Historic Knife River flooding has led to stream channel degradation. This degradation resulted in slumping streambanks, sediment discharge exceeding the total maximum daily load (TMDL) and the loss of instream trout habitat. This is LSSA's 6th LSOHC Grant proposal in the Knife River. Since the LSSA began grant work on the Knife River (2013), the DNR has observed a 215% increase in the adult steelhead population. Our LSOHC projects have also stabilized ~2 miles of stream channel, restored ~15,000 feet of streambanks and reduced annual sediment discharge by 700 tons.
Eroding streambanks in the Knife River Watershed have degraded trout habitat and resulted in a total maximum daily load (TMDL) exceedance for turbidity. The LSSA proposes to rehabilitate instream habitat to increase trout spawning and rearing. Natural Channel Design construction techniques will be utilized to create a self-sustaining project that enhances instream habitat, improves channel stability, facilitates sediment transportation, stabilizes eroding streambanks, creates riparian wetlands and replant riparian trees/pollinator shrubs.
Historic flooding led to severe habitat degradation throughout the Knife River watershed. Including miles of slumping streambanks, thousands of tons of sediment discharge, turbidity measurements exceeding the MPCA's TMDL and loss of instream trout habitat. DNR has documented a 200% increase in adult steelhead population, two miles of restored stream channel, 10,000 feet of stabilized streambanks and annual reduction of sediment discharge by 1,000 tons due to our projects.
This Corridor Habitat Restoration Project is a cooperative effort between the District (WRWD), MN Board of Soil
and Water Resources (MNBWSR), MN DNR, and Red River Watershed Management Board (RRWMB). This is a
voluntary program with the long-term goal to restore a natural corridor area along the Lower Reach of the Wild
Rice River. When completed, the project will restore 23 channelized river miles to 50 miles of natural stream
channel. The funding from this allocation was used to protect and restore approximately 151 acres of floodplain
This Corridor Habitat Restoration Project is a cooperative effort between the District (WRWD), MN Board of Soil and Water Resources (MNBWSR), MN DNR, and Red River Watershed Management Board (RRWMB). This is a voluntary program with the long-term goal to restore a natural corridor area along the Lower Reach of the Wild Rice River. When completed, the project will restore 23 channelized river miles to 50 miles of natural stream channel.
The Minnesota's Heritage Forest - Transition to Public Ownership Program is focused on the protection of forest lands in northern Minnesota by purchasing land from The Conservation Fund (TCF) for permanent conservation, management and protection by MN DNR and northern MN Counties. In 2020 TCF purchased more than 72,000 acres of forest land Minnesota from the PotlatchDeltic Corp., securing these lands to provide time for conservation partners to permanently conserve these forest lands.
Northern Minnesota's forests are increasingly challenged by invasive species, insect pests, a changing climate, and fragmentation. Some habitats have declined substantially, including long-lived-conifers, young-forest, and large-patch habitats. These habitats are critical for numerous game and non-game species of concern. This project seeks to protect 3,445 acres of intact forest habitat through conservation easements and enhance 11,555 acres of degraded forests. The enhancements will increase long-lived conifers, young forest gaps, riparian forest complexity, and patch-size diversity.
The Nature Conservancy and US Fish and Wildlife Service will work together to permanently protect native prairie and associated complexes of wetlands and native habitats in western and central Minnesota by purchasing approximately 620 acres of fee title properties and/or permanent habitat easements. Approximately 333 acres will be native prairie. Work will be focused in areas identified as having significant biodiversity by the Minnesota Biological Survey and/or the US Fish and Wildlife Service and located in priority areas in the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan.
The Nature Conservancy and US Fish and Wildlife Service will work together to permanently protect native prairie and associated complexes of wetlands and native habitats in western and central Minnesota by purchasing approximately 1,112 acres of fee title properties and/or permanent habitat easements. Approximately 726 acres will be native prairie. Work will be focused in priority areas identified in the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan that have significant biodiversity by the Minnesota Biological Survey.
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will cooperate to permanently protect native prairie and associated complexes of wetlands and native habitats in western and central Minnesota by purchasing approximately 540 acres of fee title properties and/or permanent habitat easements. Approximately 270 acres will be native prairie. Work will be focused in areas identified as having significant biodiversity by the Minnesota Biological Survey and located in priority areas in the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan (Prairie Plan).
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 Prairie Chicken Habitat Partnership IV permanently protects 303 acres of greater prairie chicken habitat in the Southern Red River Valley of Minnesota. This partnership protects and restores strategic habitat that builds onto or creates corridors between existing protected lands. Acquired lands will be transferred to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) to be included as a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) or to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as a WPA.
The project will advance the protection, restoration and enhancement goals for prairie and grassland habitat as described in the 2018 update of the MN Prairie Conservation Plan. It builds upon the highly successful model established in prior Prairie Recovery Phases and seeks to protect approximately 600 acres in fee without PILT obligations to be held by The Nature Conservancy, enhance approximately 10,000 acres of permanently protected grasslands, and restore roughly 200 acres of prairie and wetland habitat.
This proposal protects and restores 400 acres of land in the Minnesota prairie-chicken range, that will be transferred to the MNDNR as a WMA or to the USFWS as a WPA. All land will be open to public hunting. MN Prairie Chicken Society and Pheasants Forever will be protecting parcels that focus specifically on prairie chicken benefits, which makes this proposal unique and highly focused. All acquisitions will occur within the prairie and prairie/forest planning regions with a focus in Clay, Norman, Mahnomen and Wilkin counties which is the primary range of prairie chickens in Minnesota.
The project will advance the protection, restoration and enhancement goals for prairie and grassland habitat that are articulated in the 2018 update of the MN Prairie Conservation Plan. It builds upon the highly successful model established in Phases 1 - 9 and seeks to protect 300 acres in fee without PILT obligations to be held by The Nature Conservancy, enhance 14,000 acres of permanently protected grasslands, and restore 50 acres of prairie and wetland habitat.
This proposal protects and restores 651 acres of land in the Minnesota prairie-chicken range, that will be transferred to the MNDNR as a WMA or to the USFWS as a WPA. All land will be open to public hunting. MN Prairie Chicken Society and Pheasants Forever will be protecting parcels that focus specifically on prairie chicken benefits, which makes this proposal unique and highly focused. All acquisitions will occur within the prairie and prairie/forest planning regions with a focus in Clay, Norman, Mahnomen and Wilkin counties which is the primary range of prairie chickens in Minnesota.
This project will advance the prairie protection, restoration and enhancement goals established in the 2011 MN Prairie Conservation Plan. It builds upon the successful model established in Phases 1 - 6 and seeks to protect 200 acres in fee without PILT obligations to be held by The Nature Conservancy, protect an additional 100 acres with PILT for inclusion in the State's Wildlife Management or Scientific Natural Area systems, enhance 7,500 acres of permanently protected grasslands, and restore 100 acres of prairie habitat.
The project will advance the protection, restoration and enhancement goals for prairie, grassland and wetland habitats as described in the 2018 MN Prairie Conservation Plan. It builds upon the highly successful model previously established in prior Prairie Recovery Phases and seeks to protect 500 acres in Fee without PILT obligations to be held by The Nature Conservancy, enhance 18,000 acres of permanently protected grasslands, and restore 200 acres of prairie and wetland habitat.
