The Rice Creek Watershed District is proposing to improve water quality and habitat in Locke Lake and Lower Rice Creek by stabilizing stream banks and bluffs on Lower Rice Creek, reducing in-stream erosion and sediment delivery to Locke Lake, and improving in-stream habitat complexity for fish and invertebrates. Eleven bank stabilization practices would be installed over a continuous 5,400-foot reach in Lower Rice Creek. The anticipated outcome of this project is the prevention of 2,874 tons per year of sediment, which is 58% of the sediment reduction goals for Lower Rice Creek.
This project will revise a recently completed draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report for the Lower Minnesota River Watershed Project. The revision is to correct wasteload allocations for regulated stormwater entities.
The Lower Mississippi River Feedlot Management in MN project will be leveraging State funding from BWSR to provide match for a United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) Regional Conservations Partners Program (RCPP). BWSR will provide technical and financial assistance to plan and design projects to mitigate feedlot runoff from smaller (less than 300 animal units or AUs*), open lot feedlots in southeastern Minnesota.
This project will plan, implement, and report on a community engagement strategy for identifying community/landowner opportunities, obstacles, and opinions on land management and water quality that will result in the identification of Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies (WRAPS) input for the Sibley, Nicollet, Renville, McLeod, Rice, and LeSueur County areas of the Lower Minnesota River watershed.
The project will plan, implement, and report on a community engagement strategy for identifying community/landowner opportunities, obstacles, and opinions on land management and water quality that will result in the identification of Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies (WRAPS) input for the Sibley, Nicollet, Renville, McLeod, Rice, and Le Sueur County areas of the Lower Minnesota River watershed.
Reestablish the Lower Sioux Cultural Resource dedicated solely towards tribal youthby hiring workforce to manage and oversee programming. Increase cultural, language and beliefs into all youth programs - develop and format cultural based youth programming. Strengthen and open dialogue between the youth and elder populations to pass on language and cultural knowlege; build partnership with Lower Sioux Senior Services. Utilize technology to aid in education and awareness; create technological resources geared specifically toward youth language learning.
This project will address Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), United States Environment Protection Agency (EPA), and public comments on draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) studies and Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) reports, preliminary draft TMDL studies, and public noticed TMDL studies and WRAPS reports for the Lower Red River Watershed and the Lake of the Woods Watershed and produce final versions of the TMDL studies and WRAPS reports for each watershed.
This project addresses six lakes that have aquatic recreation impairments and one creek reach that has a bacteria impairment for E. coli. The project will evaluate the water quality impairments, complete pollutant source assessments, and establish loading capacities and allocations for the impairments.
To hire qualified professionals to repair the storefront of the Lyric Building, listed in the National Register of Historic Places and home of Laurentian Arts and Culture Alliance.
MNHS continues its collaboration with Macalester College and the Somali community. Working closely with the Somali Museum of Minnesota, interviewer Ibrahim Hirsi began conducting eight final interviews for a Somali oral history project. Plans for FY17 include the completion of the project, which now consists of 57 interviews with Somali immigrants in Minnesota.
The Minneapolis American Indian Center has developed a long-term plan to increase accessibility to and interest in Native languge instruction by increasing access to learning Dakota and Ojibwe languages and increase interest among Native youth and adult community memebers to learn their Native language.
Maintaining Existing Holdings - A Parks and Trails Strategic Objective is a program area representing DNR's commitment to one of the four pillars identified in the 25 year Legacy plan. The Legacy plan calls this Take Care of What We Have, and identifies its purpose to provide safe, high-quality park and trail experiences by regular re-investment in park and trail infrastructure, and natural resource management.
Establish network of automated radiotelemetry stations to monitor bird migration and local movements of a threatened species, and develop strategic plans for long-term use of infrastructure to monitor animal movement.
We will quantify and map antibiotic and antibiotic resistance gene contamination in Minnesota waters and soils and identify locations in need of mitigation to protect environmental, human, and animal health.
The primary goal of the Marsh Lake Ecosystem Restoration Project is, “To return the Marsh Lake area ecosystem to a less degraded and more natural condition by restoring ecosystem structure and functions.” Work was completed on this project in March 2020 and consisted of a new water control structure to allow for water level management, restoration of the Pomme de Terre River to its original channel, and establishment of a fishway to allow for movement of native fish.
To hire qualified consultants to evaluate the Marshall-Lyon County Library, now used as the Lyon County Historical Society, for possible inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
This project is a partnership between several organizations to restore diverse prairie and wetland habitat in areas adjacent to existing DNR Wildlife Management Areas. Parcels are identified by working with the representatives of local government, Windom Area DNR, Ducks Unlimited (DU), The Conservation Fund (TCF), and the Fox Lake Conservation League. Wetland restoration and additional grasslands are needed to make our WMA's sustainable.
Martin Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is proposing to monitor six lakes sites and two stream sites in the Blue Earth River watershed. The lake sites will be monitored by kayak and the stream sites will be monitored from the shore. Sites will be analyzed for field conditions and water chemistry. Martin SWCD will subcontract with Faribault SWCD to monitor fourteen stream sites and with Blue Earth SWCD to monitor one lake site and three stream sites.
The Lorenz parcel, highest priority within the core habitat area Caron WMA, was selected to expand enhancement, restoration and acquisition activities. Local source native plant materials will be incorporated in the restoration of prairie, wetland and riparian habitats.
Prepare a master plan amendment for Battle Creek Regional Park, Rice Creek North Regional Trail, and develop a master plan for Lexington Avenue Regional Trail including design/engineering, community engagement to identify improvements for existing elements such as buildings, roads, parking, creeks, ponds, lakes, wetlands, trails, animal exercise, amenities, turf games, landscaping, utilities, stormwater management, restoration, signage, gathering nodes, fitness/play elements, land acquisition.
Brown's Creek Watershed District and Washington County will work together to retrofit McKusick Road during a 2017 road improvement project. The project will install seven catch basin retrofits with separation devices, and three 40 foot x 5 foot diameter underground water quality tanks to trap sediment and floatables from the roadway.
Through this project, the function and water quality of County Ditch Number 11 (CD #11) will be improved, contributing toward water quality improvements in Winsted Lake. This will be done by implementing 10 grade stabilization structures, 4 water and sediment control basins, and 1 grassed waterway throughout the drainage systems watershed. By completing this project a sediment will be reduced by 108 tons per year, and total phosphorus will be reduced by 124 pounds per year.
