Pennington 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.

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 Pennington County, the Pennington Soil and Water Conservation District received a grant to purchase equipment to do water sampling, analysis and monitoring by public schools.

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.

In Pennington County, the Thief River Falls Area Chamber of Commerce put together a birding brochure with help from this project.

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 Thief and Red Lake Rivers. This study will lead to methods of protecting water quality from the effects of erosion.

Environmental Action Grants for Minnesota Schools - 1995-97 biennium. The Department of Natural Resources is working with St. Olaf College’s School Nature Area Project to establish or enhance nature areas within walking distances of school buildings. These projects are made possible through matching grants. Challenger Elementary School in Thief River Falls is a new school on 50 acres of former hayfield. The school is turning 20 acres of the property into a nature area to benefit wildlife and the school’s students.

Minnesota County Biological Survey - 1991-93 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. 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. The Pennington County survey was completed during the 1991-93 biennium.

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