Project Outcome and Results The Minnesota Valley Trust acquired 103 acres of priority lands in Scott County to expand the St. Lawrence Unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Of the 103 acres acquired, 70 acres were acquired with Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund and 33 acres were acquired with other private, non-state funds.
This project will establish a groundwater monitoring network in the 11 county metropolitan area. The network will provide information about aquifer characteristics and natural water trends by monitoring healthy aquifers (non-stressed systems). The project will also develop an automated system that captures groundwater level and water use data. This system will enhance evaluation of changes in aquifers that are stressed by pumping from existing wells.
The Metro Big Rivers Habitat partnership will work within the Minnesota, Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers and key tributaries of the Metro Urbanizing Area to expand and improve critical habitat for game and non-game wildlife and increase public access to outdoor recreation opportunities. The partnership will use the OHF grant to protect 249 acres (175 acres by fee title acquisition and 74 acres by conservation easement) and restore / enhance 158 acres with OHF and leveraged funds.
Minnesota’s Legacy Amendment raises revenue for Clean Water, Outdoor Heritage, Parks and Trails, and Arts and Cultural Heritage. Libraries are beneficiaries of a portion of the Arts and Cultural Heritage Funding.
MGS purchased 100 rolls of microfilm of City directories for small and medium-sized Minnesota communities. The acquisition represents 35% of the total collection of microfilmed directories.
A Microfilm Scanner System and associated computer and software were purchased for the Museum. Staff and volunteers were trained in their uses. Improved image quality was immediately noticeable. The purchase enhances the overall plan to preserve local history in Otter Tail County.
The Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS) purchased three microfilm cabinets and two cases of microfilm storage boxes. The existing microfilm collection has been made more efficient, accessible and secure. There is also increased storage capacity for the future growth of the collection. The new cabinets have been placed on the MGS library floor.
A two year backlog of weekly Scott county newspapers, including the Shakopee Valley News, Jordan Independent, Belle Plain Herald, New Prague Times, Prior Lake American and the Savage Pacer were microfilmed by the Scott County Historical Society. A volunteer organized the newspapers by city and date, bundled them by year and created the microfilm targeting sheets. The newspapers were then boxed and sent to an outside vendor for microfilming. Negative and positive 35 mm master prints were made of the microfilmed newspapers.
Kanabec County Historical Society purchased a ST ViewScan Digital Microfilm system which included a Apple laptop computer, Windows 7 for Macs and Stylus Photo software and a printer to broaden public access to primary historical records.
The Lake of the Woods County Historical Society purchased a Canon MS 300 Microfilm Scanner/Reader to broaden public access to primary historic records for research use.
This grant will restore a section of Miller Creek, an urban trout stream located in Duluth, that was straightened many years ago back to its natural channel. The original channel had a lot more sinuosity, or, curviness, than it does now and the straightened creek suffers from erosion and warm temperatures illsuited for trout.
Install drain tile and regrade window wells slopes to stabilize the Grain Belt Office building, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The City of St. Louis Park, in partnership with the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, is proposing to re-meander a portion of the creek using funding provided through the Clean Water Fund. The affected section of Minnehaha Creek was straightened when development first came to St. Louis Park in the early 1900s. At that time, wetlands were filled and the stream channel was
altered to allow for industrial development around the creek.
Legacy-funded programs at the Minnesota Humanities Center demonstrate our determination to collaboratively create humanities programs for the broader public by forging strong partnerships with local, state, and national cultural organizations. These programs show the broader community how the humanities can be used to address issues important to their everyday lives. Each activity, event, and program shares an Absent Narrative with participants, which help residents across the state engage in a more sophisticated understanding of their community.
In May 2009, the Minnesota State Legislature asked the Minnesota Humanities Center and four state councils - the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, the Council on Black Minnesotans, the Chicano Latino Affairs Council, and the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans - to collaboratively create new programs and events that celebrates and preserves the artistic, historical, and cultural heritages of the communities represented by each council.
Partner Organizations: Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, Department of Employment and Economic Development, University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality.
The Minnesota Main Street Program is a comprehensive strategy that helps Minnesota communities preserve historic buildings, while providing training, tools and support for commercial revitalization. ACHF funding has enabled the re-launch of this program.
Partner Organization: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Through a partnership with the Minnesota DNR, the Minnesota Historical Society has digitized the full run of the DNR's Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine. All issues of the publication dating back to 1940—or 28,000 pages—are available to the public online.
The Minnesota Digital Library (MDL) is a statewide, multi-institutional initiative to make the rich historical resources of the state’s public and academic libraries, archives, museums and historical societies available to the public via the web and to preserve the resources for future generations.
The new Minnesota Naturalist Corps, year-round naturalists and seasonal naturalists will be added at the busiest seasonal parks and trails to expand conservation education programming and increase overall attendance at interpretive programs. The Minnesota Naturalist Corps will offer more interpretive programs as directed by new legislative guidelines.
There are 67 Minnesota State Parks and 7 Minnesota State Recreation areas that each have facilities to serve outdoor recreation users. Funds in this category are used for developing new facilities and include visitor centers, trail centers, roads, parking lots, bridges, campgrounds, and so on.
Center for Hmong Arts and Talent will hold the 9th Annual Hmong Arts and Music Festival on Saturday, August 21, 2010, at the Western Sculpture Park in Saint Paul.
The 2011 Twin Cities Jazz Festival, a free music festival, will present 125 Minnesota jazz artists at Mears Park in Lowertown, Saint Paul. The event runs June 23-25 with 30,000 expected to attend.
ArtSplash is an art fair (jewelry, photography, sculpture, and more) that incorporates music by local folk musicians, art demonstrations for children, an art silent auction, and food and fun for all.
Northstar's Tellabration! is an annual festival held at Open Book the weekend after Thanksgiving, featuring traditional and contemporary storytelling and spoken word performance for all ages, as well as workshops, open microphones, and story swaps.
The Saint Cloud Arts Commission and the Saint Cloud State University Programming Board will bookend the Granite City Days festival with arts events, including the 38th annual Lemonade Art Fair and Concert and the third annual Lake George Art in the Park.
The Saint Paul Art Collective is requesting funding for the Fall 2011 Saint Paul Art Crawl, an open house, three-day arts festival with over 350 Minnesota artists, musicians, and performers in artists' buildings, galleries, and studios in Saint Paul.
The Lakeville Area Arts Festival (LAAF) is proud to host approximately 60 exhibitors September 18-19, 2010, in a small but premium art festival located in downtown Lakeville, MN. It is the intention to maintain a quality event for viewing and purchasing exceptional artwork, encouraging communication with artists, and learning about the creative process. LAAF promotes artistry in many forms and mediums to include visual, performing, and literary artisans.
Starting in 1972 as an activists’ picnic in Loring Park, the Twin Cities Pride Festival has become the major annual celebration of the GLBT community. Many attractions, including four stages of entertainment, attest to the popularity of this event.
The Grand Marais Arts Festival, July 9-10, 2011, is a juried street celebration showcasing artists. It features 60 artist booths, live music, activities, and demonstrations in downtown Grand Marais. The proposal is to expand festival capacity.
The Hamline Midway Spring Festival is a free, all-day event in Saint Paul's Newell Park, showcasing local bands, theater performances, visual arts, food vendors, civic engagement opportunities, and resources for residents.
