Mille Lacs Lake is recognized as one of the premier walleye producing lakes in the world. The current water quality of the lake is good, however recent monitoring of the lake and its watershed indicates the potential to develop problems. Since 1997, the Mille Lacs Lake Watershed Management Group has worked to preserve the water quality of Mille Lacs Lake. Five priority projects were identified by the Group partners in an effort to preserve water quality. Support for these projects was provided by a grant from the Clean Water Fund.
To hire a qualified consultant to develop planning documents that will help preserve the Bethlehem Lutheran Church Hall, now Sons of Norway Heimbygda Lodge, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Earthworms are common throughout much of Minnesota, but few realize that they are not native to the state and were in fact introduced from Europe and Asia. Earthworms are invasive in Minnesota and have been shown to have large and potentially irreversible impacts on hardwood forest biodiversity and regeneration. As dispersal by human actions is the primary means of introduction and spread of invasive earthworms, there exists great potential to arrest the current spread of earthworms already present and prevent the introduction of additional species.
This project prevented forest fragmentation and protected lake and stream habitat in the St. Louis River watershed through the fee acquisition of 2555 acres.
This project is a cooperative initiative between the Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District, the City of Prior Lake, and the Scott Soil and Water Conservation District to implement on-the-ground Best Management Practices (BMPs) that will protect and improve water quality in Spring, Upper Prior and Lower Prior Lakes, water resources of local, regional, and state significance. Spring and Upper Prior Lakes are both impaired and have a completed Total Maximum Daily Load and Implementation Plan.
Regional public projects that are the focus of the proposed project include: Infiltration areas and a sedimentation pond enhancement in subwatersheds N3/N4; Parking lot storm drain rain gardens and a sedimentation pond enlargement in subwatersheds N5/N6; An infiltration area and a sedimentation pond enhancement in subwatersheds S9/S11; Ditch checks along Highway 13 in subwatershed 10.
