Metro Big Rivers Habitat Program, Phase 1
The Metro Big Rivers Habitat partnership will work within the Minnesota, Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers and key tributaries of the Metro Urbanizing Area to expand and improve critical habitat for game and non-game wildlife and increase public access to outdoor recreation opportunities. The partnership will use the OHF grant to protect 249 acres (175 acres by fee title acquisition and 74 acres by conservation easement) and restore / enhance 158 acres with OHF and leveraged funds.
The three Big Rivers in the Metro Urbanizing Area provide critical habitat that must be protected and improved for resident wildlife and migrating wildlife, both game and non-game species. The Metro Big Rivers Habitat partnership will protect 249 acres and restore / enhance 144 acres with the OHF grant to significantly expand and improve wildlife habitat. It will protect an addition 251 acres and restore / enhance an additional 42 acres with leveraged funding.
The nearly 4 million Minnesotans that live in the Metro Urbanizing Area need and want increased access to hunting, fishing and other wildlife-dependent outdoor recreational opportunities close to home. The public will have access to all of the land protected through this program for outdoor recreation. The land protected through fee title acquisition will be open for public hunting and fishing on a limited or unlimited basis. The land protected through conservation easement will be open to the public for other forms of outdoor recreation.
These resources are under extreme development pressure because of population growth and the high amenity values associated with most, if not all, of these lands. We have the opportunity now to protect these lands because the economic recession has driven down some land values and slowed development pressure. Some landowners are more interested in selling for conservation than might be the case under different economic circumstances.
This program will work because the partners have extensive experience both individually and collectively. In addition to the four partners named on the project, a number of other public and private organizations will be involved, including the MN Department of Natural Resources, numerous metro area counties and cities, and the MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge of the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
All lands to be protected have been identified as high priorities through public planning processes by the public entities that will eventually own the properties or hold the easement, as follows: 1) MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge (USFWS) for the Refuge lands to be acquired; 2) Local units of government (and, in one instance, possibly the DNR) for the lands to be acquired and transferred to long-term stewards by TPL; and 3) Dakota County and MN DNR for the conservation easement to be acquired to expand the Pine Bend Bluffs SNA.
All lands to be restored and/or enhanced are already under public ownership. The restoration and enhancement work to be completed on these lands is a high priority of the public entities that own the land, as follows ? MN DNR for the Pine Bend Bluffs SNA enhancement work, City of St. Paul (Parks and Recreation) for the restoration on the Mississippi blufflands at Indian Mounds and Cherokee Bluff, MN DNR for restoration at the Savage and Seminary Fens, and MN DNR for enhancement of the SNAs within the Franconia-Scandia St. Croix corridors.
For each of the projects listed, the Metro Big Rivers Habitat partners have secured informal support and / or will secure the formal support of the local government when and if required when land protection projects move into the contractual stage. Restoration in all instances is supported by the local community and, in some cases, involves the involvement of local volunteers from community and sporting groups
$2,397,000 in fiscal year 2011 is to the commissioner of natural resources for agreements for projects to protect, restore, and enhance natural systems of the Minnesota River, St. Croix River, Mississippi River, and their major tributaries as follows: $500,000 with Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Inc. for fee title land acquisition; $1,500,000 with the Trust for Public Land for fee title land acquisition; $227,300 with the Friends of the Mississippi River for restoration, enhancement, and conservation easement acquisition; and $169,700 with Great River Greening for restoration and enhancement. The accomplishment plan must include an easement stewardship plan. All restorations must comply with subdivision 9, paragraph(b).
Restore 11 acres of Forest; Protect in Fee 76 acres of wetlands, 38 acres of prairie, 59 acres of forest; Protect in Easement 1 acres of wetland, 2 acres of prairie, 18 acres of Forest.