This project is the ecological restoration of 1,400 feet of Shingle Creek, an Impaired Water for low dissolved oxygen and impaired biota, in Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park. The Shingle Creek Impaired Biota and Dissolved Oxygen Total Maximum Daily Load requires sediment oxygen demand load reductions and establishes restoration design standards to enhance habitat that will be incorporated into this project.
The purchase of conservation easements—restrictions on land use that protect natural features while keeping land in private ownership—has proven to be an effective means to protect land at a lower initial cost than full state ownership. However, once an easement is purchased there are ongoing stewardship, monitoring, and enforcement responsibilities necessary to ensure the terms of the agreement between the easement holder and the landowner are met.
Enrollment of private lands in conservation programs can provide important natural resource and other public benefits by taking the lands out of production so that they can provide various wildlife, water quality, and ecological benefits. This appropriation is enabling the Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources to continue to provide grants to local soil and water conservation districts for employment of technical staff to assist private landowners in implementing conservation programs.
Grassland ecosystems evolved to depend on periodic disturbances, such as fire and grazing, to maintain their health and stability. Periodic disturbances help control invasive species, add nutrients back into the soil, germinate plant seeds, enhance wildlife habitat, and more. In Minnesota habitat managers have used fire as a disturbance tool for decades but the use of grazing has been much rarer, mostly because of a lack of necessary infrastructure such as fencing.
Educating Minnesotans about conservation issues and how they can engage in conservation activities is critical to the stewardship of our State’s natural resources. Legacy funds have been used to create new programs and expand existing activities to bring zoo guests and citizens statewide in close contact with animals and the ways in which people can participate in conservation in their own backyard. Program highlights include:
To provide a general conservation assessment of the college archives.
A consultant was hired to conduct a general preservation assessment, to help draft a long-range plan, to assess policies and to prepare a summary report with prioritized recommendations for the future. This was accomplished with a one-day on-site visit and a four day period to write the Preservation Needs Assessment Report. A list and action plan for future preservation actions has been prepared.
A conservator was hired from the Midwest Art Conservation Center to conduct a comprehensive survey of the collections at the Hennepin History Museum. The report included an executive summary, observations, digital photo documentation and a prioritized list of recommendations. This information was used to formulate a written long-range conservation plan for the museum.
A General Preservation Assessment Survey was conducted, on behalf of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, by the Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC). From the survey and after in-put from staff, a long-range plan and funding strategy was recommended for their historic collections.
A general Conservation Assessment of and Long Range Plan for the preservation of the library's local history collections was prepared by Wabasha Public Library. The Library contracted with the Midwest Art Conservation Center to complete the project. The Plan will be used to set preservation policies, to identify storage and environmental needs, to make recommendations for disaster preparedness and to develop policy and procedures for the collections
The HCSCC contracted with the Midwest Art Conservation Center to conduct a general preservation assessment survey of the HCSCC's collections and exhibit space. The report includes long range plans for improving and preserving objects and conditions.
DCHS contracted with the Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC) to conduct a general conservation/preservation assessment and to issue a report with recommendations for long-range planning.
The Historical society hired a qualified professional conservator to conduct a general conservation assessment of its collections and provide a long range plan for preservation. The final report summarizes the condition of the collections environment at the Reads Landing School site. Recommendations include a collection review and inventory to be conducted. A comprehensive list of resources and suppliers was also included in the final report.
The Conservation Partners Legacy Grant Program (CPL) is managed by the Department of Natural Resources to provide competitive matching grants of up to $400,000 to local, regional, state, and national non-profit organizations, including governments.
The Board of Water and Soil Resources is required to contract with the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa (formerly Minnesota Conservation Corps), or CCMI, for installation of conservation practices benefitting water quality for at least $500,000 in each year of the 2010-11 biennium.
To conserve and stabilize five historic murals significant to German-American history in New Ulm Turner Hall, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Battle Creek Regional Park, construct 1-mile paved off-road bicycle and pedestrian trail on the north side of Lower Afton Road, from Pt Douglas Rd to McKnight Road. Links the regional trail system to communities including Maplewood and Woodbury.
The goal of this project is to develop a core team of wastewater professionals and academics engaged in understanding and solving wastewater-related problems in Minnesota, with national relevance. The team will promote the use of new technology, designs and practices to address existing and emerging wastewater treatement challenges, including the treatement of wastewater for reuse and the emergence of new and unregulated contaminants.
A partnership of local, state and federal organizations has used multiple funding sources to target nonpoint pollution reduction efforts to the Hay Creek Watershed, a 24-square-mile area in Becker County that features several high- quality lakes. Clean Water Legacy grants were received in 2008 by the Buffalo-Red River Watershed District and in 2011 by the Becker SWCD. The grants leveraged both local and federal dollars, and it built on previous efforts to identify locations where conservation projects could provide the greatest benefits for water quality and wildlife habitat.
