This project includes the development of 2.2 miles of paved, accessible non-motorized trail and four bridges connecting Scott and Carver counties across the Minnesota River and the natural landscapes of the Minnesota River Valley. The project will include construction of paved trail and four bridges, riverbank stabilization, signage and construction administration. This grant is providing partial funding.
Construction of approximately 2 miles of the Mesabi Regional Trail beginning in Soudan at the Brietung Town Hall and ending at the Vermillion State Park entrance road.
This project will establish a groundwater monitoring network in the 11 county metropolitan area. The network will provide information about aquifer characteristics and natural water trends by monitoring healthy aquifers (non-stressed systems). The project will also develop an automated system that captures groundwater level and water use data. This system will enhance evaluation of changes in aquifers that are stressed by pumping from existing wells.
Metro Big Rivers Phase 3 protected 67 acres of significant habitat along more than 1 mile of the Mississippi River, restored 8 acres of prairie and enhanced 495 acres of priority habitat (47 wetland acres, 50 prairie acres and 398 forest acres) in the Metropolitan Urbanizing Area.
The Metro Big Rivers (MBR) partners successfully completed their work with the Phase 7 / ML2016 OHF appropriation. MBR exceeded original acreage goals by 14% and completed work on a total of 1,199 acres. Partners protected 145 acres through fee title acquisition and 194 acres through permanent conservation easement, restored 241 acres and enhanced 619 acres.
MBR 7 expended 99% of the OHF funds granted and leveraged the grant by 49% with almost $2 million in other funds.
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.
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. Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA) is a federated regional public library system in the Twin Cities Metro Area in central Minnesota.
Six Kandiyohi County Township records were microfilmed and a copy was given to each township and one put into the research library at the Kandiyohi County Historical Society for easier access to the public. The master copy is being stored at Southwest Minnesota State University History Center. KCHS had microfilmed 42 rolls of film. During this project, KCHS assisted Colfax Township in finding their lost records and recovering them from inadequate conditions.
The most enduring value of this project is the preservation of the townships public records.
The purpose of this monitoring project is to maintain water quality data collection, build upon existing data for Phase II of the Intensive Watershed Monitoring approach, and develop a better understanding of what impacts the rivers located in central Minnesota specifically in the North Fork Crow Watershed.
This project will create a culvert inventory database for county and township roads in the southwest portion of St. Louis County that contains the St. Louis River watershed. Data will be used by the County Public Works Department to identify and prioritize stream crossings in need of replacement or increasing upstream storm water retention to reduce the potential for culvert failure during large runoff events, factoring in stream health (fish habitat and passage, sediment transport and hydrologic connection) while protecting infrastructure.
This grant will fund the creation of a new Coordinator position with a primary focus on the Mille Lacs Lake subwatershed. Although not currently impaired, the Lake faces increasing development and land use pressure. Implementation of protection strategies is essential to the Lake's long-term health but current staffing does not allow sufficient time to be spent on project development and outreach to identify interested landowners.
The Minimal Impact Design Standards (MIDS) project represents the next generation of stormwater management in Minnesota. MIDS offers guidelines, recommendations and tools that help low impact development practices be implemented more uniformly across Minnesota's landscape and provides guidance to effectively implement the concepts and practices of low impact development. Products include performance goals for new development, redevelopment and linear projects, a graphic user interface calculator and flexible treatment options for sites design.
This project is to update stormwater harvest/reuse best management practices (BMPs) in the Minimal Impact Design Standards (MIDS) calculator. The update will also allow the calculator to utilize Excel files from previous of the tool.
The purpose of this project is to conduct a subwatershed assessment of that part of the City of Minneapolis that is within the Shingle Creek watershed. This subwatershed drains to three Impaired Waters: Crystal Lake, Ryan Lake, and Shingle Creek. The assessment will identify the most feasible and cost-effective best management practices for retrofit in this densely urban, fully developed subwatershed. The project includes workshops with neighborhood organizations to help them educate residents and organize implementation projects.
This project will complete an EPA- and MPCA-approved TMDL Study and an MPCA-approved TMDL Implementation Plan that provide quantitative pollutant load reduction estimates and a set of pollutant reduction and watershed management strategies to achieve water quality standards for all impairments within the watershed, that are understood and adoptable by local units of government and other stakeholders.
Both Minnehaha Creek and Lake Hiawatha are on the State Impaired Waters List and have had Total Maximum Daily Load Studies completed. The proposed work would focus on park land along Minnehaha Creek which is a highly-recreated corridor with public trail systems throughout. In 2014, the District experienced record flooding resulting in substantial erosion and tree loss along Minnehaha Creek. In 2015, the District completed an assessment of flood damage and received FEMA funding for bank repair at 31 sites along the Creek within Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board property.
Legacy funds allow the Minnesota Zoo to extend the season of the Wells Fargo Family Farm beyond its historical May to September season to include full programming and exhibits from April through November.
