HCP VI - Shallow Lake Enhancement (2c)
Overall Project Outcome and Results
The objective of this project was to accelerate Ducks Unlimited (DU) bio-engineering assistance to help agencies design and construct enhancement projects on shallow lakes for waterfowl using water control structures. DU biologists and engineers provided technical assistance to Minnesota DNR, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and private landowners around shallow lakes with a goal of:
- Enhancing at least one shallow lake totaling 100 wetland acres with a new water control structure and/or fish barrier,
- Engineering at least four new shallow lake enhancement structure projects for DNR on designated shallow lakes or basins within state Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and for the Service on federal Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA), and
- Providing technical assistance to agency field staff on other shallow lake projects throughout HCP project areas.
Through this grant project, DU biologists and engineers surveyed and designed six new water control structures for the Minnesota DNR and US Fish & Wildlife Service, including Sandborn Lake in LeSueur County, Lindsey Lake in Becker County, Everglade Wildlife Management Area in Stevens County, Harder Lake and Wolf Lake Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA) in Cottonwood County, and Henjum WPA in Kandiyohi County. These six bio-engineering projects will be implemented in the future as permits and easements are secured. In addition, DU enhanced 453 wetland acres by constructing previously designed water control structures on the outlets of three shallow lakes, including Block WPA in Grant County, Perch Lake in Blue Earth County on Perch Lake WPA, and Gislason Lake in Lincoln County on the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. This far surpasses our target goal of enhancing at least one shallow lake totaling 100 wetland acres or more. Finally, DU shallow lakes field biologist provided ongoing technical assistance to Minnesota DNR and the Service on 30 shallow lake projects in HCP Project Areas to help assess and develop new projects for future possible bio-engineering, implementation, and management by those conservation agencies.
DU's total cost to provide these bio-engineering services to enhance shallow lakes was $526,225, and included reimbursement of $225,000 from the Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund through this grant, and the expenditure of $1,249 in Other State Funds and $299,977 in Other Funds (DU and federal funds) that far exceeds the $100,000 in Other Funds that we originally proposed to spend.
Project Results Use and Dissemination
This grant helped DU, DNR, and the Service accelerate the assessment and enhancement of shallow lakes throughout southern, central and western Minnesota. DU provided six detailed engineering design plans to state and federal agency staff, and informed the public of shallow lake improvement projects through public meetings, news releases sent to the media, and in articles in DU publications. Shallow lake assessment data collected by DU biologists was provided to DNR's shallow lake program and area wildlife managers, and shared with MPCA to aid in their impaired waters assessment.
$3,375,000 is from the trust fund to the commissioner of natural resources for the sixth appropriation for acceleration of agency programs and cooperative agreements. Of this appropriation, $770,000 is for the Department of Natural Resources agency programs and $2,605,000 is for agreements as follows: $450,000 with Pheasants Forever; $50,000 with Minnesota Deer Hunters Association; $895,000 with Ducks Unlimited, Inc.; $85,000 with National Wild Turkey Federation; $365,000 with the Nature Conservancy; $210,000 with Minnesota Land Trust; $350,000 with the Trust for Public Land; $100,000 with Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Inc.; $50,000 with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and $50,000 with Friends of Detroit Lakes Watershed Management District to plan, restore, and acquire fragmented landscape corridors that connect areas of quality habitat to sustain fish, wildlife, and plants. The United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service is a cooperating partner in the appropriation. Expenditures are limited to the project corridor areas as defined in the work program. Land acquired with this appropriation must be sufficiently improved to meet at least minimum habitat and facility management standards as determined by the commissioner of natural resources. This appropriation may not be used for the purchase of residential structures, unless expressly approved in the work program. All conservation easements must be perpetual and have a natural resource management plan. Any land acquired in fee title by the commissioner of natural resources with money from this appropriation must be designated as an outdoor recreation unit under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.07. The commissioner may similarly designate any lands acquired in less than fee title. A list of proposed restorations and fee title and easement acquisitions must be provided as part of the required work program. All funding for conservation easements must include a long-term stewardship plan and funding for monitoring and enforcing the agreement. To the maximum extent practical, consistent with contractual easement or fee acquisition obligations, the recipients shall utilize staff resources to identify future projects and shall maximize the implementation of biodiverse, quality restoration projects in the project proposal into the first half of the 2010 fiscal year.
Click on "Final Report" under "Project Details".
Click on "Final Report" under "Project Details".