This project will complete data collection on 11 lakes over a 2 year period in the Pomme de Terre Watershed. The data collected will be be used in the Major Watershed Project proposed for this watershed.
A traveling exhibit was developed to display museum-quality copies of fragile artifacts recovered from the archaeological site: Roosevelt Shores 21-CW-173. The exhibit tells the story of 2000 years (up through the late 1800's) of American history at the site.
In the second phase of an oral history project, Life in Lake Sarah, four additional residents were interviewed and recorded. The recordings were transcribed along with two earlier interviews. The six recordings were compiled in booklet form and added to the permanent collection of the Murray County Historical Society.
This project is to conduct water chemistry monitoring at two subwatershed sites and two major watershed sites based on flow conditions, targeting runoff events using protocols defined in the Watershed Pollutant Load Monitoring Network (WPLMN) Standard Operating Procedures and Guidance. The data collected will be submitted to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and used for calculating pollutant loads. This loading information, in turn, will be used at both the state and local level to guide policy and strategies for the restoration and protection of Minnesota’s waters.
This project will determine pre- and post-settlement nutrient trends from sediment chronology, fossil diatom assemblages, and from sediment profiles representing human history in the region (i.e., at least 150 years). Project activities include sample collection; sample preparation; diatom analysis; database creation and management; and data interpretation. Sample cores will be taken on the Lake of the Woods in five major bays (i.e., Four-mile, Muskeg, Sabaskong, Little Traverse, and Big Traverse) in the southern basin.
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.
The Riley-Purgatory-Bluff-Creek Watershed District and the City of Eden Prairie are working together to implement projects to remove Lake Riley and Rice Marsh Lake from the impaired waters list. One key emerging issue is to evaluate potential internal phosphorous loading within stormwater ponds in the lakes? subwatersheds. This project will also use updated pond data from the city?s intensive pond inspection program to identify other phosphorus reduction opportunities. The proposed assessment will quantify formerly undocumented P loading to Rice Marsh Lake and Lake Riley.
The Lake Ocheda Shoreline Improvement Project will restore and provide long term protection of 1,600 feet of lake shoreline resulting in improved drinking water supplies, improved water quality for fishery and upland habitat and historical preservation. A large portion of this shoreline currently has a 10 to 20 foot vertical wall of shoreline that has been sloughing for the past 50 to 100 years.
This project will support the collection of water-quality samples and gauge streamflow near the mouths of the Rainy and Warroad Rivers; collect water-quality samples at 10 sites in LOW; and measure streamflow velocities and cross-sectional areas of 5 channel constrictions in LOW.
The Lake of the Woods (LOW) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study will: (1) identify water quality goals for the Minnesota portions of the LOW/Rainy River Watershed; (2) recommend nutrient allocations to achieve TMDLs where waters do not meet standards; and (3) provide opportunities for stakeholders to engage in the process of watershed-management planning to adopt protection and restoration strategies. The project will include existing in-lake and watershed model updates, TMDL component development, restoration plan development, and public participation.
This project will develop an Implementation Plan for restoring Lake St. Croix and impaired waters within the contributing watershed, and protect waters currently attaining water quality standards.
Kittson County and the Two Rivers Watershed District both have plans that emphasize the use of Best Management Practices to improve the water quality of Lake Bronson. Lake Bronson State Park is one of only a handful of state parks in the Northwest corner of Minnesota and the Friends of the Lake Bronson State Park met with Watershed District staff to explore how to improve the water quality of the lake. The lake is subject to sediment and nutrient loading from several upstream ditches.
The biological communities present in a lake are the result of cumulative effects of natural and human-caused influences within the entire area of land and water that flows into the lake (i.e., the watershed). Biological assessments are used on lakes to identify water pollution and habitat concerns based on the type and abundance of selected animals and their habitats. Certain species cannot survive without clean water and healthy habitat while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions.
This proposal will address two separate problems: the eminent failure of the Lake George dam and two severe erosion sites on the Rum River at Rum River Central Regional Park. We propose to replace the current failing sheet pile dam with a new dam that allows for fish passage on the outlet of Lake George. We also propose to repair two river bank erosion sites rated as 'Severe' totaling approximately 625 feet on the Rum River which will reduce sediment loading into the river by 285 tons per year and will provide improved in stream fish habitat.
