This program annually evaluates a sample of up to twenty-five Outdoor Heritage Fund habitat restoration and enhancement projects, provides a report on the evaluations in accordance with state law and delivers communications on project outcomes and lessons learned in restoration practice.
Restores 420 acres of high-quality forests at Itasca, Jay Cooke, Scenic, Forestville Mystery Cave and Wild River State Parks and Greenleaf Lake State Recreation Area.
Amphipods are wetland invertebrates that are critical wildlife food and indicators of water quality. We will assess reasons they are missing from Prairie Potholes and unique methods to restore amphipods.
The Clean Water Fund (CWF) and Outdoor Heritage Fund (OHF) were used together to secure easements on buffer areas. 25 easements have been recorded for a total of 672.1 acres and are reported in the output tables for the final report (acre total does not include Clean Water Fund acres). The total acreage from both CWF and OHF sources for recorded easements is 1,152.4 acres. Only the OHF acres are being reported in this final report to be consistent with the approved accomplishment plan.
Under the CREP partnership with USDA, 28 easements were recorded on a total of 2,390 acres to restore previously drained wetlands and adjacent uplands. Two easements are RIM wetland easements that were required to complete wetland restoration work on an adjacent easement secured with 2018 Wetlands funding. The landowners received the RIM-Only payment rate. The easements were accomplished with local implementation done by SWCD, NRCS and FSA staff within the 54 county CREP area and leveraged federal funds for landowner payments and conservation practices.
The purpose of this project is to assess the amount of land in the Root River watershed that is treated by structural best management practices (BMPs); more specifically, Water and Sediment Control Basins. The 2016 Root River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report recommended reducing sediment loss from upland areas and reducing nitrate loading to streams from runoff. Understanding the location and density of these BMPs will is important for targeting future watershed protection and restoration efforts.
The Mille Lacs Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) will assist the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) with water quality monitoring and pollutant load calculations at two sites in the Rum River Watershed. Approximately 20-25 grab samples per site between ice-out and October 31, 2019 will be collected along with field measurements and observations. Samples will be collected using procedures described in the Watershed Pollutant Load Monitoring Network (WPLMN) Standard Operating Procedures and Guidance (SOPG).
Hennepin County will implement prioritized projects from the Rush Creek Subwatershed Assessment, including closing about 200 open tile intakes on the farms of 11 landowners, establishing 6 grassed waterways, two exclusion fence systems, and two contour farming conversions. These projects will significantly reduce bacteria loads upstream of Elm Creek Park Reserve where the creek serves as a learning laboratory for more the 2,500 students each year. In addion, these projects will reduce sediment by 616 tons per year and phosphorus by 478 pounds per year.
The activity is for sediment sample preparation for cores collected at AGP/Northland Slip (AGP) and Azcon/DSPA Slip (Azcon) located in the St. Louis River (SLR) Area of Concern (AOC) in Duluth, Minnesota.
In accordance with a request from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), Bay West, LLC (Bay West) will perform remedial investigation activities for Munger Landing, a sediment contamination site, located in the St. Louis River (SLR) Area of Concern (AOC) in Duluth.This activity will compile new 2018 data with existing data and generate updated figures and tables to support the remedy decision for the site.
This activity is for benthic bioaccumulation testing, benthic tissue analysis, and physical/chemical sediment analysis as part of the bioaccumulation study at the Mud Lake West site located in the St. Louis River (SLR) Area of Concern (AOC) near the Duluth area and one reference site at the request of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).
The purpose of this work order is to collect sediment samples which will then be analyzed for contaminants of concern, and the sediments will also be used as part of a bioaccumulation study.
Bay West will complete a supplemental sediment loading study for the Ponds Behind Erie Pier located in the St. Louis River (SLR) Area of Concern (AOC) in Duluth, Minnesota.
The activity is for bench scale sediment sampling to be collected at the AGP/Northland Slip (AGP) and Azcon/DSPA Slip (Azcon) located in the St. Louis River (SLR) Area of Concern (AOC) in Duluth, Minnesota.
This project will focus on monitoring & assessment, stressor ID assistance, problem investigation, watershed prioritization and targeting, Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report development, Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report updates and continuing civic engagement for the Sauk River Watershed.
This work will involve enhancing the capability of the Scenario Analysis Manager (SAM) tool to run more complex point source alternative scenarios, produce results and output in line with the recently developed Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies (WRAPS) report standards, and general enhancements requested by users.
This work order will address the need for technical support and updates to the Scenario Analysis Manager (SAM) tool and PATH software based on training feedback. The trainings will include exercises focusing on improved and added functionality as well as the enhanced best management practice (BMP) database.
