The objective of this project is to build on previous efforts aimed at determining the public health risk due to virus contamination in Minnesota groundwater. The Minnesota Department of Health will examine the occurrence of viruses in non-disinfecting groundwater sources in Minnesota as well as evaluate the association between source water virus occurrence and community acute gastrointestinal illness.
The goal of this project is to design and implement a spatial framework for agricultural nutrient budget assessment and tracking in the state of Minnesota. This analysis can be repeated on a defined frequency to assess progress toward narrowing the difference between applied nutrients and crop nutrient needs across the State. The work conducted will provide an improved nutrient budget assessment, maps to use when looking at nutrient balance results in watersheds around the state, and a framework from which future nutrient budget assessments can become more accurate.
Mankato State University (MSU) will work with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) to plan a stakeholder process kick off meeting for the Minnesota River Ag/Urban partnership project. MSU will help to plan and facilitate the meeting.
Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop (MPWW) will undertake a significant programming expansion: a public art project featuring the written work of incarcerated writers, adapted into large-scale window decals installed in prominent public places in Minnesota, accompanying audio/video pieces made in collaboration between those writers and other local artists, and a supplementary handbook intended to facilitate community discussion about the intersection of art and incarceration.
Minnesota Trout Unlimited will enhance degraded habitat for fish and diverse wildlife in and along priority trout streams with existing permanent protection. Increasing threats to these relatively scarce resources require accelerating habitat work to reduce the backlog of degraded stream reaches and buffer streams from the increased frequency and intensity of large rainfall and flooding. In the process of restoring habitat, we also increase climate resilience by reconnecting streams to their floodplains and removing barriers to fish movement to colder water.
The Minnesota's Heritage Forest - Transition to Public Ownership Program is focused on the protection of forest lands in northern Minnesota by purchasing land from The Conservation Fund (TCF) for permanent conservation, management and protection by MN DNR and northern MN Counties. In 2020 TCF purchased more than 72,000 acres of forest land Minnesota from the PotlatchDeltic Corp., securing these lands to provide time for conservation partners to permanently conserve these forest lands.
10,000 diverse and underserved Minnesota youth (grades 6-12) participate in place-based, STEM environmental education to explore and preserve local ecosystems and waterways through the Minnesota Freshwater Quest online program.
Sustain, enhance public land forest recreation and management access supported by a system of hunter walking trails through the improvement of trail infrastructure needs (gate, signs, parking lots, maps, etc.)
The Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center (MITPPC) requests $5 million to fund up to 15 new, high-priority applied TIS research projects to improve Minnesota's natural and agricultural resources.
Acquire top priority in-holdings within legislatively established boundaries of Minnesota?s 75 State Parks and State Recreation Areas and 26 State Trails from willing sellers.
This project proposes to expand recreational opportunities on Minnesota State Trails through the rehabilitation or replacement of existing state trail bridges.
Provide information on Minnesota's biodiversity by collecting and interpreting data and delivering results that support conservation actions by natural resource managers, decision-makers, and scientists.
15,000 diverse and underserved Minnesota youth (grades 6-12) participate in place-based, STEM environmental education to explore and preserve local ecosystems and waterways through the Minnesota Freshwater Quest online program.
Minnesota Green Schoolyards pilot project will assess, promote, and demonstrate how schoolyards can improve water, air, and habitat quality; foster next generation stewards, while improving health, education, and community outcomes.
Nature for New Minnesotans introduces English language learners to Minnesota's great outdoors using materials from Minnesota Master Naturalist and implemented in partnership with English learning programs that serve immigrants.
This project proposes to expand recreational opportunities on Minnesota State Trails through the rehabilitation and enhancement of existing state trails and replacement or repair of existing state trail bridges.
We propose to expand the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas, an online natural resource management tool, to include 2.5 million records by integrating expert observations and specimen records from multiple organizations
The MITPPC requests $6.23 million to fund up to 18 new research projects to protect Minnesota's natural and agricultural resources from terretrial invasive species.
Establish a volunteer corps to survey, monitor and bank seed for rare plant populations around the state, enhancing the effectiveness and efficiencies of conservation efforts of multiple stakeholders across Minnesota.
This project proposes to maintain and expand recreational opportunities in Minnesota State Parks, State Recreation Area, and State Trails through the rehabilitation and enhancement of existing facilities and amenities by repair.
This project proposes to expand recreational opportunities on Minnesota State Trails through the rehabilitation and enhancement of existing state trails and replacement or repair of existing state trail bridges.
The Clean Water Fund (CWF) and Outdoor Heritage Fund (OHF) were used together to secure easements on buffer areas. 71 easements have been recorded for a total of 1,083.9 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 2,105.0 acres. Only the OHF acres are being reported in this final report to be consistent with the approved accomplishment plan.
Minnesota Trout Unlimited will enhance and restore habitat for fish and wildlife in and along priority coldwater streams located on existing conservation easements and public lands around the state. Trout streams are a relatively scarce resource and increasing threats to them require accelerating habitat work to reduce the backlog of degraded stream reaches. Population outcomes will be maximized by improving the connectivity of habitat and fish and wildlife populations, and building upon work on adjacent sections.
The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA), in collaboration with county, state, federal, tribal, university and non-governmental organizational (NGO) partners, seeks to continue the successful work of the Moose Habitat Collaborative (Collaborative) by improving nearly 10,000 acres of foraging habitat for moose in northeast Minnesota. The project builds on the Collaborative’s previous efforts to enhance forest habitat by increasing stand complexity and production while maintaining thermal components of the landscape with variable enhancement methods.
The Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP) is a voluntary opportunity for farmers and agricultural landowners to take the lead on implementing conservation practices that protect water quality. Those who implement and maintain approved conservation practices will be certified and in turn obtain regulatory certainty for a period of ten years. This program will help address concerns about changing regulatory requirements from multiple state and federal agencies.
The Minnesota Water Research Digital Library (MnWRL) is a user-friendly, searchable inventory of water research relevant to Minnesota. It includes both peer-reviewed articles as well as white papers and reports. The Library provides 'one-stop' access to all types of water research.
Northern Minnesota's forests are increasingly challenged by invasive species, insect pests, a changing climate, and fragmentation. Some habitats have declined substantially, including long-lived-conifers, young-forest, and large-patch habitats. These habitats are critical for numerous game and non-game species of concern. This project seeks to protect 3,445 acres of intact forest habitat through conservation easements and enhance 11,555 acres of degraded forests. The enhancements will increase long-lived conifers, young forest gaps, riparian forest complexity, and patch-size diversity.
Minnesota Trout Unlimited enhanced in-stream and riparian habitat for trout and other wildlife along more than 11 miles of coldwater streams across the state. We far exceeded our original targets, enhancing habitat on 135 acres rather than 78. We completed 16 separate stream habitat projects. Leveraging other funding and efficiently contracting projects allowed us to add habitat projects and adjust to changing conditions.
The Arboretum, consistent with the priorities of the LSOHC, successfully purchased 78.13 acres in Victoria, Minnesota adjacent to Arboretum property. The purchase will ensure the protection of the deepest lake in Carver County and valuable habitat for future generations.
This project is was the third request of LSOHC to target riparian buffers for clean water and wildlife using the Reinvest In Minnesota easement program. The Clean Water Fund and OHF were be used in cooperation to secure priority buffers permanently. Five hundred and thirty three acres of enhanced wildlife and water quality buffers were protected with OHF dollars and a total of 1,208 acres were protected from all sources of funding.
