LEQA is a Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) program to help livestock producers address, using a non-regulatory approach, the unique water quality issues on their farms. The MDA has contracted with Ag Resource Strategies, LLC, to recruit farmers to enroll in the LEQA program. The company trains technicians to assess different areas of each farms, such as the farmstead, livestock facilities, fields and wooded areas. The technicians then develop an environmental assessment and identify financial assistance for these projects.
This project will achieve pollutant reductions within a chain of lakes with a hard-won trend of improving water quality. We will install shoreline stabilization projects with near-shore native plant buffers and in-lake aquatic plantings. We will stabilize at least 300 linear feet of shoreline resulting in at least 4 lbs/yr of phosphorus and 2.4 tons/yr of sediment reduction. This project is small budget and modest scale, but a critical finish-line kick to reach goals after many other larger projects that have nearly achieved goals.
This program is managed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to provide competitive matching grants of up to $400,000 to local, regional, state, and national organizations, including government. Grant activities include the enhancement, restoration, or protection of forests, wetlands, prairies, and habitat for fish, game, or wildlife in Minnesota. A 10% non-state cash or in-kind match was required from all grantees, and was identified at the time of application.
In Dakota County, groundwater supplies more than 90 percent of the drinking water. In order to protect Dakota County's primary drinking water source, this project proposes to support the County well seal grant cost-share program. The project will provide 50 percent cost-share funding to reimburse landowners for the sealing of unused wells. The goal is to permanently seal between 80-100 unused/abandoned wells throughout the county.
This phase of WMA acquisition protected 1,260.22 acres of prairie grassland, wetland, and other wildlife habitat as State Wildlife Management Areas open to public hunting. With these 9 acquisition we have exceeded our planned acres of 1030 by more than 230.22 acres. All of the acquired properties had wildlife habitat restored to the highest quality possible.
This phase of WMA acquisition protected 1,182.25 acres of prairie grassland, wetland, and other wildlife habitat as State Wildlife Management Areas open to public hunting. With these 9 acquisition we have exceeded our planned acres of 1012 by more than 170 acres. All of the acquired properties had wildlife habitat restored to the highest quality possible.
