http://www.mnhabitatcorridors.org/
Twelve state, federal, and non-profit organizations have joined together in an effort to protect and restore critical habitat for fish, wildlife, and native plant communities.  Earlier phases of this project resulted in the restoration, enhancement, or conservation of more than 100,000 acres.

In an effort similar to the Habitat Corridors Partnership, seven organizations have come together to protect and restore critical habitat in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.

This appropriation to the University of Minnesota’s Minnesota Geological Survey and Department of Natural Resources will help collect information on the geology of Minnesota below the surface, including the state’s critical groundwater resources.  The project will pay particular attention to the Mt. Simon aquifer, one of the major sources of water in central Minnesota, with this year’s studies focusing on McLeod, Wright, Sherburne, and Isanti counties.  In addition, the Minnesota Geological Survey will produce atlases of the geology of Todd, Carlton, McLeod, Carver, Benton, and Chisago counties.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/mcbs/index.html
For the past 20 years the Department of Natural Resources has been systematically surveying the state’s natural habitats.  This study identifies significant natural areas and collects and interprets data on the distribution of native plant communities, rare plants, and rare animals.  Through May 2009, project managers have completed surveys in 74 of Minnesota’s 87 counties and have added almost 17,000 new records of rare features to DNR information systems.  These data have been put to a number of uses, including park and natural area protection and the development of a state wildlife action plan.  This appropriation will permit continuation of the survey in Lake, Cook and St. Louis counties, while surveys will begin in Clearwater and Beltrami counties. Work will also continue on two books:  a revised guide to Minnesota’s reptiles and amphibians, and a guide to the wildlife of the Red River Valley and nearby aspen parklands.

The Center for Energy and Environment, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization, will use this grant to develop residential energy conservation programs.  Programs will be developed for eight cities:  Apple Valley, Austin, Duluth, Minneapolis, Owatonna, Park Rapids, Rochester, and St. Paul.  Homeowners in these cities will have the opportunity to be trained in low-cost energy conservation strategies.  Selected homeowners will qualify for customized energy action plans, in-home visits by technicians, and assistance with major upgrades such as insulation and replacement of heating and air conditioning systems.  The Center hopes to significantly reduce energy use in at least 6000 homes by the conclusion of the project and to develop programs that will ultimately benefit many more.

Outcrops of granite along the Upper Minnesota River are among the oldest exposed rocks in North America, dating back more than 3 million years.  These outcrops are also home to rare plants and animals, including several types of cactus and Minnesota’s only lizard, the five-lined skink, but they are increasingly threatened by mining, overgrazing, and development.  The Board of Water and Soil Resources and the Renville Soil and Water Conservation District will acquire permanent easements to preserve approximately 530 acres of this endangered habitat and restore their ecological integrity by removing non-native plants.  These easements are located in Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Redwood, Renville and Yellow Medicine counties.

The Metropolitan Council will use this funding to help add approximately 195 acres of land to existing metropolitan regional parks.  Priority will be given to shoreland, land with important natural resources connections, and land containing unique natural resources.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_trails/index.html
This appropriation will help the Department of Natural Resources acquire land for two trails: the Brown’s Creek Segment of the Willard Munger Trail in Washington County and the Paul Bunyan Trail in the city of Bemidji.  The Brown’s Creek Segment runs six miles between the Gateway State Trail and downtown Stillwater along the route formerly used by the Minnesota Zephyr Dinner Train, while the new segment of the Paul Bunyan Trail will run 1.25 miles along the southeastern shoreline of Lake Bemidji.

Deep lakes have different physical properties and support different wildlife than their more numerous shallow counterparts.  This study by the Department of Natural Resources will help identify the major factors affecting the water quality in these lakes and the consequences of changes in these factors.  Department staff will identify 24 “sentinel” lakes and will study how these lakes are affected by climate and land use changes.

Through this program the Department of Natural Resources will be able to acquire land within the boundaries of several state parks that is currently privately owned.  Land to be acquired includes 87 acres in the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area northeast of Brainerd and 17 acres in Whitewater State Park, located between Rochester and Winona.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snas/index.html
The Scientific and Natural Areas program helps preserve unique geological features, plant and animal communities, and rare and endangered species for scientific study and public edification.  Its goal is to ensure that no rare feature is lost from any region of the state.  This appropriation will help the Department of Natural Resources restore approximately 600 acres of existing areas and acquire an additional 100 acres of land for this program.

Native trout require clean, cold water, water that usually originates from springs, but the springs feeding the 173 designated trout streams in southeastern Minnesota are under increasing pressure from changing land use.  The University of Minnesota and Department of Natural Resources are working to identify where the water that feeds these springs comes from and learn how this water might be affected by development and water use.

