Becker County

This listing is produced by the Minnesota State Lottery from information provided by project managers and the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources.  While we attempt to provide the most current information, specific project locations and allocations do change. Information on projects for the current biennium, in particular, should be regarded as preliminary.

Development and Rehabilitation of Minnesota Shooting Ranges − 2003-05 biennium. Through this appropriation, 28 recreational shooting organizations and archery clubs across the state received grants from the Trust Fund, along with matching grants from the Minnesota DNR Division of Enforcement, to make improvements to archery ranges and shooting ranges that are available for public use.  In Becker County, grants were used to improve the archery facilities at Heart of Lakes Bowhunters in Detroit Lakes.

Local Grants Initiative Program: Outdoor Recreation Grants – 2001-03 biennium. Money from the Trust Fund as well as the Minnesota Future Resources Fund was allocated during the biennium for this project administered by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. As a result, grants were provided for more than 130 different local environmental initiatives under several different categories, each with their own requirements: the Natural and Scenic Area grants program, Regional Park grants, Local Park grants, Conservation Partner grants and Environmental Partnership grants. In Becker County, the Trust Fund portion of the allocation was used for grants to help the Frazee Public School District test water quality on the Ottertail River after a dam was removed and the city of Detroit Lakes purchase just over 60 acres of land for the Sucker Creek Preserve.

Water Recreation: Boat Access, Fishing Piers and Shore Fishing - 2001-03 biennium. The Department of Natural Resources combined this allocation from the Trust Fund with significant help from local partners to develop five public water access sites around the state, purchase three parcels of land to provide new or expanded access, construct two shore-fishing areas and add or modify eighteen public fishing piers.  In Becker County, Trust Fund money helped purchase a 64-foot fishing pier and establish a shore-fishing area near Detroit Lakes at Lake Sallie in 2003.

Minnesota County Biological Survey - 2001-03 biennium and 1999-01 biennium. 2001 marks the start of the eighth biennium of this ambitious twelve biennia project that identifies significant natural areas and systematically collects and interprets data on the distribution and ecology of natural communities, rare plants and area animals. Since 1987, surveys have been completed or are underway in 64 counties. Survey work in Becker County began during the 1999-01 biennium and continues in the 2001-03 biennium.

Evaluate Establishment, Impact of Leafy Spurge Biocontrol Agents - 1999-01 biennium. Leafy Spurge is a European perennial that was first documented in the eastern United States in the early 1800s. For decades, landowners and managers have faced the enormous challenge of trying to manage this extremely competitive plant species with chemical, cultural and mechanical methods. The plant has a characteristic white sap containing chemicals that are toxic to grazing wildlife and domesticated livestock. It is a prohibited noxious weed in Minnesota.  Since 1989, five species of Flea Beetles have been released in Minnesota to control Leafy Spurge. This project evaluated their establishment and impact and made recommendations to improve the beetles’ effectiveness. Scientists from the Department of Agriculture and the University of Minnesota conducted the research at two locations in Becker County, 16 locations in Clay County and eight locations in Otter Tail County.

Lakescaping for Wildlife and Water Quality Initiative - 1999-01 biennium. This Department of Natural Resources’ program helped lakeshore homeowners learn how to use native plants on the shoreline and in the water to enhance wildlife habitat and improve water quality in their lake. With assistance from the Minnesota Lakes Association, the department conducted a series of workshops for property owners and constructed demonstration sites throughout the state. In Becker County, a workshop was held on May 6, 2000, in Detroit Lakes and demonstration sites were completed on Two Inlets and Bejou Lakes.

Local Initiatives Grants Program - 1999-01 biennium. Appropriations from the Trust Fund for this project allowed the Department of Natural Resources to fund the Natural and Scenic Area Grants Program, the Conservation Partners Grants Program and the Environmental Partnerships Grants Program during the biennium. More than 140 different projects across the state were approved for matching grants from July of 1999 through June of 2001.   In Becker County, grants were received by the Pelican River Watershed District to establish an outdoor laboratory and shoreline naturalization demonstration site and by the White Earth Land Recovery Project to survey forest communities for the White Earth Habitat Classification Project.

