Scott 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.

Big Rivers Partnership: Helping Communities to Restore Habitat - 2001-03 biennium. Led by Great River Greening, the Big Rivers Partnership brings together nonprofit organizations, government and private landowners to restore river valley habitat in the Twin Cities area. The benefits of this project include actual restoration work, identifying high-priority restoration project areas and creating a landowner stewardship support program. The primary tool for disseminating information from this project is the Great River Greening website: www.greatrivergreening.org. Cost sharing was required for restoration projects and, as a result, $1.3 million of non-state funding was leveraged to support this program. In the final tally, more than 3,600 volunteers participated in restoration work on more than 1,500 acres of land in the Mississippi and Minnesota River Valleys. Project areas include the Pine Bend Bluffs in Dakota County, the Hastings riverfront, the Mississippi River Gorge-South Park in Minneapolis, the West Side Bluff-Cherokee Park in St. Paul, the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, the East Mississippi Bluff-Desnoyer St. Paul unit, the River Park in Brooklyn Park, the South St. Paul Levee and Prospect Crest in St. Paul.

Biological Control of Eurasian Watermilfoil and Purple Loosestrife - Continuation - 2001-03 biennium. In cooperation with staff from the University of Minnesota, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cornell University and the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Natural Resources coordinated this project to develop and implement biological controls for Eurasian Watermilfoil and Purple Loosestrife - two intrusive species invading Minnesota lakes and rivers. The research scientists working on this project chose study areas along the Mississippi River Corridor between Red Wing and Winona and lakes in the seven-county metro area. They report that Milfoil Weevils can cause sustained declines of the invasive, non-native Eurasian Watermilfoil if sufficient densities of the insect are maintained throughout the summer each year. They also discovered that the Milfoil Weevils have their own predators - sunfish - which were, in turn, studied for their effect on the weevil population. Other variables they manipulated for this project include water clarity and physically removing milfoil and other plants. On the other side of the project, research scientists found that Leaf Beetles can provide long-term control of Purple Loosestrife and that these biological agents do not have a detrimental effect on two non-invasive species of loosestrife native to Minnesota. Their study results show these agents can move through a wetland in less than three years and disperse and colonize other wetlands as far as 20 kilometers away.

Metro Greenways - 2001-03 biennium. The goal of the Metro Greenways Project is to protect, connect and restore a metro-wide area network of significant natural areas and open spaces. This project is administered and coordinated by the Department of Natural Resources and relies on partnerships with a wide range of nonprofit conservation organizations, government agencies and private landowners. During the biennium, 11 planning grants were issued to local governments to inventory and assess more than 240,000 acres of land in the metro area, 221 acres were purchased and will be held in public domain, 178 acres were permanently protected with conservation easements and 40 acres of rare sand prairie were restored. In Scott County, Trust Fund money helped complete natural resource inventories for more than 20,000 acres of land in Sand Creek, Cedar Lake, Helena and Blakely Townships. You can find more information on this topic at www.embraceopenspace.org.

Metropolitan Regional Parks Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Development - 2001-03 biennium. This Metropolitan Council project used money from the Trust Fund along with the sale of bonds to acquire, develop and rehabilitate parks in the Twin Cities area. In Scott County, the Trust Fund helped finance the purchase of 400 acres of land south of Prior Lake that will become part of a new regional park. Dubbed the Doyle-Kennefick Regional Park, it is expected to be open to the public in about 10 years. In all, 15 projects were financed during the biennium as part of this project.

State Park and Recreation Area Acquisition - 2001-03 biennium. Funding from two sources - the Trust Fund and the Future Resources Fund - was combined for this project to expand our public parks. The Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area between Chaska and Belle Plaine in Carver and Scott Counties grew by 5 acres during the biennium. In all, more than 1,100 acres were purchased within the boundaries of nine state park and recreation areas from willing private landowners.

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 Scott County, a 64-foot fishing pier was installed in the City of Savage at McColl Pond in 2003 with help from the Trust Fund.

Development and Assessment of Oak Wilt Control Technologies - 1999-01 biennium. Oak Wilt remains the number one cause of oak mortality in Minnesota. Increased development through oak woods is accelerating the problem, especially in the prime oak habitats of east central and southeastern Minnesota. For this project, the University of Minnesota’s Department of Plant Pathology studied the Sap Beetle that transmit the disease and the effectiveness of using fungus and root graft barriers to control the spread of Oak Wilt. The results included a model that predicts when the Oak Wilt fungus is active, the determination of a variable “no prune” period of time during the spring and better tools for natural resource managers. Part of this study took place in Scott County at the Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve.

Greening the Metro Mississippi-Minnesota River Valleys - 1999-01 biennium. Great River Greening organized more than 1,500 citizen volunteers to complete habitat restoration projects on approximately 1,500 acres of land along segments of the Minnesota and Mississippi River Valleys located in Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington, Carver, Scott and Dakota Counties. These sites vary in their quality, but through the restoration process their ecological value for buffering, connecting and hosting natural remnants has greatly increased. Many of the sites are critical for enhancing the last large remnants of native plants in the Metro River Corridor. For more information, visit http://www.greatrivergreening.org.

