Lakes and streams located in Blue Earth, Le Sueur, and Waseca Counties provide important public benefits such as hydrologic storage, economic and recreational opportunities, and regional water quality improvement. However, several of the lakes and streams have been listed as impaired because of excess nutrients and sediment from runoff.
To increase arts and cultural heritage programming at the Southwest St Louis County Fair. Professional artist Brian Jarvi, the first to win both the Minnesota Duck and Pheasant contest in consecutive years, will be an artist in residency during the fair. Reenactments of fur trading, fur trapping, and camp life will also be available to visitors.
The goal of this project is to investigate nitrate transport and the sources of nitrate in karst for more effective implementation of best management practices that will reduce nitrate concentrations in ground and surface water.
This program aims to meet emerging and unique project needs in the Minnesota State Parks and Trails system. The program has initiated activities around Buffalo herd management and has plans for other activities to be determined.
To replace the roof of the Methodist Episcopal Church, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and currently used as the Spring Valley History Museum.
Extend paved trail, construct picnic shelter, purchase and install four interpretive signs in shelter, purchase and install three park benches and one picnic table and develop a nine hole disc golf course.
to construct 3.8 miles of 10 foot wide asphalt multi-use trail connecting Buffalo Hills Park and Kiwanis Park to the Spur Line Trail, the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail and the Paul Bunyan State Trail
The final product will be a document of final action for an individual Subsurface Sewage Treatment System (SSTS) that a properly certified Advanced Inspector has reviewed to provide adequate environmental protection in accordance with Minnesota Rules.
MPCA will administer funding to eligible Local Governmental Units to use MPCA-approved Advanced Inspectors to conduct work in accordance with Minn. Rules 7080, 7081, and 7083, which requires proper location, design, installation, use and maintenance of an individual subsurface sewage treatment system (SSTS) with a design flow of 2,500 gallons per day or more that protects the public health, safety, general welfare, and the environment by the discharge of adequately treated sewage to the groundwater. Multiple contracts will be awarded.
Eroding streambanks along Bassett Creek are reducing the water quality of the creek and the Mississippi River. This project consists of stabilizing a 3,100 foot reach of Bassett Creek mostly located within Theodore Wirth Regional Park. The proposed stabilization measures will result in an estimated reduction of 52 tons of sediment and 60 pounds phosphorus per year.
The Highland Ravine is a large bluff area in central St. Paul that has become highly eroded due to hydrologic changes associated with urban development. During rain and snow melt events, water and sediment moves down slope onto private residential properties causing significant flooding and sedimentation. In addition, sediment-laden water from the gullies goes into the St. Paul storm sewer system which discharges, untreated, directly to the Mississippi River.
This project contains several activities that will implement effective, shovel ready conservation practices on multiple water bodies. The goal is to reduce the erosion impacting stream bank stability. Three initiatives will be implemented, including the installation of four shoreland restoration/stabilization projects, completion of two stream bank stabilization projects on the Middle Fork Crow River and a rain barrel program. An education program will provide outreach to lake and city residents throughout the Middle Fork Crow River Watershed.
Volunteer Coordinator. Continue to recruit, coordinate, lead volunteers in land stewardship and wildlife monitoring projects. Initially funded with Grant SG-2010-088
To increase Wright County Fair's capacity to host more performing arts programming by improving stage sound and lighting. With the enhancements, the fair will be able to provide the public with more diverse programming beyond traditional commercial musical performers, and schedule more programming by allowing evening performances.
Minnesota’s extensive state park and trail system, the second oldest in the country, is currently comprised of a total of 76 state parks and recreation areas and 13 state trails scattered throughout the state. Some of Minnesota’s state parks and trails have privately owned lands within the designated park boundaries or trail corridors. Purchase of these lands from willing landowners for addition to the state park and trail system makes them permanently available for public recreation and enjoyment and facilitates more efficient management.
Group camps provide an opportunity for groups to camp together outside the traditional campground. Group camps are used by scout groups, church groups, social groups, and families. A need has been identified to add amenities to rustic group camps, such as electrical hookups, a picnic shelter, and in some instances, modern sanitation facilities.
Provide trail rehabilitation and renewal on state park and forest trails, these are primarily non-motorized trails which due to funding priorities, have not had any significant maintenance for many years. This effort has provided a means to start addressing these trail needs and in doing so working on the most critical first. This has resulted in trail renewal work in 19 state forests and 15 state parks providing for more sustainable trails and better public safety and enjoyment.
Funds from this appropriation were directed wholly toward the Division of Parks & Trails (PAT) resource management program. The PAT resource management program was established in 1978 and is responsible for planning, coordinating and implementing natural/cultural resource management efforts on division-administered lands. PAT administers approximately 250,000 acres of land, of which less than 5% is developed as campgrounds, roads/trails or other use areas.
Priority lands will be acquired and developed as State Forests to protect forests, habitat and provide public hunting, trapping and compatible outdoor uses.
This program funds unpredictable maintenance expenditures in State Parks such as storm damage, waterline repair, electrical system repair, erosion repair, utility system repair, and small site improvements.
The Statewide Sediment Network was established to measure the levels of suspended sediment concentrations and particle size distributions at eight sites across Minnesota to evaluate the amount of sediment carried by rivers. USGS sample collection and laboratory analysis techniques provide a more rigorous, robust, and technically accurate measure of sediment in water than the current use of total suspended solids as the measure of sediment in water.
Five traveling exhibits are making more than 45 stops in communities around the state in FY12 and FY13, giving more Minnesotans the chance to experience history in their own backyards. The exhibits feature freestanding displays, audiovisual and interactive components, and onsite and online educational programming. They are Minnesota on the Map, Minnesota Homefront, Electrifying Minnesota, Uncle Sam's New Deal and Minnesota Disasters. Two traveling exhibits were developed working with teens.
Current and accurate data on historic and archaeological sites is crucial to understanding our past and to preserving Minnesota's history for future generations. In fiscal years 2012 and 2013, the Minnesota Historical Society, the Office of the State Archaeologist and the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council awarded contracts for the following projects: Archaeological Surveys in Steele, McLeod and Red Lake Counties.