Cottonwood County Projects

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.

Minnesota County Biological Survey – 2005-07 biennium. Since 1987, the Department of Natural Resources has been collecting information on plants and animals throughout Minnesota to identify the location of natural areas and rare plants and animals in the state. This information is being collected on a county-by-county basis and will be used to better manage areas that have native species of plants and animals. Survey work in Cottonwood County is slated for this biennium.

Historic Site Land Acquisition – 1999-01 biennium. With this appropriation, the Historical Society purchased 80 acres of land next to the Jeffers Petroglyphs Historical Site near Comfrey. The additional land will help protect the site from the possible expansion of a nearby rock quarry and slowly change from pasture back to prairie.

Minnesota River Basin Initiative: Local Leadership – 1999-01 biennium with an extension to June 30, 2002. The Minnesota River has been the subject of many studies and many projects over many years. This project, administered by the Minnesota River Basin Joint Powers Board, was designed to encourage local leadership within each of the 13 major Minnesota River watersheds, implement projects on a cost-sharing basis to improve the river’s water quality and display the results on the Minnesota River Basin Data Center website. Visit http://mrbdc.mnsu.edu/index.html for more information about this project. In Cottonwood County, Trust Fund money was used to help finance the replacement of 15 agricultural drain inlets in the Little Cottonwood River watershed and the construction of a gully stabilization pond in Midway Township next to the Watonwan River. These projects are designed to help reduce the amount of phosphorus and sediment flowing into the river.

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 12 sites on the Des Moines River and one site on the Heron Lake outlet in Cottonwood County during August of 1999. According to the website for this project, 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.

RIM Fisheries Statewide Habitat Development – 1995-97 biennium. The Department of Natural Resources will undertake projects to acquire, improve or restore fishing habitat. The Cottonwood County grant financed installation of an aeration system on Mountain Lake.

County Geologic Atlases, Assessments and Groundwater Sensitivity Mapping – 1993-95 biennium. The Minnesota Geological Survey is studying the geology and groundwater in southern 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 forgroundwater pollution from materials like farm chemicals. These maps can be used for land-use planning, regulation and management. In Cottonwood County, the project resulted in expanded regional hydro geologic assessment.

Minnesota River Implementation Project – 1993-95 biennium. This project works with landowners and governmental agencies to reduce the high amounts of pollution in the Minnesota River. The goal is to use land management practices that reduce the amount of pollutants and runoff that empty into the river from a 30-county area. The project includes an educational program being used by 15 high schools that brings attention to water quality. Lead agency: Pollution Control Agency.

Clean Water Partnership Grants to Local Units of Government – 1991-93 biennium. This project is designed to control nonpoint sources of pollution through watershed management to protect and improve surface and ground water in Minnesota. The Clean Water Partnership Program provides matching grants and technical assistance to local units of government to conduct pollution control projects. The grant to Cottonwood County is for a groundwater implementation project. Lead agency: Pollution Control Agency.

Minnesota River Basin Water Quality Monitoring – 1991-93 biennium. This project sought to identify the sources of nonpoint pollution threatening the water quality and uses of the Minnesota River and its tributaries including the Cottonwood and Watonwan Rivers. The results are used to direct state and local pollution programs. Lead agency: Pollution Control Agency.