The Conservation Partners Legacy Grant Program, of the Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources, is accepting applications through Jan. 27 for Round 2 of the Metro grant cycle. $1.1 million is available for habitat projects in the 7-county metro area or in cities with a population of 50,000 people or greater. This includes the counties of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington, and the cities of Duluth, Rochester, and St. Cloud. Projects must be on public lands or waters or on lands permanently protected by a conservation easement. 

This program funds projects that restore, enhance, or protect forests, wetlands, prairies, or habitat for fish, game, and wildlife in Minnesota. Grant requests may range from $5,000 to $400,000 with a maximum total project cost of $575,000. Nonprofit organizations and government entities are eligible to apply, and a 10% match of non-state funds is required.

For more information check out the Request for Proposals. Questions? Please email lscplgrants.dnr@state.mn.us.

The MPCA has scheduled two public informational meetings to provide updates and answer questions regarding ongoing water quality projects in the Mississippi River-Headwaters watershed. The meetings are scheduled for Jan. 12, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the Bemidji City Hall, 317 4th St. NW, Bemidji; and Jan. 26, 6-8 p.m., at the Cohasset Community Center, 305 1st Ave. NW, Cohasset.

The Mississippi River-Headwaters Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies (WRAPS) project began in October 2012. Since then, the MPCA and area partners have collected extensive water quality monitoring data on lakes, rivers and streams throughout the watershed. Assessments of the data have led to two lakes being addressed through individual water quality studies to determine causes, and find solutions to excess nutrient pollution, mainly phosphorus. Those lakes are Lake Irving in Bemidji, and Little Turtle Lake, about 10 miles north of Bemidji. The lake studies are known as Total Maximum Daily Load, or TMDLs.

The WRAPS project will also establish protection strategies to maintain the long-term health of surface waters throughout the watershed that do meet state water quality standards.

MPCA staff and area partners will present information about this WRAPS project, answer questions and offer citizens the opportunity for to get involved in the process.

For questions about this project or the public meetings, contact MPCA Watershed Project Manager Phil Votruba at 218-316-3901. More information on the WRAPS process can be found on the Mississippi River-Headwaters watershed webpage.

Join Governor Mark Dayton and Lt. Governor Tina Smith for a Town Hall Water Summit Friday, Jan. 27, 9:45 a.m.-4 p.m., at the University of Minnesota, Morris. Registration opens Jan. 6 with the full program is to be announced on that date.

Despite the state’s abundance of lakes, rivers, groundwater and streams, more than 40 percent of Minnesota’s waters are currently listed as impaired or polluted. Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith have declared a Year of Water Action to focus on improving access to clean water across Minnesota.

They encourage all Minnesotans to take a role in protecting our state's most precious resource for future generations. Learn more about the Year of Water Action here.

Lanesboro is the next stop for the Smithsonian Water/Ways travelling exhibit Jan. 7 through Feb. 19. Lanesboro Arts, Commonweal Theatre Company, Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center, Lanesboro Museum, and Friends of the Root River are partnering to develop and present dynamic local programs and engagement initiatives that will bring together the storyline of the Root River Watershed. These activities will run concurrently with the exhibits from the Smithsonian Institute and the Minnesota Humanities Center.

Opening day Jan. 7 begins with a “water blessing” ceremony at 3 p.m. at the Lanesboro Dam, followed by a 4 p.m. reception at the Lanesboro Arts Exhibition Gallery. The opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting will be at 7:30 p.m. at Commonweal Theater. A host of special events are scheduled through Feb. 19, such as: Jan. 19-fish snow sculpture, Jan. 21-candlelight snowshoe, Feb. 4-family sled dog day, and Feb. 16-18-H2O Ten, eight short plays about water. The entire list is available on the Minnesota Humanities Center-Lanesboro Arts webpage. See a collection of Lanesboro water stories on the We Are Water: Lanesboro webpage.

Water/Ways is a traveling exhibition and community engagement initiative of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program. In Minnesota, Water/Ways is led by the Minnesota Humanities Center in partnership with MPCA, Minnesota a Historical Society, Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Section of the American Water Works Association. Previously, the exhibit visited New London-Spicer, St. Peter, Red Wing, and Sandstone. The tour concludes Feb. 25-April 9 at Detroit Lakes.

The MPCA will host three open houses on the wild rice sulfate standard rulemaking in January 2017.  The main purpose of the open houses is to provide the interested public with an opportunity to learn more about the MPCA's proposed approach for revisions to its wild rice sulfate water quality standard before the proposed rule goes out on public notice later in 2017. MPCA staff will be available at the open houses to provide information about the MPCA's proposed approach to protect wild rice from sulfate, the list of proposed wild rice waters, the rulemaking schedule, and upcoming opportunities for public comment.

Additional information about the wild rice sulfate water quality standard is available on the MPCA's protecting wild rice webpage.

The open houses will be held at the following times and locations:

• Twin Cities: Tuesday, Jan. 17, 6-8 p.m., Dakota Lodge, Thompson County Park, 1200 Stassen Lane, West St. Paul, MN 55118
• Duluth: Wednesday, Jan. 25,6:30-8:30 p.m.,Griggs Center 2nd Floor, Kirby Student Center University of Minnesota-Duluth, 1120 Kirby Drive,Duluth, MN 55812 (Map and parking for UMD)
• Iron Range: Tuesday, Jan. 31, 6-8 p.m., Northeast Service Cooperative Office, 5525 Emerald Drive, Mountain Iron, MN 55768

For more information, please contact Patricia Engelking at pat.engelking@state.mn.us

The Leech Lake River watershed is healthy as far as fish and bug populations, according to an MPCA study that identified stressors to aquatic life as well as healthy conditions. In fact, it may be the healthiest watershed in the Upper Mississippi River basin. This is because few waters are impaired here. Also, the high amount of forested land plays a role in preserving water quality throughout the watershed.

The Leech Lake River watershed is in the northern part of the Upper Mississippi River Basin, and includes parts of Beltrami, Cass, and Hubbard counties. Major communities in the watershed are Laporte, Benedict, Walker, Federal Dam, Boy River, Whipholt, Longville, and Hackensack. It also includes the Leech Lake Reservation (Leech Lake Band of Chippewa). This watershed is home to 277 total river miles and more 750 lakes. The watershed is located in Minnesota’s Northern Lakes and Forest ecoregion. It is largely forested, with about 46% of the land privately held, with the remaining portion of land state, county or federal public land, or held by tribal land owners.

Based on intensive watershed monitoring, which began in 2012, results overall show that most surface waters meet Minnesota’s standards for conventional pollutants. But these resources face increased pressure from development and subsequent loss of shoreline and aquatic habitat. Threats to the watershed include:

• Shoreline and aquatic habitat loss due to development
• Projected population growth of about 60% by 2030
• Increased nutrient, contaminant, and sediment loading from stormwater runoff
• Loss of biodiversity due to competition from invasive species

 The projected 60% population increase by 2030 makes protection strategies just as important as restoration strategies throughout the watershed. Population increases can mean more development that can increase amounts of impervious surfaces, and decrease natural shorelines and existing habitat surrounding surface waters. Increases in impervious surfaces (pavement, roof surface, etc.) can alter natural water flows, and add sediment and pollutants to stormwater runoff.