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Below are announcements, media and project highlights related to the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) and the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
- LCCMR’s next RFP for funding from the ENRTF will be open from January 7 to March 18, 2026. Fill out this short form if you are interested in having LCCMR staff provide a presentation to your organization or event about the 2027 RFP during this time. LCCMR staff will have limited availability for outreach, so your request now will help us plan. Presentations will be prioritized toward groups that have not traditionally participated in the LCCMR process, audiences focused on the LCCMR’s newer funding priorities, and opportunities that reflect geographic balance across Minnesota. Staff would provide an overview of the LCCMR, ENRTF, the 2027 RFP funding process, 2027 RFP funding priorities, evaluation criteria, and proposal and eligibility requirements, as well as information about how to apply. Staff cannot provide feedback on specific proposal ideas or advise on whether the LCCMR may or may not fund a given proposal.
- Please spread the word that applications are now being accepted to fill four upcoming citizen vacancies on the LCCMR. Two positions are Governor-appointed vacancies. One position is appointed by the Senate Subcommittee on Committees of the Committee on Rules and Administration, and one is appointed by Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth. All four vacancies are for four-year terms starting January 1, 2026 and ending December 31, 2029. This is an opportunity to help recommend how ENRTF funds are appropriated to protect, conserve, preserve, and enhance the state's environment and natural resources. See the LCCMR Member Vacancy Info page of our website for details about eligibility and how to apply.
- Applications are now being accepted for five vacant positions on the Trust Fund Citizen Selection Committee (CSC). The committee works to recruit members of the public to apply for open positions on the LCCMR, assess and interview applicants, and recommend a pool of candidates to the governor for appointment to the LCCMR. Members of the CSC will serve three-year terms from the date of their appointment. Learn more and apply on the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website.
Would you like a news story about your project highlighted in an LCCMR update? Be sure to include, “Funding provided by the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources” in your interviews and press releases.
Bohemian and cedar waxwings and other feathered pals of December
KAXE, by Charlie Mitchell and Heidi Holtan, December 4, 2025
Pertains to “Season Watch: Cultivating Young Naturalists with Phenology Education” (Northern Community Radio, Inc., 2024-168)
Wolves, eagles, rodents — gut piles left behind by successful deer hunters draw big crowds
Star Tribune, by Dennis Anderson, December 5, 2025
Pertains to “Offal Wildlife Watching: How Do Hunters' Provisions Impact Scavengers?” (University of Minnesota, 2022-149) and “Small-Mammals and Hunter Participation: Expanded Offal Wildlife Watching” (University of Minnesota, 2025-123)
Spotting a winter finch is a cinch: Join the Christmas Bird Count!
KAXE, December 9, 2025
Pertains to “Season Watch: Cultivating Young Naturalists with Phenology Education” (Northern Community Radio, Inc., 2024-168)
Scientists testing fungi to protect Minnesota's one billion ash trees
MPR News, by Nina Moini and Alanna Elder, December 10, 2025
Pertains to “Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center” (University of Minnesota, 2020-043)
We want to amplify the great work of ENRTF-funded projects across the state! If you have project updates, stories, or outreach efforts you’d like to share in our Weekly Updates, you can email them to lccmr@lccmr.mn.gov. Be sure to also tag us (X and Facebook) in related social media posts.
Applications open for Science and Policy Fellowship Program – University of Minnesota-Duluth Sea Grant
Minnesota Sea Grant at the University of Minnesota-Duluth is now accepting applications for their ENRTF-funded Science and Policy Fellowship Program, a one-year, full-time, paid opportunity for current and recent graduate students. By placing full-time fellows with a host organization to help tackle water resource issues critical to Minnesotans, the fellowship also aims to bridge the gap between scientific research and water resource policy development and implementation. Pertains to “Water Science and Policy Fellowships for Minnesota” (University of Minnesota-Duluth Sea Grant, 2024-058).
Frog patrol: How scientists, students, and community members are guarding Minnesota's wetlands from disease – University of Minnesota
Learn how researchers with the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine are using ENRTF support from the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center to combat an invasive chytrid fungus that threatens Minnesota’s native amphibians. Pertains to “Developing Research-Based Solutions to Minnesota's AIS Problems” (University of Minnesota, 2023-176).
Research Brief: New genomic study reveals hidden pathways driving Minnesota’s zebra mussel spread – University of Minnesota
Using ENRTF funding through the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center at the University of Minnesota, a team of scientists has uncovered the routes by which zebra mussels spread through Minnesota lakes. These findings point to some surprising bodies of water that were the likely origins for the period of invasions that began over 15 years ago. Pertains to “Aquatic Invasive Species: From Problems to Real-World Solutions” (University of Minnesota, 2025-126).
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