The Board of Water and Soil Resources, in cooperation with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, will continue their ongoing study of the state’s soils. This year’s efforts will focus on Crow Wing, Pine, Koochiching, Lake, Cook, and St. Louis counties.

Minnesota’s wetlands provide crucial habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife, assist in flood control, and help maintain water quality. But the state has lost half the wetlands that existed before European settlement. Ducks Unlimited will use this appropriation to identify and map drained wetlands that can be restored. Mapping will take place in 170 townships in Clay, Mahnomen, McLeod, Meeker, Nicollet, Norman, Renville, Sibley, Wilkin, and Wright counties.

Drainage tiles are commonly used to remove standing water from farmland and to help make marginal land more amenable to agriculture. However, widespread use of drain tiles can adversely affect wetlands and water quality. The Science Museum of Minnesota will compare areas with and without intensive tile drainage to assess the effects on river erosion.

Ballast water—water carried in tanks on ships to help provide stability and aid steering—is likely the single greatest source for the introduction of non-native plants and animals from the water where it is collected to the water where it is discharged. The Pollution Control Agency and Department of Natural Resources will monitor the discharge of ballast water in Lake Superior to assess the effectiveness of various ballast water treatment systems.

Several species of carp introduced from Asia have been introduced into the Mississippi River system, causing considerable harm to native fisheries and aquatic environments. So far these species are rare in Minnesota, but have become common in Iowa and Illinois. The University of Minnesota is studying the use of air bubble “curtains” to repel the fish before they become established in Minnesota rivers and streams. This technology also has the potential to prevent reintroduction of common carp into lakes that have been cleared of that fish, and has the advantage of being inexpensive, portable, and safe.

Chemicals discharged into lakes and rivers have been found to disrupt the endocrine (or hormonal) systems of fish, affecting their ability to develop and reproduce. The U.S. Geological Survey and St. Cloud State University are studying the degree to which these pollutants pose a threat to the fish in Minnesota lakes.

Storm water runoff carries pollutants from yards, streets, and parking lots directly into lakes, streams, and wetlands. Rain gardens—specialized plantings of native perennials—have been found to be an effective way to capture runoff and allow it to drain slowly into the ground, a process that both filters pollutants and helps recharge groundwater supplies. Metro Blooms, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization, will use this grant to install approximately 150 rain gardens near Powderhorn Lake in Minneapolis and evaluate their effectiveness in improving the lake’s water quality.

Faculty from the University of Minnesota Department of Forestry are applying new mathematical methods to analyze the last 100 years of data on Minnesota’s climate and project future changes at a local level. Results will include identification of areas with the potential for renewable bioenergy production, assessment of climate-induced changes in the use of energy for heating and cooling, identification of areas at increased risk of fire or insect damage, analysis of the future supply of water to reservoirs or groundwater aquifers, identification of areas at risk of flooding from extreme rainfall events, and assessment of the effect of climate change on the range of locally threatened or endangered species.

Earthworms are common throughout much of Minnesota, but few realize that they are not native to the state. In fact, all of Minnesota’s earthworms were introduced from Europe and Asia and have caused considerable harm to our hardwood forests. The Natural Resources Research Institute of the University of Minnesota Duluth will identify the areas of the state at greatest risk from invasive earthworms, assess the different ways worms are transported to currently worm-free areas, and develop strategies to slow or prevent their further spread.

Ballast water—water carried in tanks on ships to help provide stability and aid steering—is likely the single greatest source for the introduction of non-native plants and animals from the water where it is collected to the water where it is discharged. At least one new invasive species is found in the Great Lakes every year, with Lake Superior being particularly at risk.  Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey will test methods of decontaminating ballast water on board an actual working ship with an emphasis on techniques that can be used in emergencies such as a grounded ship.

The federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) pays farmers to take highly erodible or otherwise environmentally sensitive land out of production and plant the land with native vegetation. Protection under this program, however, is rarely permanent, and funding is limited. This Board of Water and Soil Resources project is studying Minnesota cropland that is currently enrolled in CRP under a contract set to expire in the near future. They will identify those parcels of land having the highest priority for continued protection through various state conservation programs.

The laws governing the drainage of Minnesota wetlands and other areas have been largely unchanged for more than a century. However, many other laws governing water use have been enacted as concerns about water quality and land use increase. Often these laws conflict. The Smith Partners law firm will analyze the legal and policy issues surrounding drainage law and make recommendations to the legislature on updating the laws to reflect the realities of the 21st century.

Over the last decade, a parasitic disease, Heterosporosis, has spread to infect fish in 20 water bodies in Minnesota. The parasite infects a number of economically important fish, making them inedible. As the disease can currently only be detected in its late stages, little is known about how it is transmitted and how best to control it. Faculty from the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine are developing a test for the disease, and will use this test to survey lakes throughout the state to accurately assess the spread of the disease.