This project will provide support for the 10th Annual Road Salt Symposium at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The symposium brings together environmental organizations, companies that produce winter road de-icing salts and chemicals, scientists, policy-makers and transportation workers. They Symposium provides information on chlorides in our waters and provides innovative and new approaches to help repair our waters and sustain our resources for future generations.
This funding is for production and acquisiton grants in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, Section 129D.18. The following MPTA stations received funding in FY2010:
This project goal is to conduct water chemistry monitoring at seventeen stream locations, to record and submit all data collected through this process, and to provide the information necessary for the calculation of water quality pollutant loads using the FLUX32 program.
To provide professional development for two staff members at the national American Association for State and Local History Conference in St. Paul, September 17-20, 2014.
To provide professional development for two staff members at the national American Association for State and Local History Conference in St. Paul, September 17-20, 2014.
To provide professional development for two staff members at the national American Association for State and Local History Conference in St. Paul, September 17-20, 2014.
The Minnesota Historical Society partnered with the 70 Years Project to begin development of a web site that will enable all Minnesotans to again share in the tragedies and triumphs of the 1,345 days of World War II. The site will feature oral histories from World War II veterans as well as a wartime headline taken from Minnesota newspapers for every day of the war. The web site will serve as a resource for the general public, as well as for the relatives of the more than 300,000 Minnesotans who fought in the war.
This project will accelerate production of County Geologic Atlases (part A). This is a set of geologic maps and associated databases for a county that facilitate informed management of natural resources, especially water and minerals.
This program will acquire and develop approximately 730, acres of new Wildlife Management Area (WMA) lands. New WMA acquisition acre targets by LSOHC Sections will be consistent with the recommendations of The Citizens Advisory Committee report of 2002? Wildlife Management Area Acquisition The Next 50 Years. Additionally, this program will protect 275 acres of native prairie as state Scientific & Natural Areas (SNAs) and perpetual Native Prairie Bank (NPB) easements.
This programmatic partnership between the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Ducks Unlimited (DU) will accelerate enhancement, restoration, and protection of shallow lakes and wetlands important to waterfowl. This partnership will assess, design, and implement shallow lake and wetland enhancement, restoration, and protection projects to address the most important wetland issues facing waterfowl and other wetland wildlife in Minnesota.
This program uses a multi-programmatic approach to achieve prioritized aquatic habitat protection, restoration, and enhancement for lakes, trout streams, and rivers across Minnesota. We propose to: i) protect 7.8 miles of shoreline on lakes, rivers and trout streams; ii) effect structural repairs to 2 lake outlet control structures that will integrate fish passage; iii) restore and enhance river and stream functions that will benefit over 50.5 river miles; and iv) enhance 1.4 miles of shoreline habitat on publicly-owned lakeshore.
This phase of WMA acquisition protected 1802.55 acres of prairie grassland, wetland, and other wildlife habitat as State Wildlife Management Areas open to public hunting. With these 16 acquisition we have exceeded our planned acres of 1362 by more than 400 acres. Breaking down acres by ecological section we acquired 282 acres in the metro and 1520 acres in the prairie. We have a balance of $52,798 of grant funds and $81,837.48 in program income that will be returned despite exceeding our acre goals.
Provided for an increase in public service, security and enforcement, maintenance and custodial work at high participation locations during the first two fiscal years of Legacy.
This project will restore and manage native prairies and woodlands, including removal of invasive species along at least six percent of the developed miles of state trails
Acquiring Land and Creating Opportunities - 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 identifies its purpose to create new and expanded park and trail opportunities to satisfy current customers as well as to reach out to new ones. The purpose of this program is to call attention to the pillar, but also to centralize and streamline reporting on other related programs within the pillar.
Blue Earth County Historical Society added of 126 microfilm reels of the local newspapers: The Free Press, Lake Crystal Tribune, Lake Region Times, Maple River Messenger and The Land magazine. These additions complete the collection with what is currently available through the Minnesota Historical Society's microfilm lab.
In order to implement its Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (ACHF) projects, the Minnesota Historical Society hired an ACHF Program Coordinator to oversee the program administration. The Society also made investments to support administration of the grants program and to fund expanded financial management and administrative functions. By carefully managing its costs, the Society has adhered to the legislative mandate that institutions not spend more than 2.5 percent on administrative expenses.
The AgBMP Loan Program provides needed funding for local implementation of clean water practices at an extremely low cost, is unique in its structure, and is not duplicated by any other source of funding. The AgBMP loan program provides 3% loans through local lenders to farmers, rural landowners, and agriculture supply businesses. Funds are used for proven practices that prevent non-point source water pollution or solve existing water quality problems.
This project is a model for future drainage projects across the state and represents a fundamental shift in the way rural drainage systems interact with the landscape. This is a community-based water quality and treatment demonstration project in which landowners, local government, and state agencies have developed a watershed approach to improving water quality and replacing outdated drainage systems. The project will improve water quality, improve wildlife habitat, and develop a process for future projects by constructing water quality features within the 6,000 acre watershed.
The Alexander Ramsey House is an 11,000-square-foot mansion that was home to Minnesota's first territorial governor. The mansion contains approximately 14,000 original furnishings and has one of the most intact collections of Victorian-era artifacts in the Midwest.
Despite these assets and a sound public educational program, the site has experienced a steady decline in attendance. Arts and Cultural Heritage funding is supporting a project to understand the reasons for this decline.
Widseth Smith Nolting (WSN) will evaluate and recommend to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) groundwater monitoring staff prospective sites/locations for the installation of groundwater monitoring wells to evaluate contaminant/pollutant concentrations from various sources. Peer will oversee the installation of monitoring wells by retaining a state drilling contractor or preparing bid documents to retain well driller through the Department of Administration.
Recognizing the importance of hands-on learning, the Minnesota Historical Society developed new curriculum with a particular emphasis on American Indian history in Minnesota.
One activity from this curriculum allows students to create an Ojibwe shoulder bag. In another activity, students create a winter count, a tool used by the Dakota to record key historical events.
Through various means, human produced chemicals can make their way into surface waters where they can have adverse effects on the function of ecological communities. Of particular concern are antibiotics and other antimicrobial substances because they have the potential to create increased antibiotic resistance. While there is a background level of naturally occurring antibiotic resistance in the natural world, elevated or persistent levels caused by human activities have the potential to harm human, animal, and overall ecosystem health.
Aquatic invasive species pose critical ecological and economic challenges for the entire state and beyond. They can cause irreparable harm to fisheries and aquatic habitat as well as damage to infrastructure. The problems posed by aquatic invasive species continue to grow as existing infestations expand and new exotic species arrive, most of which are poorly understood. New ideas and approaches are needed to develop real solutions.
The DNR is working with local communities and an interagency team to define, prioritize, and establish groundwater management areas in Minnesota. Groundwater management areas will have increased data collection and monitoring that allow the state and local communities to understand water supplies, uses, limitations, and threats to natural resources that depend on groundwater. This information will support detailed aquifer protection plans that ensure equitable and sustainable groundwater and drinking water use for the future.
