To increase and enhance arts and cultural heritage programming at the Houston County Fair. Funds will be used to upgrade an existing stage, install a display case to exhibit artistic and creative works of people with disabilities, and host the Minnesota Scandinavian Ensemble. The Ensemble will educate children and families about Scandinavian music and dances.
This project will continue to develop, and calibrate/validate the hydrology of an HSPF watershed model for the Thief River watershed. The consultant will add representation of point source discharges to the model. The consultant will compile flow data for the purposes of calibration and validation. An initial hydrologic calibration will be performed and submitted for approval. The consultant will produce an HSPF watershed model that can readily be used to provide information to support conventional parameter TMDLs.
To engage the residents of Hubbard County in the arts and encourage them to exhibit their work in the Open Class Building. Funds will additionally be used to restore the one room school house.
To hire qualified technicians to provide designs for Lac qui Parle County Historical Society's heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
To hire a qualified and experienced HVAC engineer to evaluate current system preparatory to better control of the North Superior Lifeboat Station Lightkeeper's House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places and current home of the Cook County Historical Society.
This project will continue HSPF watershed model construction beyond the initial framework development. The consultant will add representation of point source discharges to the model. The consultant will also compile flow data for the purposes of calibration and validation. Finally, an initial hydrologic calibration will be performed and submitted for approval.
This project will complete a guidance document for the construction of Hydrologic Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF) watershed models which are intended to support MPCA Watershed programmatic activities. It will also customize and populate a national HSPF parameter database with values from Minnesota HSPF model applications. This enhanced database will expedite the future construction of HSPF models as well as increase the consistency among HSPF model applications in Minnesota.
Mower County has completed the first phase of their county-wide imminent public health threat inventory and are currently in the process of phase two. This project will fund the third phase which will allow Mower County to inventory over 1,400 sites and remove an anticipated total of 230 imminent public health threats from discharging to local waters or to ground surface.
Design, engineering, and construction of improvements included in the Metropolitan Council approved Master Plan for Mississippi Gorge Regional Park, specifically in the area south of I-35W on the west bank now commonly known as Bohemian Flats. Work will include bicycle and pedestrian paths, picnic areas, fishing areas, landscaping, signs, and visitor comfort facilities.
To enhance access to arts and cultural activities by showcasing a variety of performers, artisans and educators, never before hosted by the fair. Programming will include children's puppetry, German musical performances and dancing, Spanish, French and German singing, folk singing and fiddle music, presentations on the MN River preservation and history.
In partnership with the Chisago Lakes Lake Improvement District, subwatershed assessments for the communities of Center City, Lindstrom and Chisago City, all within the Chisago Lakes Chain of Lakes watershed have been completed. The tourism economy of these communities depends on the Chisago Lakes Chain of Lakes.
In partnership with the Washington Conservation District and City of Woodbury, this project will improve water quality in Colby Lake through implementing 30 priority small-scale water quality conservation practices. Projects may include bioretention, vegetated swales and pond modifications. Priority projects were identified as part of the Colby Lake Watershed Retrofit Assessment and represent the most cost-effective means to reduce excess phosphorus loads that have impacted Colby Lake.
Green Lake is a popular and regionally significant lake. Monitoring data collected on Green Lake indicates that the lake's water quality is declining. Over recent decades, development in the City of Spicer and around Green Lake has increased dramatically, resulting in much higher percentages of impervious surfaces such as parking lots, driveways and roads. The resulting increase in runoff velocities and volumes require the incorporation of stormwater infrastructure to accommodate water that previously infiltrated soils.
This water quality improvement project involves the retrofit of county ditch #31 also known as Connelly Ditch. The capacity of the ditch is inadequate and there is a need to reduce sediment and peak flows to it.
The Crow River is known to be one of the highest nutrient loading watersheds in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. Years of water quality monitoring confirm a variety of water quality issues in drainage ditches. These include high nutrient loading and delivery of high levels of suspended solids to downstream receiving waters such as Diamond Lake which is negatively impacted for elevated phosphorus levels.
Agricultural drain tiles with surface intakes are considered a significant delivery mechanism of nutrients to Minnesota River. Protecting those surface water inlets can reduce the direct path those nutrients have to the river. In addition, in agricultural fields with subsurface drainage, leached nitrate creates elevated nitrate levels in tile drainage water. These high nitrate concentrations can cause algae blooms that remove oxygen. To help remove nitrates leached into tile drains, wood chip bioreactors can be installed to remove nitrate from the tile water before it enters surface water.
As the City of Wadena is being re-built after an EF4 tornado, it has become evident that more needs to be done to reduce runoff by retaining or diverting stormwater. The purpose of this project is to provide subgrants to citizens to install various conservation practices on their properties including grassed waterways, rain gardens and tree plantings. Through this subgrant program the citizens of Wadena will have a greater understanding of the importance of stormwater management.
To improve display areas that feature quilts, historic and artistic photographs, American Indian fine art, indigenous floral arrangements, locally grown herbs, and other handiwork indicative of Becker county by purchasing display cases and improving lighting. Additionally, to feature American Indian performers and a Norwegian performing pair to share their talents under the free tent during the fair.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has identified streamflow alteration as a key stressor on aquatic life, but the characteristics of streamflow alteration acting as a stressor has not been identified in the MPCA Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) process. Without indices that characterize streamflow alteration, the MPCA cannot quantitatively associate metrics of aquatic life condition to streamflow alteration. The lack of quantifiable indices limits the ability of the MPCA to assess environmental streamflow needs for streams and rivers throughout Minnesota.
This program will develop a centralized, integrated approach to managing existing data systems and incorporating new information needs into the integrated enterprise information system of data.
PROJECT OVERVIEW The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages over 2,135 state Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) and Aquatic Management Areas (AMA) containing over 1.3 million acres. This appropriation is enabling the DNR to develop an information system that will better facilitate the management of the state's WMAs and AMAs by helping to identify needs; prioritize, plan, and carry out related activities; track and assess results of activities; and make the information available to resource management professionals and the public.
The Minnesota Historical Society is removing financial and geographic barriers for Minnesota teachers who want to attend professional development courses. With these funds, the Society is making enriched, affordable Minnesota history training opportunities available to teachers around the state through a series of professional workshops, conferences and immersion experiences. Limited subsidies are available for lodging, mileage and substitute teacher reimbursement.
To hire a qualified professional to install light-blocking shades on museum windows in order to provide better storage and exhibit conditions for the artifacts. .