This project will protect and restore declining habitats and watersheds for important wildlife species in strategically targeted areas of biodiversity significance in Southeast Minnesota. The project will result in increased public access and expanded habitat complexes critical to the state.
With these funds the DNR enhanced almost 3,100 acres on 140 different tracts within State Forests and Wildlife Management Area lands in southeastern Minnesota. While a lot of forest management can be conducted with well-planned and carefully conducted timber harvests, these activities enhanced these forested habitats beyond standard harvest practices such as increasing hard mast production (acorns, hickory nuts, etc). This will provide long-term benefits for a range of wildlife species and increased recreational opportunities for Minnesotans.
This project will protect approximately 1,375 acres and restore and enhance approximately 280 acres of declining habitat for important wildlife species in strategically targeted areas of biodiversity significance in the Blufflands resulting in increased public access and habitat.
The lack of sewage treatment in many small communities in Southeast Minnesota is causing surface water and groundwater pollution. Fourteen of these small communities will receive technical assistance provided by this project. These communities have community or individual straight pipes which are discharging raw sewage directly to the environment, surfacing sewage, or have sewage contaminating groundwater.
Minnesota’s twelve regional library systems, which encompass more than 350 public libraries in all areas of the state, can benefit from a portion of the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Through State Library Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education, each regional library system is eligible to receive a formula-driven allocation from the annual $2.2 million Minnesota Regional Library System Legacy Grant. Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO) is a federated regional public library system with central services located in southeastern Minnesota.
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.
Wakefield Lake is in the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District (RWMWD) and is impaired for excess phosphorus. Through the Wakefield Lake TMDL process, implementation activities have been identified which include partnerships with the City of Maplewood to install BMPs in the watershed to directly benefit Wakefield Lake. RWMWD has researched, monitored and field tested the use of spent lime for stormwater quality treatment.
To contract with qualified professionals to prepare construction documents for the preservation of Split Rock Bridge, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Spring Park watershed is over 225 acres. Most of the watershed has been fully developed into a variety of residential, commercial, and institutional land uses. Project funds would be utilized to conduct a watershed analysis with the goal of identifying pollutant load sources and potential areas for structural stormwater BMPs for future retro-fit projects to reduce instances of localized flooding, reduce peak storm flows, and improve the quality of stormwater runoff discharging into Crocker's Creek.
Design, engineering, construction, and construction administration of recreational, interpretation, natural resource, and cultural resource improvements, improve access to the Mississippi River Greenway, Mississippi River, park trails, and other park resources.
The Washington County Department of Public Health and Environment is seeking funds to conduct countywide records catalog and subsequent risk analysis of subsurface sewage treatment systems, or septic systems, in the county. The records catalog will involve the collection, digitization and review of historical permit records from 1972-2004. The risk analysis will utilize information from the historical review, in addition to other pertinent available data.
Continue Recreation and Volunteer Specialist position initiated in 2014 to develop and implement recreation and volunteer programs. Engage 3,000 park visitors through 90 programs provided in the County Regional Parks in outreach programming. Legacy funds will leverage $42,000 in County General funds.
MNHS and the Minnesota State Fair Foundation increased awareness and knowledge of Minnesota history by providing quality programming for visitors to the Great Minnesota Get-Together. In 2016, new content was added to the Minnesota State Fair History Walking Tour brochure, including a wide array of diverse images of people at the fair. Audio and visual content was also available through the tour's smartphone component, and staff presented audio/visual content via social media throughout the fair.
Protected through fee title acquisition 340 acres of priority forestland habitat in the northern and southeast ecological sections of the state. All parcels have been included in the DNR State Forest system; providing for long-term, ongoing protection and management of lands for the benefit of all Minnesotans.
