Mahnomen 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.

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 Mahnomen County the White Earth Land Recovery Project received a grant to survey forest communities for the White Earth Habitat Classification Project.

Minnesota Wildlife Tourism Initiative - 1999-01 biennium. The Minnesota 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 Web site www.ItascaArea.com (http://www.itascaarea.com/birding/index.html).

Native Prairie Prescribed Burns - 1999-01 biennium. Periodic fire is an essential to the health of the prairie ecosystem, but deliberately set and controlled burns interact far better with civilization than random wildfires. On average, 6,000 of the 48,000 acres of prairie habitat in northwest Minnesota’s Glacial Lake Agassiz Beach Ridges landscape are burned annually. While this is a significant amount, it is still about 9,000 acres per year short of what is needed for a healthy prairie habitat. This cooperative project between the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy accelerated the prescribed fire program in select areas of the state. In the Glacial Lake Agassiz Beach Ridges area, 74 burns on nearly 15,000 acres were conducted as part of this project.

In Mahnomen County, targeted areas included parts of the Vanose, Bejou, Waubun, Wamback, Rush, Dittmer, Santwire and Gregory Wildlife Management Areas and the Santee Scientific and Natural Area.

Prairie-Grassland Landscapes - 1997-99 biennium. Landowners in northwestern Minnesota’s Glacial Lake Agassiz Interbeach Area 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 Watershed such as the Wild Rice and White Earth Rivers. This study will lead to methods of protecting water quality from the effects of erosion.

Minnesota County Biological Survey - 1991-93, 1993-95 and 1995-97 biennia. The Department of Natural Resources is collecting information on plants and animals throughout Minnesota to identify the location of natural areas and rare plants and animals. This information will be used to better manage areas that have native species of plants and animals. This project has been ongoing since 1987. The Mahnomen County survey began during the 1991-93 biennium, continued during 1993-95 biennium and was completed during the 1995-97 biennium.

County Geologic Atlases, Assessments and Groundwater Sensitivity Mapping - 1993-95 biennium. The Minnesota Geological Survey is studying the geology and groundwater in Minnesota. Maps were 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 Mahnomen County, the project studied the relationship between geology and groundwater, leading to improved mapping of the county’s groundwater resources.

Sealing Abandoned Wells - 1991-93 biennium. Five wells were sealed in Mahnomen County through this grant program matching state and county funds. Lead agency: Board of Water and Soil Resources.