Our program/project will protect and maintain intact forest ecosystems through the use of perpetual conservation easements and other tools. This program/project will directly protect approximately 187, 277 acres of forest and wetlands with permanent conservation easements and 1,344 acres with fee acquisition.
The Minnesota DNR and the Minnesota Forest Resources Council work with forest landowners, managers and loggers to implement a set of voluntary sustainable forest management guidelines that include water quality best management practices (BMPs) to ensure sustainable habitat, clean water, and productive forest soils, all contributing to healthy watersheds. This project will monitor the implementation of these forest management guidelines and BMPs on forested watersheds in MN.
The Crow Wing River is a valuable natural resource and forested regions in the watershed are at risk from conversion to cropland and clearing for other uses. In order to maintain the high quality upland that protects the water quality, forestry practices are being encouraged with cost-sharing and education in an effort to manage, protect, and improve existing forest stands.
Forever Green Initiative develops perennial and cover cropping systems specific to Minnesota that are necessary to protect and restore the state's surface and groundwater resources while increasing efficiency, profitability, and productivity of Minnesota farmers.
To hire a qualified historian to complete an evaluation to determine eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places for the 1878 N. H. Forsyth property in Houston, MN.
Four new and unique views of Fort Snelling from various points in history will be available for students, teachers and the general public to access online. The Minnesota Historical Society has been collaborating with the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities at the University of Virginia to build four computer models that illustrate a dynamic and changing Fort Snelling from 1820 to 1945. The models will be linked to a rich and interrelated set of materials from all parts of the Society's collections, including photographs and manuscripts.
An illustrated, self-guided tour booklet was developed and produced that describes Fort Snelling during the WWII years. The guide contains many photos of historic and current views and the sketch maps are easy to follow to locate the identified sites. Approximately 200 copies were distributed to libraries, cultural institutions, participants in the Upper Post redevelopment process, The Veterans Administration Hospital, services organizations and the MN soldiers Home.
As a requirement for the transfer of certain properties within the Upper Post area of Fort Snelling to the Historic Surplus Property Program, a Program for Preservation and Utilization (PPU) was designed and developed to preserve and enhance the public use and future redevelopment of the Fort Snelling area. The report was created for the project using the National Park Service format. It will serve as a central resource when changes are to be made to the Upper Post.
A survey of 15 historic building interiors of the West District of Fort Snelling to supplement the Historic Context Study of the Light Rail Transit Station Area.
In the fourth year of this project, MNHS staff completed inventory and rehousing of most artifacts excavated from Historic Fort Snelling between 1957 and 1981. The Collections Management System now has 118,500 records for Fort Snelling artifacts. Three hundred items were photographed and are now accessible to the public online. In 2016, an exhibit featuring patent medicine bottles found at Fort Snelling was developed and installed in the Fort Snelling Visitor Center.
This leadership workshop series will provide the participants (citizen leaders) with knowledge, skills, processes and tools that can help to strengthen their current efforts and nurture new ones.
This project will improve wetland protection, management, and restoration in Minnesota by completing a partially established long-term wetland hydrology monitoring network that will provide critical knowledge of wetland hydrology.
This program will install fish barriers at (3) three locations on in the Watershed District to exclude carp and other rough fish that destroy fish habits and aquatic vegetation and stir-up phosphorous rich sediments that cause algal blooms and cause water quality impairments. The project will allow for effective carp control in an effort to improve fish habitat, fish spawning and habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. Improving the fish habitat has a clear and measurable residual value in improving water quality and aquatic vegetation.
Le Sueur County has completed water quality assessments of its lakes, which are on the impaired waters list for excess nutrients. The Francis Rays Sakatah Tetonka Lakes Septic Inventory project will complete up to 400 shoreland septic compliance inspections, create an ArcMap GIS layer, create community assessment reports on priority areas and provide education and outreach to the public through informational meetings and website development. The project will also jump-start upgrading non-compliant septic systems.
To hire qualified professionals to write a structural assessment of the Frederick W. Kiesling House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places
To increase access to arts and cultural heritage programming at the Mahnomen County Fair by creating a performance space for ACH events. Funds would be used for stage construction, lighting and sound.
To enhance the Creative Arts building on the fairgrounds in order to improve the arts experience for fairgoers. The Freeborn County Fair will replace archaic lighting, add glass display cabinets, add a new display area of pre-school art, and provide musical performances.
To provide arts and heritage programming by local artists. Programming will include story-telling, ethnic music, demonstrations of period culture, lathe turning, spoon carving, and spinning.
To restore the Freeman Doud Cabin and Sunnyside School, located on the Beltrami County fairgrounds. During the fair, visitors will be able to able to observe the log cabin restoration and chinking process. Display boards will depict the history of the cabin, show where it was built on Lake Bemidji, and acquaint people with the importance of preserving this history.
Freshwater sponges from Minnesota will be collected using citizen scientists thereby stimulating STEM education. Compounds produced by sponges will be tested against invasive species such as zebra mussels.
River Watch (RW) enhances watershed understanding and awareness for tomorrow’s decision-makers through direct hands-on, field-based experiential watershed science. High School based teams throughout the Minnesota River Basin participate in a variety of unique and innovative watershed engagement opportunities such as Water Quality Monitoring and Macroinvertebrate surveys that are suited to their school, community, and watershed needs.
The Frogtown area of St. Paul is a culturally diverse, low-income neighborhood having less green space per child than any other neighborhood in the city and was recently identified as an area in need of a new park. This appropriation is being used by The Trust for Public Land, in partnership with the City of St. Paul, to acquire a portion of twelve acres of a currently vacant space in the area to establish the multi-purpose Frogtown Farm and Park.
