plan.
Improve security by purchasing and installing doors on city's well house, create and publish article on protecting source of water, potential contaminants, and wellhead program.
Provide information meeting about incentive to encourage agriculture producers to reduce nitrate. Establish incentive for agriculture producers to use best management practices to reduce nitrate in drinking water system.
Drill well to clear pump for borehole geophysical survey on well 2. Purchase spill response materials to be better prepared in case of spill or train derailment.
Clean well 228834 to decrease draw down and bring capacity of well back to normal range. Pull well pump and televise well, Jet well casing and screen, jet and chlorinate well, final televising and set up well pump
Remove concrete, fill annular space with grout, fabricate well head, paint interior piping, reinstall pump, motor and drop pipe to stop potential source of contamination from entering city wells.
Identify and update Potential Contaminant Source Inventory to eliminate private wells with potential pathway for contamination. Purchase, replace 2 data loggers, 1 indicator for data collection equipment