MNHS and the Minnesota State Fair Foundation are increasing awareness and knowledge of Minnesota history by providing quality programming for visitors to the Great Minnesota Get-Together. In 2015, the partners added new visual and written content for the Minnesota State Fair History Walking Tour brochure. Audio and visual content was available with the smartphone tour component, and staff presented audio/visual content via social media throughout the fair. Some 40,000 brochures were distributed throughout the fairgrounds during the run of the fair.
The Historic Recognition Grant program will preserve, recognize, and promote the historic legacy of Minnesota, with a focus on commemoration of Minnesota's role in the American Civil War via media, materials, and public programs to underscore the Civil War-era origins of the state capitol to complement the visitor experience once the building reopens for public tours in 2017 is the second of three projects being administered by MNHS in cooperation with the state's Civil War Commemoration Task Force are in development
This agreement is for Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) to provide statewide conservation reporting system support services in order to support Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) programs. Support services will be aimed at both MPCA staff and local government recipients of grants.
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.
Each fiscal year of ACHF funding, a majority of the participating regional library systems agree to allocate 10% of their ACHF funding to support statewide partnership projects. SELCO serves as the fiscal agent for statewide projects.
The goal of this project will be to research and develop statewide winter maintenance best management practices (BMPs) for inclusion in the Statewide Chloride Management Plan and Winter Maintenance Assessment tool (WMAt). The WMAt is a necessary technical resource and planning tool for stakeholders and permittees to implement the chloride reduction strategies described in the Statewide Chloride Management Plan. This project will enhance the WMAt so that it is an effective planning tool to assist local winter maintenance professionals to reduce salt use.
The goal of this project is to update and revise the Twin Cities Metro Area (TCMA) Chloride Management Plan to a Statewide Chloride Management Plan (CMP). The Statewide CMP will provide stakeholders the information and tools necessary to improve and/or maintain water quality with respect to chloride.
The Legislature created the Statewide Survey of Historic & Archaeological Sites to provide opportunities to expand our understanding of historic and archaeological sites statewide.
Projects are defined by an oversight board and are conducted through competitive-bid contracts.
The Statewide Survey of Historical and Archaeological Sites focuses on tangible aspects of Minnesota's cultural heritage including historic places, archaeological sites, places with spiritual and traditional importance, and cultural landscapes. The survey focuses on the identification and evaluation of these places in order to improve their management and enhance their interpretation.
Nitrate-nitrogen (nitrate) is one of the contaminants of greatest concern for groundwater in Minnesota. This funding is being used for activities that help identify the severity and magnitude of nitrate contamination and implement practices at the local level to reduce nitrate in groundwater. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is working with many local partners and passing funding through to local government units (counties, cities, soil and water conservation districts) to address this concern.
The MDA's technical assistance helps ensure that current and accurate scientific information is made available and used to address water quality concerns in agricultural areas of Minnesota. This funding has been used to evaluate the effectiveness of conservation practices, share information from research and demonstration sites and enhance outreach and education to the agricultural community and local government partners.
Stearns County Ditch 26 (CD 26) is a 20 mile channelized section of Getchell Creek, a primary tributary to the Sauk River that is impaired for turbidity, E.coli and aquatic macroinvertebrate bio-assessment. The Stearns County Ditch 26 Drainage Management Project will address the stormwater runoff concerns identified within this public drainage system. Alternative intake structures to manage nutrients and mitigative measures will be taken to retain water on the upland properties and minimize flow rate and velocity.
In partnership with Metro Blooms, the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) will implement stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) at a minimum of six properties along commercial nodes targeted for re-investment by the City of Minneapolis' Business District Support program.
Stream flow information is essential for understanding the state of Minnesota's waters. Clean water funding has allowed the DNR to expand a network of stream gages that support planning and implementation for clean water protection and restoration. These gages are also used as part of the interagency Flood Forecasting/Warning System. This expanded stream gaging network has also significantly increased the real time data available to recreational water enthusiasts via the internet.
This 5,000-square-foot exhibit opened Oct. 14, 2015, and tells the story of the population exodus from the central cities to the developing Twin Cities suburbs