MNHS is developing new curricula, programs and resources to engage students in learning about Minnesota history. In FY16, a full review of online resources for the K-12 audience was completed and an action plan was put in place to update the content and design of these materials. In FY17, the Forests, Fields and the Falls website launched in a new format, making it more accessible to teachers and students using any platform or device. In addition, staff are working with Oliver Kelley Farm staff to create new curriculum on agriculture, history and STEM for K-12 teachers and students.
Increasing the public's online access to the permanent collections remains a top priority for MNHS. Since the beginning of FY17, more than 800 artifacts have been digitally photographed and cataloged, including American Indian material culture, fine art, recent acquisitions and artifacts related to current events and MNHS initiatives. The digitization of edged armaments and artifacts associated with brewing and breweries in Minnesota has now been completed.
MNHS continues actively preserving and making accessible newspapers published in the state. In FY16, MNHS concentrated efforts on the backlog of hardcopy newspapers, piloting an approach to microfilming and digitizing issues in mass quantity to reduce the physical storage burden and increase access for researchers and local historical societies. MNHS also began testing in-house digitization of current newspapers, securing equipment and developing processes and staff expertise to support this activity. Online access continues to be offered through the Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub.
MNHS continues to recruit diverse students from the Twin Cities for programs that engage them in understanding how public organizations present historical narratives. Internally, the Department of Inclusion and Community Engagement supports the diversity and inclusion efforts of other MNHS departments, such as the access advisory group and training for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act officer. Staff also attend cultural competence learning opportunities.
Minnesota History magazine will commission four articles on topics that contribute to MNHS' diversity and inclusiveness strategic priority. Topics will illuminate the historical experiences of people and communities who are currently underrepresented in the pages of Minnesota History. Efforts will be made to find diverse authors for the articles, which could include writers of color or writers from disabled, LGBTQ, religious minority or other underrepresented communities.
MNHS is working to strengthen its presence and visibility as a community resource to Minnesota's diverse communities by supporting a strategic tabling and sponsorship effort at 12 community events, such as Rondo Days, Twin Cities Jazz Festival and the Cultural Heritage and Social Action Summit. In addition, funds supported co-sponsoring and hosting diverse events, such as Twin Cities Black Film Festival and Somali Independence Day events at the Minnesota History Center.
This program provides critical assistance to MN DNR Parks and Trails Division Regional and District offices to assist with renewal and rehabilitation efforts prioritized locally by field staff. Projects include the following types: State Park Building and Facilities Emergency Repair and Maintenance, Paved Trail Maintenance and Asset Preservation, and State Park and State Forest Trail Renewal. This project is a newly reorganized budget area that consolidates these three smaller project areas reported on in previous years.
We restored 2,081 acres of grassland and enhanced 42,425 acres of grassland for a total of 44,506 acres of wildlife habitat across 329 sites with these funds.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will restore or enhance habitat to facilitate fish passage, restore degraded streams, and enhance habitat critical to fish and other aquatic life. Projects are prioritized based on ecological benefit, urgency, feasibility, and stakeholder support.
Acquire 600 acres of high priority habitats for designation as Wildlife Management Area or Scientific and Natural Area emphasizing Prairie Conservation Plan implementation and coordinating with partners. All lands will be open for public hunting, fishing and trapping.
The Drinking Water Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC) program identifies environmental contaminants for which current health-based standards currently do not exist or need to be updated, investigate the potential for human exposure to these chemicals, and develop guidance values for drinking water. Contaminants evaluated by CEC staff include contaminants that have been released or detected in Minnesota waters (surface water and groundwater) or that have the potential to migrate to or be detected in Minnesota waters.
The Parks and Trails Division is creating innovative programs to attract new audiences to Minnesota state parks and trails. Skill-building programs, such as "I Can Camp!," provide a trial opportunity by eliminating the barriers of needing to have pre-existing knowledge or gear for the activity.
Work is being done to strengthen existing partnerships and create new opportunities for MNHS to deliver transformative educational experiences to students. ACHF dollars were used to leverage matching dollars from Minneapolis public schools to increase their contract with MNHS for educational programs, such as History Day. St. Cloud State University and Minnesota State University Moorhead also provided matching funds for partnerships that enrich U.S. history instruction with experiences at historic sites and museums.
Seven undergraduate student interns in St.
Through this program, partners are extending the reach of National History Day in Minnesota. MNHS staff coordinate school services with an emphasis on support for students from diverse backgrounds. Higher education partnerships help build college readiness skills for middle and high school students and strengthen the mentoring skills of college students.
The contractor will add more functionality to HSPEXP+ Hydrological Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF) tool and conduct 2016 HSPF Modeling Contractors Meeting
The goal of this project is to enhance the current version of the Enhanced Expert System for Calibration of HSPF (HSPEXP+) so that it can more easily and quickly be used for hydrology calibration, water quality calibration, generate reports and graphs.
With the centenary of the U.S. involvement in the Great War in Europe, the experience of predominantly German New Ulm and Brown County continues to have national significance and relevance to current events. The Brown County Historical Society created an exhibit, "Loyalty and Dissent: Brown County and World War I" on the second floor of their museum to illustrate and interpret the war experience of 1917 and 1918 as it pertained to Brown County.
MNHS exhibits are supported by diverse programming that complements exhibit content while extending the rich stories of Minnesota's history. MNHS staff are able to partner with community organizations on innovative programs for visitors of all ages. In FY17, programs included lectures, panel discussions, film screenings, musical performances, readers theater programs in the exhibit gallery, hands-on family activities and other events.
This exhibit about the iconic Minneapolis club, First Avenue, will explore the 1980s when the club was at its peak as a trailblazing venue that put Minnesota music on the map. For four decades, the First Avenue has been a launching pad for local talent like Prince, The Replacements and Husker Du and a place national touring acts loved to play. It booked African American rock, soul and hip-hop artists unable to get gigs at other downtown venues, and it fostered a growing punk, hardcore and indie rock scene.
The DNR works with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota Department of Health to determine the level of contamination from mercury and other harmful chemicals in fish from Minnesota's lakes and rivers and to track the success of efforts to reduce mercury pollution. Clean Water Legacy funding is being used to significantly increase (more than double) the number of lakes and rivers that are assessed for mercury contamination on an annual basis. Fish are collected during DNR fishery surveys, processed for laboratory testing, and analyzed for contaminants.
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.
