This project will address United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) comments on the Preliminary Draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) comments on the pre-public notice draft Watershed Restoration & Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report, and produce Public Notice Draft TMDL study and Public Notice Draft WRAPS report ready for public review and comment.
To hire qualified project personnel to evaluate the Nelson Site, a Late Woodland archaeological site, for possible inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
To hire a qualified historian to complete an evaluation to determine eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places for the Worthington National Guard Armory.
Prior to European settlement more than 18 million acres of prairie covered Minnesota. Today less than 1% of that native prairie remains, and about half of those remaining acres are in private landownership without any formal protection currently in place. Through this appropriation the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will work with private landowners of high quality native prairie sites to protect remaining native prairie using a variety of tools. Approximately 200 acres are expected to be permanently protected through Native Prairie Bank conservation easements.
County-wide, complete natural resource planning, restoration and management and other land cover improvements, throughout the park and greenway system.
Continue contracts with Conservation Corps of Minnesota (CCM) to engage youth of the community in natural resource management projects throughout Ramsey County Regional Parks and Trails. *(In 2013 the Conservation Corp of Minnesota (CCM) worked on over 20 different natural resource projects within the Regional Park and Trails System, totaling over 5,900 hours. Of those total hours, approximately, 1,300 hours were assisting high school youth on natural resource projects and environmental education).
The project goal is to assist the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) with meeting the objectives of the Surface Water Assessment Grant (SWAG) to conduct field and water chemistry monitoring at MPCA specified lake sampling locations and stream locations. This will be accomplished by collecting water samples at seven lake sites and eight streams in the Kettle and Upper St. Croix Watersheds, as well as compiling and submitting the required data, information and reports.
Develop and implement out-reach for nature and outdoor recreation based programming for people of low income and color throughout Ramsey County Regional Parks and Trails. (year 1 of 2)
Partner: The Amherst H. Wilder Foundation
The Minnesota Historical Society and the Wilder Foundation worked with two new groups of existing and emerging community leaders in FYs14 and 15 to enhance their ability to act on important community issues.
During each six-month program, 25 participants explored neighborhood involvement and developed leadership skills to take effective community action.
The Minnesota Historical Society and the Wilder Foundation worked with two new groups of existing and emerging community leaders in 2015 to enhance their ability to act on important community issues.
During each six-month program, 245 participants explored neighborhood involvement and developed leadership skills to take effective community action.
The goal of this workplan is to define the major factors causing harm to fish and other river and stream life within the Nemadji Watershed. The work will complete the strength of evidence tables, will explain the linkages between biological monitoring results and water quality assessments, and will organize this information into a scientific evidence structure that supports the conclusions of the overall process. Multiple lines of evidence are reviewed and evaluated to produce a final evaluative report. This work order, the second of two, begins in 2013 and will be completed in year 2014.
The objective of this project is to manage streambanks and floodplains along Elm Creek in Martin County in order to improve water quality and reduce erosion. Elm Creek flows into the Blue Earth River, which flows into the Minnesota River. Elm Creek is currently listed as impaired for fish bioassessments, turbidity, and fecal coliform.
New State Trail development to complete key missing trail segments or to fulfill funding gaps in trail development projects. Potetial development to include multi-use trail, trail parking areas, trail waysides, or trail bridges. New trail development includes all associated engineering, design and construction, and is to incorporate current Best Management Practices.
Nicollet County is located in south central Minnesota and is bordered on two sides by the Minnesota River. A line of forested bluffs separate the river valley from land that is relatively flat and historically used for agricultural purposes. Approximately 245,000 acres of the County are actively farmed. The 2012 impaired waters list for water bodies located in Nicollet County include the Minnesota River, Seven Mile Creek, Rogers Creek and tributaries to the Rush River.
-K-12 immersion site curriculum development.
-Fluent speakers in the classroom
-Develop testing and evaluation procedures
-Community-based training and engagement
To develop and expand K-12 Immersion site curriculum by hiring a culture-based education alignment specialist to work with the Niigaane curriculum development teams. These teams will work on relevant content based instruction for students in grades K-6, as the school does not serve grades 7-12. The project will also provide fluent speakers in the classroom.
This project combines the use of automated soil moisture probes for irrigation scheduling with diverse cover crop planting to reduce or eliminate leaching of nitrogen and other nutrients on cropland with an early season harvested crop in the rotation. The more efficient use of irrigation waters provides a secondary benefit: less withdrawal from the aquifers that provide recharge for the Mt. Simon-Hinckley aquifer.
DNR regional clean water specialists and area hydrologists work with local partners to provide technical assistance on implementation projects and related outreach, resulting in cleaner water through healthier watersheds, shorelands and floodplains. We help partners identify, develop, target, design and/or implement on-the-ground projects that improve water quality, enhance habitat and protect infrastructure. We help design restorations that provide lasting benefits by mimicking features of healthy ecosystems.
The goal of this project is to add dual endpoints to the turbidity section of the North Fork Crow TMDL so that it addresses the proposed TSS standards.
This program acquired 1 parcel for a total of 396 acres which fell short of our total acre goal of 410 acres by 14 acres. The Gun Lake parcel purchased in this appropriation illustrates how we are working together to protect only strategic habitat critical to improving sharp-tailed grouse populations. All acquired acres are within the northern forest region. We have a balance of $24,300 that will be returned to the Fund.
This appropriation allowed the permanent protection of 1,283 acres in western Minnesota, including 583 acres of remnant prairie, 500 acres of other grasslands, 88 acres of wetlands, and more than 8,150' of streamfront. For this phase we had originally planned to protect 1,090 acres, with at least 545 acres of native prairie. We exceeded both goals, protecting 118% of the total acre goal and 107% of the native prairie acre goal. All parcels that were purchased with this funding by TNC have been transferred to the USFWS as part of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge.
Partner Organizations: St. Olaf College, Northfield Historical Society, and Carleton College
St. Olaf College will partner with the Northfield Historical Society and Carleton College to develop a mobile app and website, NorthfieldHistorical, as a nexus for the cultural heritage of Northfield.
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. Northwest Regional Library System (NRL) is a consolidated regional public library system in upper northwest Minnesota.
Minnesota’s twelve regional library systems, which encompass more than 350 public libraries in all areas of the state, can 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 library system is eligible to receive a formula-driven allocation from the annual $2.2 million Minnesota Regional Library System Legacy Grant. Northwest Regional Library System (NRL) is a consolidated regional public library system in upper northwest Minnesota.
The Northwood Lake Improvement Project will treat storm water runoff from over 110 acres of currently untreated urban land through a variety of practices at two different locations adjacent to the lake. Northwood Lake is an impoundment of the North Branch of Bassett Creek located in the City of New Hope within the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission (BCWMC). Northwood Lake is a shallow lake with a fully developed watershed of 1,341 acres that provides very little stormwater treatment.
To contract with qualified professionals to prepare planning documents that will help preserve the Norway Lutheran Church (Muskego), listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
