Climate change has and will have profound effects on Minnesota’s economy, agriculture, tourism, and natural resources. While climate change is often discussed in the broader contexts of its potential impacts at a national or international level, research has shown that climate change education and behavior change happens more effectively when the issue is made local and relevant.
The Parks and Trails Division is creating innovative programs to attract new audiences to Minnesota state parks and trails. Skill-building programs, such as "I Can Camp!," provide a trial opportunity by eliminating the barriers of needing to have pre-existing knowledge or gear for the activity.
To improve public accessibility at the James J. Hill Reference Library, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, to better comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The goal of this project is teacher training through the Master/Apprentice approach to language proficiency in concurrence with observation and lesson pilot at Head Start and regional language immersion sites. The objectives of this project are to increase the Ojibwe language and cultural proficiency in two apprentices and fluency in two master speakers and to partners with the Language Preservation Group and Red Lake Head Start to integrate Master/Apprentice teams into the Head start site, while also supporting the Head Start objectives of child development and school readiness.
Pollinators play a key role in ecosystem function and in agriculture, including thousands of native plants and more than one hundred U.S. crops that either need or benefit from pollinators. However, pollinators are in dramatic decline in Minnesota and throughout the country. The causes of the decline are not completely understood, but identified factors include loss of nesting sites, fewer flowers, increased disease, and increased pesticide use. Fortunately, there are known actions that can be taken to help counteract some of these factors.
-Create and execute internship program for four Ojibwe students per academic year
-Strengthen and enhance Ojibwe curriculum for college levels 4 and 5
-Increase the number of near-fluent speakers of Ojibwe language
Wastewater treatment plants discharge effluent that contains contaminants of emerging concern, such as estrogens. Estrogens have been shown to cause ecological effects such as fish feminization and fish population collapses. Presently the treatment and discharge of estrogens into the environment via wastewater treatment is not regulated. However, it has been found that the extent of estrogen discharge from wastewater treatment correlates with how and how well nitrogen, which currently is regulated and will likely be more so in the future, is removed during the treatment process.
Innovative AIS control and education programs have been widely acknowledged as far removed from the traditional stable of conservation easement and high priority land acquisition programs that the LSOHC generally espouses. However, these projects, though not permanent in nature, address the significant impacts to land and water resources that AIS pose. Left untreated, AIS severely impacts the habitat and outdoor recreational opportunities that LSOHC is committed to preserving.
