Oak Glen Creek is immediately upstream of drinking water intakes for Minneapolis and St. Paul. When it rains, the runoff along Oak Glen Creek runs down bare soil cliffs that are 20 to 30 feet high, causing large amounts of sediment to erode into the creek and make its way to the Mississippi River. This corridor stabilization project will address multiple local and regional priorities and will benefit both cities source water projection efforts.
Hydes Lake is the headwaters to Carver Creek and is known for its excellent fishery. However, the lake has elevated nutrient levels which lead to poor water quality. A clean up plan for Hydes Lake has identified the need to reduce phosphorus loading by 81 percent from watershed sources.
High sediment levels in streams are prevalent throughout South Eastern Minnesota. Installing proven and cost-effective conservation practices that collectively reverse these impairments while also meeting flood protection and ecosystem support goals are needed. The purpose of this project is to design, construct, and maintain two retention structures and restore approximately one mile of failed stream bank. This project integrates objectives of Olmsted County, the Department of Natural Resources and City of Rochester into a common project.
The Sand Hill watershed is a priority area because of soil loss associated with steep slopes common in the area. Portions of the Sand Hill River have been listed as impaired due to turbidity. Water quality is also a concern for fish habitat in the lower reaches of the Sand Hill River. This project is a continuation of 2011 Clean Water Fund project to implement erosion control/sediment reduction practices in the Upper Sand Hill River Watershed.
Partner: Macalester College
MNHS and Macalester have been working on a project in FY14 and FY15 to interview Somalis in Minnesota. Professor Ahmed Samatar from Macalester College has been guiding the process and consulting with the Minnesota Historical Society. Professor Samatar is a world-renowned international studies professor, specializing in Somali studies.
The Highland Ravine is a large bluff area in central St. Paul that has become highly eroded due to hydrologic changes associated with urban development. During rain and snow melt events, water and sediment moves down slope onto private residential properties causing significant flooding and sedimentation. In addition, sediment-laden water from the gullies goes into the St. Paul storm sewer system which discharges, untreated, directly to the Mississippi River.
MNHS and the Minnesota State Fair Foundation are increasing awareness and knowledge of Minnesota history by providing quality programming for visitors to the Great Minnesota Get-Together. In 2015, the partners added new visual and written content for the Minnesota State Fair History Walking Tour brochure. Audio and visual content was available with the smartphone tour component, and staff presented audio/visual content via social media throughout the fair. Some 40,000 brochures were distributed throughout the fairgrounds during the run of the fair.
Bald Eagle Lake is a popular recreational lake known for its fishery on the Metropolitan Council's Priority Lakes List. The lake is negatively impacted by excess nutrients and restoring its water quality is a local priority.
This project will collect stormwater runoff from an approximately 900 acre area and re-use it to irrigate an existing golf course. This innovative project will provide a multitude of environmental benefits for Bald Eagle Lake including significant runoff volume reduction, groundwater recharge and phosphorus load reduction.
Given access to resources & training, educators are in powerful positions to share stories of the people living on the land we call Minnesota. Through the work of Dr. Mato Nunpa, a team of Indigenous scholars & community interviews, Speaking Out Collective will examine how mass murder, wholesale land theft, enslavement and extermination were justified and taught in schools. By centering silenced Indigenous narratives, this project invites students, educators & districts to reconsider MN history.
This project will improve surface and groundwater quality in the rural sections of the Vermillion and North Cannon River Watersheds located in Dakota County through the installation of targeted structural and vegetative conservation practices. This project will leverage local and federal funds to provide technical and financial assistance to landowners that install agricultural water quality practices.
The Minnesota Historical Society continued to work on revitalizing some of the state's most important and prominent historic sites. Program planners developed new programs at Historic Fort Snelling, Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post and the Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site. Evaluation results showed that 81% of program guests surveyed felt that these programs increased their knowledge of Minnesota history, places and culture. 71% of guests responded that these programs increased their personal connection to history.
Lake Seven is located in Otter Tail County and is a waterbody of statewide significance, often leading the north central hardwoods forest ecoregion in water clarity. Lake Seven has also been identified by DNR Fisheries staff as one of 77 refuge lakes with the potential to maintain tulibee populations into the future given sufficent watershed protection and the only one in Otter Tail County.
Little Rock Lake,in Benton County, is negatively impacted for nutrients. Little Rock Lake is a significant regional recreational lake. Toxins released by blue green algae blooms have been the highest ever measured by the Minnesota Department of Health. Given the importance of this resource and the severity of the water quality problems, obtaining tangible water quality improvements is a high priority in the Benton and Morrison County local water management plans.
The Mustinka River winds through five counties in west central Minnesota and empties into Lake Traverse, a border waters lake with excellent fishing and recreational opportunities. For several years, sections of the river have been negatively impacted from too much soil/sediment eroding from the land and washing away into the water. Excess sediment degrades aquatic habitat and feeds algae blooms.
This project continues a 2011 Clean Water Fund collaborative effort to develop a plan to reduce the amount of sediment washed into the river.
Water from an area in and near the interchange of US Highway 52 and MN Highway 55 spills onto a steep bluff face at the head of a ravine. This has accelerated the amount of sediment eroding from the ravine into the Mississippi River. In partnership with Dakota County, Dakota Soil and Water Conservation District, the City of Rosemount, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Flint Hills Resources, the Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization has been working for several years to identify a solution to this severe erosion problem.
This project will continues the successful 2010 Stormwater Retrofit Partnership. This resulted in the retrofit of 18 sites including eleven bioretention cells and seven snowmelt management areas. These retrofits provided treatment for 28 acres of urban drainage area - reducing total suspended solids, total phosphorus and stormwater volumes.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) will complete one fish passage project to reconnect reaches of habitat for fish and other aquatic life and restore reaches of two rivers, creating over nine miles of diverse habitat. The footprint of fish passage projects is small, but the Bucks Mill project will reconnect 6,200 acres of lake and river habitat. Stream projects were selected from a statewide list, prioritized by factors such as ecological benefit, scale of impact, urgency of completion, and local support.
Over the last decade, a parasitic disease, Heterosporosis, has spread to infect fish in at least 20 water bodies in Minnesota. The parasite infects a number of economically important fish, making them inedible. As the disease can currently only be detected in its late stages, little is known about how it is transmitted and how best to control it.
The Knife River is a state protected water and a Designated Trout Stream. It is nationally known as a prime fresh-water steelhead fishery and is managed as a cold-water trout fishery for native species including brook trout. The Knife River is characterized by steep gradients, multiple water-falls and cascades, tea-colored water, and remnant old-growth forest cover types including white pine, Norway pine and white cedar.
White Earth has acquired all 2,034 acres and transferred them into fee title status. Initial assessment/inventory of habitat conditions and needs were conducted in summer of 2017. Most illegal dump sites were removed in summer of 2017. The parcel located east of Lower Rice lake adjacent to HWY 92, which contained remnants of ~ 5 acres of food plots, were planted into a pollinator prairie mix. This prairie planting makes the property compliant with the MN Buffer Law. This east parcel is in the planning stages of an early succession forest manage plan.
