Priority lands were acquired within the Richard J. Dorer State Forest; protecting forests, habitat and providing public hunting, trapping and compatible outdoor uses as well as watershed protection. This project protected 203 acres of forest land, reduced boundaries by 3720 feet, provided access to 1116 acres of state forest land, and protected 2000 feet of shoreline.
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.
The Minnesota Historical Society created a new traveling exhibits program, called "Exhibits to Go," giving more than 15 communities across Minnesota the ability to experience Minnesota history in their own neighborhood.
Funding for the traveling exhibits came from multiple appropriation categories, including funding for Statewide Historic Programs and for History Partnership Projects.
Partner Organizations: Minnesota Landmark Center, Bakken Museum, Minnesota Humanities Center.
The Minnesota Historical Society partnered with three separate organizations to make the following traveling exhibits available to communities across the state.
Having current and accurate data on historic and archaeological sites is important to understanding our past and to preserving Minnesota’s history for future generations. In 2010-2011, the Minnesota Historical Society awarded contracts for these survey projects:
This project will support the MPCA’s water quality monitoring and assessment program. Specifically, the MPCA is developing a refined use designation process known as tiered aquatic life uses (TALU) to account for situations in which stream habitat has been compromised through hydrological alteration (e.g. channelization and ditching). An accurate state-wide determination of altered stream segments based upon the current National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) linework will assist in the assignment of the correct beneficial use within this new TALU framework.
A web-based map viewer, and will be made available to the public through the D.N.R. website (mndnr.gov). All non-state data will rely explicitly on outside resources collected by the University of Minnesota.
Map scale will guide the quantity and type of information available in print form. Legislation passed in 2009, Chapter 172, states the need for a printed map product, as well as a web-based interface that is available to the public. Facilities included on the general legislative printed map (or booklet) will be State and Regional parks, State and major Regional trails, State Forest Campgrounds and Day-Use Areas, and basic information on how to access more information on these facilities.
Each fiscal year of ACHF funding, a majority of the twelve 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.
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.
To form a partnership in order to provide services to, and help coordinate preservation of historic resources for, the various historical organizations around Steele County.
A consultant was hired to facilitate a process to grow the capacity of the organization to preserve and interpret history through a national training standard, known as StEPs. The StEPs program is an on-going process for continuous improvement.
In order to grow the capacity of the organization to preserve and interpret history a consultant was hired by the DCHV to lead selected members and the board through the Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations' (StEPs) self-assessment program.
To grow the capacity of the organization to preserve and interpret history through a national training standard, the Firefighter's Hall and Museum completed four of six areas of the StEPs Program at the Bronze level. The areas completed were the Mission, Values and Governance, Management, Audience and Interpretation sections. The FHM does not have historic structures or landscapes so that area does not apply. The Collections area was too large to complete before the June deadline. The Museum plans to continue the StEPs work and the collections project is a top priority.
Archival storage boxes were purchased to re-house and properly store the city's historic collections located in the Kremer House Museum and Library. Steel storage shelves were purchased to house the boxes of photographs, newspapers and non-clothing items that are stored in the attic. Many volunteers assisted with the cleaning, organizing, boxing and labeling of items. The collections are now more accessible, including long forgotten and newly rediscovered items now available for use and/or reference as a result of this re-organization.
Partner Organizations: Anoka County Historical Society, Hennepin History Museum.
Suburbanization has reached nearly all corners of Hennepin and Anoka Counties. The two counties are bound together by the state's largest school district: Anoka-Hennepin. Working together, the Anoka and Hennepin County Historical Societies are gathering resources located in numerous repositories so that they, and future historians, will have a logical starting place from which to draw information about the suburbanization of Anoka and Hennepin counties.
Lebanon Hills Regional Park, realign visitor center entrance road, improve storm water management including flood mitigation and ecological health of adjacent wetland.
The Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) program is in the process of issuing the small MS4 general permit to new permittees who have been designated based on the results of the 2010 Census. These permittees were notified on February 25, 2015 that they will need to apply for the Permit within 18 months. We need to provide outreach on stormwater management and environmental impacts to ensure that they achieve a basic understanding of why the MS4 Permit exists, and why their municipality is in the program.
Capitol Region Watershed District will partner with local organizations and private landowners to implement a variety of cost-effective Best Management Practices in the East Kittsondale subwatershed. The urbanized condition of the 1,860 acre subwatershed results in an estimated 1,500 pounds of phosphorus, over 470,000 pounds of sediment, and significant concentrations of bacteria associated with that sediment being sent untreated to the Mississippi River each year. Those pollutants have contributed to several impairments within the river.
This project will result in updates to existing information and incorporation of new information into the Minnesota Stormwater Manual. The information is used by stormwater practitioners to implement the most effective and cost-efficient practices for managing stormwater runoff volume and pollutants, in addition to meeting regulatory requirement associated with stormwater permits.
This project will result in updates to existing information and incorporation of new information on active construction site erosion prevention and sediment control into the Minnesota Stormwater Manual. The information is used by stormwater practitioners to implement the most effective and cost-efficient practices for managing stormwater runoff volume and pollutants, and to meet regulatory requirements associated with stormwater permits.
This project will result in updates to existing information and incorporate new information into the Minnesota Stormwater Manual. The information is used by stormwater practitioners to implement the most effective and cost-efficient practices for managing stormwater runoff volume and pollutants, and to meet regulatory requirement associated with stormwater permits.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) each collect similar information on streams in Minnesota such as water quality, fish species presence, or the quality of fish habitat. For example, the DNR might sample stream fish to assess whether the agency’s management activities such as fishing regulations or stocking are creating good angling opportunities for the public, while MPCA might sample fish to assess whether a stream meets regulatory standards for a healthy fish community.
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.
Erosion from streambanks and fields along the Clearwater River add sediment, nutrients and organic material to this important tributary of the Red River of the North. Turbidity impairments caused by those sediments contribute to several environmental and economic problems including interfering with spawning habitat critical to Lake Sturgeon recovery in the Red River Watershed and increasing drinking water treatment costs for the city of East Grand Forks.
Stubbs Bay on Lake Minnetonka is impaired for excess nutrients due to phosphorus loading. This impairment results in nuisance algae blooms that limit the recreational use of this water body. As a part of its surface water management planning process, the City of Orono has identified projects to help improve the water quality of Stubbs Bay and Lake Minnetonka. The Stubbs Bay Ravine Stabilization project is one of the projects scheduled for completion in 2011.
