Lily Lake, in Stillwater, is a popular recreational spot for residents with its swimming beach, fishing pier, and canoe access. Lily Lake is impaired by excess nutrients, and restoring its water quality is a priority for the community.
A 38-minute documentary video was produced to capture and portray the diversity and vibrancy of the Lincoln Park/West End neighborhood and its history from the late 1880's to 1950's.
Research was conducted for the local churches, schools, businesses, events and the Park. Seven interviews provide insights into the life and times of area residents.
The video was made available to the public via the Duluth public television station, through community showings and at the Public Library.
Completed exterior masonry preservation and rebuild missing entrance column of the Litchfield Opera House which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The building envelope is experiencing disintegrating and spalling masonry, cracks in mortar joints and walls, and possible water intrusion. The project restored the physical and visual integrity of the masonry envelope and remove safety threats caused by the unstable parapet.
This program will not only expand an existing WMA by 252 acres for public outdoor recreation (e.g. hunting, fishing, etc.) but it will also protect the viability of the WMA into perpetuity through 634 acres of permanent conservation easements. This project focuses on the Little Nokassippi River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) which was established in 2006 complements to the Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) program and the support from Crow Wing County and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The WMA is situated within a very critical area of the Camp Ripley ACUB.
Repointed mortar joints, repair/replaceed bricks and inspected south wall on Lodge Zare Zapadu #44, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The NCHS's collection of vintage clothing was re-packaged, re-labeled and re-cataloged using proper storage methods. The 232 textiles are now more accessible.
To rehabilitate the interior and exterior of the St. Louis County Jail, a contributing element of the Duluth Civic Center Historic District and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
This program resulted in permanent protection of three parcels totaling 350 acres. All three parcels are now being managed as Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) by MN DNR. This exceeds the original goal of 319 acres. Acquisition of two other parcels were attempted, but the offers were turned down by the sellers.
The Lower Mississippi River Habitat Restoration Partnership is a long-term effort to restore habitat connectivity and improve water quality in critical areas along the Mississippi River corridor from the Twin Cities to the Iowa border by reconnecting tributaries to their floodplains, revitalizing backwaters and channels, and protecting and restoring floodplain forests, wetlands, and prairies that are essential to sustaining the incredible diversity of plants, animals, and human uses provided by this great river.
To stop the water infiltration that was causing damage to the building, bricks and tuck-pointing were removed and replaced in two areas of external wall at the back and side of the Lyric Theater building.
The damaged areas have now been stabilized and further erosion curtailed. Renovation of the rest of the building can now continue.
The schooner-barge, Madeira, sank off the coast of Minnesota in Lake Superior on November 28, 1905. The GLSPS created an interpretive display to tell the story of this significant wreck that prompted the construction of the Split Rock Lighthouse in 1910. The bollards and attached deck section were salvaged from the wreck and were cleaned and repaired by volunteers to be used in the display. A durable concrete base was constructed, the artifacts moved into place and secured, and interpretive signage (appropriate to the park) was fabricated and installed.
To provide public access to the story of the Madeira shipwreck by adding an interpretive panel to the Madeira's anchor on display at Split Rock State Park
Twenty oral history interviews were collected from residents of Isanti County from the cities of Cambridge, Grandy, Braham and Isanti. Their memories of the business community in their respective cities were the focus of the interviews. They were videotaped, roughly transcribed, copied to DVD's and a video sampler was posted on Youtube. The video collection was presented, along with artifact displays at an exhibit opening called "Let's Meet at the Soda Fountain".
To analyze existing archaeological data from two cultural landscapes and interpret it for use among American Indian people through the creation of a manuscript and portal.
To restore the front steps and add handicap accessibility to St. John's Episcopal Church, listed in the National Register of Historic Places and current home of the Dodge County Historical Society
A qualified historical architect was contracted to prepare a Historic Structures Report for the Marine Village Hall in downtown Marine on the St. Croix. The Hall, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, has served as housing for government offices since it's 1888 construction. The completed Report provides the building history as well as a comprehensive analysis of its structural integrity. It also provides professional guidance for assessment and prioritization of future preservation efforts.
The Argyle Historical Society added 52 rolls of the microfilmed newspapers, Marshall County Banner and Marshall County Leader to their collections and acquired a reader/printer to broaden public accessibility to primary records.
Approximately 4315 items out of a total of 8000+ were counted and documented in the first phase of a two-part project involving the MCHS's permanent collections. Among the many expected outcomes of the inventory were the establishment of a benchmark to aid future plans, improved accessability to the objects and a more accountable stewardship of the items within the collections.