The purpose of this project is to gain additional information about the amount of phosphorous flowing into Lake St Croix by implementing additional water quality monitoring and/or to reduce the amount of phosphorous entering Lake St Croix by the implementation of projects that will reduce phosphorus loadings. The St. Croix River Association (SCRA) will coordinate with a subgroup of the St. Croix Basin Water Resources Planning Team and other local resource experts on the identification and funding of comprehensive water monitoring and phosphorus reduction activities in the Lake St.
The Willmar Design Center hired Gemini Associates to write a grant application to the National Register to nominate the Lakeland Hotel to the National Register of Historic Places. The nomination was completed, submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office and was determined to meet the documentation requirements for a National Register Registration Form and for the Secretary of the Interiors Standards for Registration.
This program is to restore acres of state parks and trails land to native plant communities. MS 86A.05 directs PAT to preserve, perpetuate and restore natural features in state parks that were present in the area of the park at the time of European settlement. Approximately 31 restoration projects have been completed, are in progress, or will be implemented in the spring of 2012, at over 20 state park units. These projects total 1,283 acres.
To document and archive the untold stories of Lao refugees in Minnesota, nine Lao families, totaling 13 individuals, were intervewed. The recountings of their historical experiences living in war, living in refugee camps and the transition and settlement of their immigration to Minnesota were recorded on video tape. The video footage was professionally edited, uploaded to Youtube and posted on the Lao Oral History Archives website.
Capitol Region Watershed District and the City of Lauderdale seek to improve water quality and flood control functions of Seminary Pond in Lauderdale. The project partners propose improvements to the pond including: 1) expansion of the pond?s storage area and 2) construction of an iron-enhanced sand filter. These improvements were identified as being the most cost-effective and will remove an estimated additional 2 tons of sediment and 9 pounds of phosphorus annually.
Learning Law and Democracy: Principles of Democracy – Connecting civic education to principles that guided the nation's founders and continue to be our foundation today is the goal of LLAD's "Principles of Democracy" project for Minnesota's young people. By focusing on the why, how, and who of our system of government, K-12 students in and out of the classroom will be prepared to carry on Minnesota's civic tradition of informed civic participation. They will learn about the Constitution, structures of government, politics and active citizenship.
Dakota County is partnering with the Dakota Soil and Water Conservation District to preserve and enhance the chain of shallow lakes in Lebanon Hills Regional Park which is owned and operated by Dakota County and located within the City of Eagan. Dakota County proposes to construct two regional iron-enhanced sand filtration practices to achieve the load reduction goals set forth in the LHRP Subwatershed Assessment Report to protect Jensen and Schulze lakes and prevent them from being listed on the 303(d) Impaired Waters List. The project will reduce 26 pound of phosphorus annually.
The Niigaane program focus is on Ojibwemowin curriculum development and delivery. Ojibwemowin is the vehicle used to educate our students in kindergarten through sixth grade. We rely on our First Language Elder Speakers to help facilitate and guide our teachers and students in Ojibwe language acquisition. Ojibwe cultural activities are integrated within the academic lessons. Ojibwemowin classes and family centered activities are hosted by Niigaane staff to promote language preservation and acquisition efforts for all family and community members.
Affordable transportation is one of the biggest barriers for schools' ability to plan field trips to Minnesota Historical Society sites and museums.
By June 2011, nearly 600 schools across Minnesota will access the Society's Legacy Field Trip Support Fund, which means more than 50,000 students will be able to learn about history through field trip experiences they otherwise might have missed.
Every year, more than 2,300 people volunteer in support of programs and projects delivered by the Minnesota Historical Society. With the addition of more than 100 Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (ACHF) projects, the need for volunteers also increased.
ACHF funding enabled the Society to recruit, coordinate and supervise volunteers helping with Legacy projects. As of December 2010, nearly 80 new volunteers were recruited, trained and placed, including 10 percent from diverse communities.
Partner Organizations: 1000 Friends of Minnesota (renamed Envision Minnesota), Twin Cities Public Television (TPT)
Through this partnership, Minnesota history will be made more accessible to thousands of Minnesotans. The "Legacy Letters" project will result in up to 25 one-minute films that draw their content from a sampling of the 150 people, places, organizations, events and natural features of the state as compiled by the Minnesota Historical Society's MN 150 exhibit and book.
