Polk 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.

Restoring Minnesota’s Fish and Wildlife Corridors - 2001-03 biennium. Minnesota can still boast of numerous areas of quality wildlife habitat, but many of these areas are becoming isolated islands in a sea of development. This project will restore and acquire landscape “corridors” to connect these areas and help ensure healthy populations of fish, wildlife and plants. One such corridor is found in Polk County, where the Trust for Public Land and The Nature Conservancy used this program to acquire a 3.5 mile long corridor connecting the Conservancy’s Pankratz Prairie Preserve with the Chicog State Wildlife Management Area. The 1,080-acre tract, located north of Fertile, includes 450 acres of virgin tallgrass prairie. The purchase marks the first phase of what is expected to be a 2,800 acre project.

Diversifying Agriculture for Environmental, Economic and Social Benefits - 1999-01 biennium. Researchers at the University of Minnesota Northwest Experiment Station in Crookston studied new strains and planting schedules of cover crops, evaluating their ability to suppress weeds, recycle nutrients, control disease, decrease erosion and increase wildlife habitat. Projects in other parts of the state examined hybrid hazelnuts as a crop alternative and the use of Illinois Bundleflower and False Indigo for livestock grazing. The diversification of agricultural products shows great promise for improving both the state’s environment and its farm economy.

Integrated Prairie Management - 1999-01 biennium. This cooperative project by the University of Minnesota and Clay County took an integrated land management approach to solve the conflict between the continuing need for gravel and other aggregate resources and the desire for conservation of the native landscape on public land at the Felton Prairie Complex. In the process, the Zilmer pit became a restored prairie and interpretive site. This project also studied the effects of fire and rotational grazing on prairie vegetation, livestock and grassland birds in western Minnesota and produced the booklet Landowner’s Guide to Management of Prairie in Minnesota. Part of the prairie vegetation study took place at the Mentor Prairie Wildlife Management Area in Polk County.

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 Polk County, the East Grand Forks School District received a grant to help restore 30 acres of land near the school to native prairie.

Mussel Resource Survey - 1999-01 biennium. During the first two years of this project (this biennium), biologists and other staff from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources sampled 886 sites in 32 Minnesota rivers, 64 tributaries and 12 lakes, including nine sites on the Red Lake River in Polk County during June of 2001.

According to the website for this project, http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ecological_services/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.

Native Prairie Prescribed Burns - 1999-01 biennium. Periodic fire is 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 Polk County, targeted areas included parts of the Pembina, Chicog, Maple Meadows, Liberty, Dugdale, Tympanuchus and Burnham Wildlife Management Areas, the Pembina Trail Preserve Scientific and Natural Area, Agassiz Dunes, the Pankratz Prairie and Mentor Ranch.

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 which will lead to methods of protecting water quality from the effects of erosion.

RIM Accelerate Critical Habitat Match - 1995-97 biennium. This program provides matching funds to those who want to buy or improve critical fish, wildlife and native plant habitats in Minnesota. Some of these funds are being used to buy natural areas for scientific study, education and nature observation; others are helping restore waterfowl populations to their 1970s level. In Polk County, this program permitted the acquisition of 15 acres for forest regeneration, was used to landscape a wildlife demonstration area and was used for native habitat management through prairie restoration. Lead agency: Department of Natural Resources.

RIM Critical Habitat Match - 1993-95 biennium. This program provides matching funds to those who want to buy or improve critical fish, wildlife and native plant habitats in Minnesota. Some of these funds are being used to buy natural areas for scientific study, education and nature observation; others are helping restore waterfowl populations to their 1970s level. In Polk County, this program permitted the acquisition of 520 acres of land to protect rare species and added 2,018 acres at the Mentor Prairie Wildlife Management Area. Lead agency: Department of Natural Resources.

RIM Wildlife Habitat Stewardship - 1993-95 biennium. About 29,000 acres of state land is being developed and improved to protect wildlife and native plants. The Department of Natural Resources is restoring prairies, brush land, forests and non-game habitat while planting and managing native vegetation to enhance hunting, observing nature and education. In Polk County, this program contributed to brushland development and grassland development.

Easement Acquisition on Restored Wetlands - 1991-93 biennium. This program acquires permanent easements of federally-restored wetlands. With the destruction of wetlands, many species of waterfowl are at all-time lows and rural Minnesota faces significant water contamination, soil erosion and downstream flooding problems. By restoring and protecting wetlands, many of these problems can be reduced or eliminated. In Polk County, this program allowed the acquisition of easements on 10.8 acres of wetlands. Lead agency: Board of Water and Soil Resources.

Minnesota County Biological Survey - 1991-93 biennium, 1993-95 biennium and 1995-97 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 Polk County survey was begun in the 1991-93 biennium, continued during the 1993-95 biennium and was completed during the 1995-97 biennium.

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