This on-going program is for detecting, mapping and controlling invasive plant species and re-establishing native vegetation in their place on lands administered by the Division of Parks and Trails. Control of invasive plant species furthers progress to preserve and restore the quality of native plant communities on Parks and Trails lands as well as helps prevent the spread of invasives to new locations.
A 1’ scale model of the gallery, developed a visitor traffic flow plan, developed specs for new exhibit walls/structures, researched & developed major exhibit themes & topic areas and developed preliminary activities for these topic areas. The exhibit design allows free movement within the gallery, allowing visitors to enter from either the south or the north door. Visitors move about freely with no dead-ends or backtracking required, which accommodates large groups of school children without diminishing their experience.
Funding supports an Irrigation Specialist to develop guidance and provide education on irrigation and nitrogenbest management practices (BMPs). In this position, Dr. Vasu Sharma provides direct support to irrigators onissues of irrigation scheduling and soil water monitoring. She is collaborating on the development of new irrigationscheduling tools that help irrigators manage water and nitrogen resources more precisely. These tools help reducenitrogen leaching losses in irrigated cropping systems.
Woody biomass energy systems have shown themselves to offer more locally-based, stable energy supplies for some communities. Itasca Community College is using this appropriation to design a renewable energy system based on woody biomass that will serve as a demonstration and educational tool in the region.
"This proposal is to monitor all MPCA target streams and lake sites in the Upper Mississippi Grand Rapids watershed located within Itasca County. Itasca County SWCD has been working collaboratively with MPCA in its intensive watershed monitoring effort on a number of grants to assess the overall health of our water resources and to identify waters with impairments along with those in need of additional protection to prevent future impairments.
This project acquired 40 acres of land within the Jay Cooke State Park boundary on its western side. The land may serve as western access to hiking trails in the future.
Upgrades to the River Inn retained the building’s historic integrity and include new ADA-accessible restrooms, new historically appropriate and energy-efficient power-assisted exterior doors, new interpretive exhibits, new energy-efficient lighting and upgrades to a large three-dimensional topographical map with recommended biking, photography, geology, history and nature routes to explore.
More than 40 reels of 8mm film were shot by the prolific photographer John Runk of his home down during 1947 through 1954. These films depict life in the Stillwater area post-World War Two and were donated to the Washington County Historical Society by Runk himself.
The project received an MHS Grants-in-Aid award in 2008 to enable the transfer of the raw 8mm film footage to digital tape and DVD.
MHCG funding allowed John Runk's little known motion pictures to be more broadly accessible to the public through edited down highlights in DVD format.
The goal of this project is monitoring, assessment and data collection in six un-assessed streams and three lakes in the Snake River watershed, in addition to the implementation of sixteen approved Best Management Practices (BMP's), ten forest stewardship plan developments, community outreach, education and civic engagement activities.
In September of 2009 and January of 2010, the Federal Government allocated $300,000 worth of Federal Funds to the Kanaranzi-Little Rock Watershed District through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Funds were to be utilized as cost-share assistance for conservation practices such as terraces, waterways and water and sediment control basins. All practices are designed to reduce erosion and also help mitigate flood damages. The program received more requests for funds than what was available.
In September of 2009 and January of 2010, the Federal Government allocated $300,000 worth of Federal Funds to the Kanaranzi-Little Rock Watershed District through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Funds were to be utilized as cost-share assistance for conservation practices such as terraces, waterways and water and sediment control basins. All practices are designed to reduce erosion and also help mitigate flood damages.
The Kelle's Creek septic system assessment project will examine septic systems throughout the Kelle's Creek watershed to identify those systems that are non-functioning, non-compliant, or an imminent threat to public health and safety. Preliminary prioritization of the septic systems within the watershed will be based on the Washington County GIS database, followed by outreach to landowners to identify willing participants. Ultimately, this project will include inspection of up to 150 septic systems within the Kelle's Creek hydrologic boundary.
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.
Minnesota’s 12 regional public library systems, which encompass 350 public libraries in all areas of the state, benefit from a portion of the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Through State Library Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education, each regional public library system receives a formula-driven allocation from the annual $3 million Minnesota Regional Library Legacy Grant.
The Knife River is a popular trout fishing river along the North Shore of Lake Superior. In 1998, it was listed as "impaired" by the MPCA for turbidity (being too muddy). In 2010, a Total Maximum Daily Load, or, water clean-up plan was approved. The major recommendations were to address peak flows (fast
The goal of PH II-Knife River Habitat Rehabilitation project was to improve instream habitat, stabilize slumping streambanks and restore the immediate riparian zone.
Instream habitat and streambank stabilization was achieved by rehabilitating a 2200-foot stretch of stream utilizing Natural Channel Design methodology. This project reduced turbidity by stabilizing four slumping streambanks and creating instream habitat in two areas for adult trout spawning and two areas for 1+ juvenile rearing. Riparian plantings also occurred in this area.
Lac qui Parle-Yellow Bank Watershed District will collect water chemistry samples from the three lakes and twenty-nine stream sites in the Lac qui Parle and Minnesota Headwaters watersheds following the MPCA’s Intensive Watershed Monitoring (IWM) plan for lakes and streams. Eleven samples will be collected at each lake from May through September during 2015 and 2016. Eleven samples will be collected at each of the twenty-nine stream sites in 2015. In addition, sixteen samples at each stream site will be collected in 2015 and 2016 following the E.
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.
The Lake Superior Beach Monitoring and Notification Program exists to test recreational beach water and notify the public if bacteria levels become unsafe. This project will expand the Beach Program to include additional outreach efforts, sanitary surveys and testing of new technologies to improve the Beach Program. Monitoring results will be used to inform the public, find the sources of bacterial contamination and address polluted runoff from improper waste disposal.
Improved levels of civic engagement and community participation in support for the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) processes in the St. Louis River, Lake Superior South, and Cloquet River Watersheds. Monitoring plans and compiled field data will be provided and summarized that will aid in the future completion of Total Maximum Daily Load Reports (TMDLs) in these watersheds and in the Lake Superior North Watershed.
Prepare Lake Vermilion State Park for development and public use by completing a master plan and providing immediate day-use opportunities. This program area describing development accomplishments on Lake Vermillion State Park is now being reported as part of "New State Park and State Recreation Area Development," searchable on this site.
Minnesota’s 12 regional public library systems, which encompass 350 public libraries in all areas of the state, benefit from a portion of the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Through State Library Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education, each regional public library system receives a formula-driven allocation from the annual $3 million Minnesota Regional Library Legacy Grant.
To hire qualified consultants to evaluate submerged cultural resources in Lake Minnetonka for possible inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
Faribault County Soil and Water Conservation District will develop two watershed plans using charettes, an intensive planning process used to engage citizens, conservation agencies, and others to collaborate on a vision for the development of a drainage watershed scale plan. The process allows landowners, producers, businesses, townships, cities and the county to partake in a comprehensive plan directly relating back to concerns and solutions related to surface water and nonpoint source pollution.
When completed, this Lake County-wide culvert inventory project will have multiple direct benefits to water quality protection, natural resource planning, and municipal asset protection. This inventory will be used to provide local and state authorities accurate information on the condition of road crossings, better calibrate hydrological modeling tools crucial to the inter-agency Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies (WRAPS) process, and assess how road crossings in Lake County are affecting the water and sediment transport capacity of our waterways.
