The Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) plans to open its Conservation Partners Legacy grant program on Aug. 1. This program funds conservation projects that restore, enhance, or protect forests, wetlands, prairies, or habitat for fish, game, and wildlife in Minnesota.

Funding for this grant program is from the Outdoor Heritage Fund ,created by the people of Minnesota.

The DNR manages this reimbursable program to provide competitive matching grants from $5,000 to $400,000 to local, regional, state, and national nonprofit organizations, including government entities. For more information, see the Request for Proposals on the DNR website.

The Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources recently selected 67 projects totaling $61.5 million to recommend to the 2019 Minnesota Legislature for funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. This fund derives from lottery proceeds and investment income. The commission chose the 67 projects from 273 proposals received earlier this year that totaled $191 million. The recommendations range from full funding of a proposal to partial funding for specific proposal elements.

Among the recommend funding is $250,000 to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to help municipal wastewater treatment plants in the Lake Superior basin reduce mercury pollution.

See the complete list of recommended projects on the commission website.

The 2018 Clean Water Accountability Report is now posted on the MPCA website: www.pca.state.mn.us/healthier-watersheds. Instead of a typical report document, starting this year, the report consists of online data for Minnesota’s major watersheds. The Clean Water Legacy Act requires the MPCA to report actions taken in Minnesota’s watersheds to meet water quality goals and outcomes. The MPCA’s first report in 2016 covered eight WRAPS-approved watersheds. This year’s report provides more data online and covers all 80 watersheds statewide, including status of WRAPS/TMDLs, wastewater loading, best management practices, and spending for implementation projects. The data is easily searchable in a number of ways through a flexible online format, and using an engaging new webpage, Healthier watersheds: Tracking the actions taken. Questions can be directed to David Miller or Jeff Risberg. 

In recent years the MPCA has completed many E. coli TMDLs in the tributaries to the Minnesota River, covering much of the basin. Recently, the MPCA through a contract with Tetra Tech drafted the Minnesota  River E. coli TMDL and Implementation Strategies Report addressing five main stem listings covering various segments of the river from Big Stone Lake at the South Dakota border to Carver Creek in the western metro area.

The report shows that the primary sources of E. coli loading appear to be livestock manure and human waste via non-compliant septic systems. Much of this loading is from watersheds with completed or in-progress TMDLs, with the rest from areas directly draining to the river, which is the primary focus of this report. Overall, the degree of impairment in these main stem reaches is low to moderate. Strategies to protect and restore water quality are outlined in the report, many of which are practices called for in other ongoing studies to address other Minnesota River impairments like sediment and phosphorus.

The MPCA is seeking any feedback on this report from interested stakeholders during an informal comment period for the next six weeks. Please send comments or questions to MPCA project manager Chris Zadak by Sept. 6. MPCA will consider all comments received during this informal comment period prior to issuing a revised final draft for formal comment during an official public notice comment period later this year.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently approved the Total Maximum Daily Load study for five sections of the Little Fork River impaired by high sediment levels. Intensive water monitoring and assessment along the river’s main section found that soil erosion and pollution runoff have created cloudy water conditions that can affect aquatic wildlife in this northern Minnesota watershed.

Located in the Rainy River-Lake of the Woods River Basin, a majority of the watershed’s water quality is considered good to excellent and lake water quality is very good in 15 assessed lakes. This is due to the watershed’s significant acreage of forests and wetlands, as well as limited development pressure. As a result, the Little Fork Watershed is one of Minnesota’s most treasured resources.

Protecting the watershed’s water quality is dependent upon the continued use of best management practices when managing timber harvests and other forest activities to prevent erosion and other detrimental impacts.

The MPCA approved the corresponding Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies report in November 2017.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the formation of the first Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in Minnesota. The first district was the Burns-Homer-Pleasant SWCD located in Winona County. To highlight this milestone, several conservation partners are planning an outreach event on Tuesday, Aug. 14 to advance the mission of voluntary conservation and technical assistance. The event will take place at Farmers Community Park, 23274 Arches Rd, Winona, MN 55987 (2.5 miles east of Lewiston on Highway 14).

The event will include a conservation bus tour, look at a rainfall simulator and the Lego model of the Whitewater River watershed, program and dinner. RSVPs for the bus tour and program are due Aug. 1 to the Winona County SWCD: 507-523-2171 ext. 3.

The small city of Oronoco, north of Rochester in Olmsted County, once boasted a lake created by a dam on the Zumbro River. Now it’s benefiting from the dam’s removal that’s leading to better water quality and new recreational opportunities.

Lake Shady was a reservoir on the Zumbro River created in 1937 by a dam, according to the Olmsted County website. By the late 1970s, sedimentation had largely ended recreational use of the lake. Then a major flood in 2010 washed away part of the Oronoco dam and heavily damaged a bridge over the river.

Local partners then launched the Oronoco Dam Removal and Zumbro River Restoration Project. Removing the dam meant the loss of the lake. The former lakebed is now a public park with a variety of recreational opportunities. The dam was replaced with rock rapids, the river restored to natural meanders, and excess sediment placed out of the floodway so it can't be washed downstream.

Photo above: Members of the Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota tour the Zumbro River recreation project at Oronoco in southeast Minnesota.