Minnesota Wildlife Tourism Initiative - 1999-01 biennium. The Office of Tourism and Department of Natural Resources collaborated on this project to enhance Minnesota’s visibility as a national destination for wildlife tourism by placing advertisements in Audubon, National Wildlife, Wild Bird and Birder’s World magazines. To promote this industry within the state, an array of techniques was employed including workshops, field trips, cost-sharing grants for groups promoting local wildlife watching areas and printing and posting of signs for locations listed in the book Travelers Guide to Wildlife in Minnesota.  With help from this project, the Itasca Area Lakes Tourism Association, serving parts of Becker, Clearwater, Hubbard and Mahnomen Counties, put together a consumer advertising campaign, a birding brochure and added birding information to their website: www.ItascaArea.com (http://www.itascaarea.com/birding/index.html).

Mussel Resource Survey - 1999-01 biennium. During the first two years of this project (this biennium), biologists and other staff from the Department of Natural Resources sampled 886 sites in 32 Minnesota rivers, 64 tributaries and 12 lakes including two sites on the Shell River in Becker County during August of 2000.  According to the website for this project, http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/nhnrp/mussel_survey/index.html, freshwater mussels, commonly called clams, occur throughout the world but reach their greatest diversity in North America where about 300 species are found. Unfortunately, within the last 100 years mussel communities have declined in abundance and diversity due to dam construction, stream channelization, water pollution and sedimentation, over harvesting and the recent introduction of the exotic Zebra Mussel. In response, groups such as the American Fisheries Society and The Nature Conservancy have identified mussels as the most imperiled group of animals in North America. The primary goal of this project is to build the information base necessary to sustain freshwater mussels in Minnesota. Building this base of information is expected to take about six years to complete.

Public Boat Access and Fishing Piers - 1999-01 biennium. With help from the Minnesota Future Resources Fund and donations from local contributors, Trust Fund money was put to work building and extending fishing piers, developing boat access sites and purchasing land for future access sites. In Becker County, a fishing pier was replaced with a new 104-foot model at Detroit Lake near the City of Detroit Lakes in 2000.

Prairie-Grassland Landscapes - 1997-99 biennium.  Landowners in northwestern Minnesota’s Glacial Lake Agassiz Interbeach Area, including northwestern Becker County, are struggling to strike a balance between earning a living from the land and conserving prairies and grasslands for future generations. The Department of Natural Resources is working with local landowners and organizations to create grassland-landscaping projects that will preserve and protect the prairies.

Red River Valley Planning and Management - 1997-99 biennium. The Pollution Control Agency is working with an array of political jurisdictions and governments to determine ways of managing the land and water in the Red River Valley in northwestern Minnesota. The project includes a U.S. Geological Survey study of causes of sediment in streams and rivers in the Red River drainage basin (including the Buffalo and Wild Rice Rivers) that will lead to methods of protecting water quality from the effects of erosion.

Reinvest in Minnesota Accelerate Fisheries Acquisition - 1997-99 biennium. The Department of Natural Resources is working to increase fish populations in Minnesota by acquiring aquatic management areas including easements and fee title on lakes and streams.  In Becker County, Long Lake will undergo this process.

Environmental Action Grants for Minnesota Schools - 1995-97 biennium. St. Olaf College's School Nature Area Project is conducting a pilot program in which 40 K-12 schools received matching grants to establish or enhance nature areas within walking distances of school buildings.  Fifth and sixth grade students at Frazee Elementary School used one of these grants to work with a private landowner to develop a 120-acre site adjacent to the school as a nature center.

County Geologic Atlases, Assessments and Groundwater Sensitivity Mapping - 1993-95 biennium.  The Minnesota Geological Survey is studying the geology and groundwater in Minnesota.  Maps will be produced and used for planning and environmental protection.  The Department of Natural Resources is also producing maps of areas with the potential for groundwater pollution from materials like farm chemicals.  These maps can be used for land-use planning, regulation and management.  In Becker County, funds were used for hydro-geologic assessment. 

County Geologic Atlas and Groundwater Sensitivity Mapping - 1991-93 biennium.  This project resulted in expanded production of county geologic atlases and creation of a new Atlas Service Office. In Becker County, the project mapped areas sensitive to groundwater contamination.   Lead agency:  Minnesota Geological Survey.

09/25/09 - TM