Appropriations to non-state entities must be made through a formal contract with a state entity that manages all of the funds for the project on a reimbursement basis. This appropriation to Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) funds the expenses incurred by the DNR in contracting, contract management, and expense re-imbursement for most of the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund appropriations made to non-state entities, including both new projects funded during the biennium and existing projects funded in previous bienniums.
This appropriation will be used to provide continued contract management services to pass-through recipients of Outdoor Heritage Fund dollars appropriated to the commissioner of natural resources.
This summary will manage appropriations to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to be passed through to third party recipients via pass-through agreements. Funding will come from the Outdoor Heritage Fund, as recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC) and appropriated by the Minnesota Legislature.
Terrestrial invasive plants such as buckthorn, wild parsnip, garlic mustard, and others are becoming widespread threats throughout many sites in Minnesota. Present chemical and mechanical control methods tend to be costly, effective only in the short-term, or have other negative environmental impacts. However, an alternative practice of using grazing animals for invasive species management is used successfully in many parts of the western United States.
Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District (Cook SWCD) will be working with up to four volunteers in the Rainy River Watershed Headwaters to monitor the Cross River during 2014 and 2015.The area of the stream being monitored is located 45 miles north of Grand Marais, MN. The area is remote and travel is slow to the stream. It is an area that was affected by fires with vegetation in the beginning years of succession. There are lodges, resorts and residents scattered throughout the area. The parameters monitored are set by the MPCA, along with the frequency of sampling.
This project will install new stormwater treatment practices in neighborhoods directly draining to Coon Lake. The objective is to remove phosphorus, which fuels algae growth, before the water is discharged into the lake. Seventeen potential project sites have been identified and ranked and include curb-cut rain gardens, swales, stabilizing stormwater discharge points, and a basin outlet modification.
The Cottageville Park Water Quality Protection and Stream Restoration Project was developed to meet the goals of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District and the City of Hopkins, including; water resource management, channel stabilization, stream enhancement, riparian corridor improvements, open space creation, park development, and revitalization. The project achieves these goals through implementation of the following:
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.
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.
The Minnesota County Geologic Atlas program is an ongoing effort begun in 1979 that is being conducted jointly by the University of Minnesota’s Minnesota Geological Survey and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This portion, called Part A and conducted by the Minnesota Geological Survey, collects geologic information to produce maps and databases that define aquifer boundaries and the connection of aquifers to the land surface and surface water resources.
The Minnesota County Geologic Atlas program is an ongoing effort begun in 1979 that is being conducted jointly by the University of Minnesota’s Minnesota Geological Survey and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This portion, called Part B and conducted by the DNR, analyzes water samples to understand water chemistry and sensitivity to pollution.
The County Well Index (CWI) contains well and boring records wells within Minnesota; over 400,000 records. It is the principal source of well construction information and geologic interpretations of well records and also contains soil boring records, mineral exploration test hole records, and scientific/research test hole records.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) offers grants to counties for Subsurface Sewage Treatment System (SSTS) program administration and special projects to improve SSTS compliance rates, and assistance for low-income homeowners with needed SSTS upgrades. The MPCA will determine grant allocations based on applications review; funds will flow to counties through the Board of Water and Soil Resources' Natural Resources Block Grants.
The DNR works with the Minnesota Geological Survey (MGS) to convey valuable geologic and groundwater information and interpretations to government units at all levels, but particularly to local governments, private organizations and citizens. The MGS focuses on geology (Part A reports) and DNR focuses on groundwater (Part B reports). These provide useful information for projects completed by community planners, industry, agriculture, citizens and state agencies related to groundwater.
Research shows that traditional teaching tools, such as textbooks and lectures, don’t fully engage today’s students who have grown up surrounded by technology and who use it in their daily lives. In this ongoing project, an additional two Minnesota Historical Society historic sites will improve their service to “21st Century Learners” and their teachers and parents.
In this ongoing project, four additional Minnesota Historical Society historic sites improved their service to 21st century learners and their teachers and parents. Fourteen sites revamped their field trip programs and developed online resources requested by teachers and parents in earlier research. The project team launched a standard evaluation tool across historic sites and museums to measure field trip outcomes for students and teachers, including the development of 21st century skills.
Funding for a community initiative to raise awareness about relationship violence. Project partners include: Alexandra House; Spring Lake Park High School; Northwest Passage High School; Columbia Heights High School; Community Health Improvement, Mercy &