Groundwater Flow in the Prairie du Chien Aquifer - 1999-01 biennium. The Prairie du Chien and underlying Jordan Aquifers supply drinking water to more than 15,000 wells in the Twin Cities, Rochester and other parts of southeastern Minnesota. Groundwater in this part of the state has been contaminated at specific locations including a landfill in northern Olmsted County, the former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant in Ramsey County and beneath sewage treatment ponds in Wabasha and Winona Counties. This project by the University of Minnesota’s Geological Survey is studying the structure and flow of the aquifers to better predict how contamination will travel through these underground waterways so better prevention plans can be developed.

Identification of Sediment Sources in Agricultural Watersheds - 1999-01 biennium. Soil sediment suspended in the water flowing into Ravens Creek south of Jordan in Scott County was collected and analyzed to determine how much comes from cultivated fields and how much comes from the stream bank. According to the analysis, more than 70 percent of the total suspended sediment load measured during eight storms during the summers of 2000 and 2001 came from stream bank erosion. The study was planned and conducted by the St. Croix Watershed Research Station, a division of the Science Museum of Minnesota. Trust Fund money was combined with funding from the Metropolitan Council for this project.

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 Scott County, a workshop was held on April 29, 2000, in Prior Lake.

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 Scott County, grants were received by the City of Belle Plaine to restore four acres of prairie by removing exotic plants and planting native species, by the City of Prior Lake to evaluate the results of the Prior Lake shoreline inventory and by the City of Savage for the acquisition of approximately two acres on McColl Pond for passive outdoor recreation and environmental education.

Metropolitan Regional Parks Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Development - 1999-01 biennium. The Metropolitan Council is expanding, improving or developing regional parks including constructing recreational trails and picnic shelters in the Twin Cities. Also, all parks and trails in the metro area are being digitized for mapping. In Scott County, construction of 1.6 miles of Scott County Regional Trail will take place including off-road trail design, engineering and inspection and installation of signage, culverts, crosswalks and landscaping.

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 Scott County, Trust Fund money was used to help finance the replacement of 17 agricultural drain inlets, build two grade-stabilization structures, two water and sediment basins and two stream bank stabilization projects. Work was performed or supervised by Scott County Public Works or the Scott County Soil and Water Conservation District.

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 one site on the Minnesota River in Scott County during September of 2000. 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.

Metropolitan Regional Parks Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Development - 1997-99 biennium. The Metropolitan Council is expanding, improving or developing regional parks including constructing recreational trails and picnic shelters, expanding beaches and parking lots and improving boat ramps, campgrounds and park lighting in the Twin Cities. Also, all parks and trails in the metro area are being digitized for mapping. The Scott County appropriation will be used for parking and roads at Cleary Lake Regional Park south of Savage.

Metropolitan Area Groundwater Model to Predict Contaminant Movement - 1995-97 biennium and 1997-99 biennium. Estimates are that 230 billion gallons of groundwater are contaminated in the Twin Cities including 16 percent of the most commonly used groundwater source. The Pollution Control Agency is refining and improving its model that tracks the movement of contaminated groundwater. The model will also be able to evaluate the impact of increased use of groundwater as urban pressures increase.

Minnesota County Biological Survey - 1995-97 biennium and 1997-99 biennium. Since 1987, the Department of Natural Resources has been studying the distribution of rare plants, animals and natural communities on a county-by-county basis. The Scott County survey was begun in the 1995-97 biennium and will be completed during the 1997-99 biennium.

Metropolitan Regional Park System - 1995-97 biennium. This appropriation is to the Metropolitan Council for development of the Twin Cities’ regional park system. In Scott County, the Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve developed an 80-acre prairie.

RIM 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. This grant allowed acquisition of 10 acres at the March Wildlife Management Area. Lead agency: Department of Natural Resources.

RIM Fisheries Habitat Development, Hatchery Rehabilitation and Stream Flow Protection - 1995-97 biennium. The Department of Natural Resources will undertake projects to acquire, improve or restore fishing habitat. In Scott County, the North Pike Spawning Area on Eagle Lake underwent improvements.

State Park and Recreation Area Acquisition, Development and Betterment - 1995-97 biennium. The Department of Natural Resources is improving state parks and recreation areas. In Scott County, the Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area will undergo trail development.

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.

Retrofitting Regional Parks - 1993-95 biennium. Regional parks in the Twin Cities are being made more accessible for disabled people through this program. In Scott County, this program is upgrading public use areas in regional parks and park reserves. Lead agency: Metropolitan Council.

RIM Conservation Reserve Easements - 1993-95 biennium. This program assists landowners in returning marginal farmland, especially legally-drained wetlands, back to its natural habitat thus improving water quality, controlling erosion and enhancing fish and wildlife habitat. In Scott County, easements on 37.2 acres were purchased under this program. Lead agency: Board of Water and Soil 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. This grant allowed acquisition of 7 acres at the Clark's Lake Wildlife Management Area. Lead agency: Department of Natural Resources.

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. The results are used to direct state and local pollution programs. Lead agency: Pollution Control Agency.