This project will address United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) comments on the preliminary draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) comments on the pre-public notice draft TMDL study and Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report, and produce the public notice draft TMDL study and the public notice draft WRAPS report ready for public review and comment. Conduct one public meeting for each watershed to present public notice drafts of the TMDL study and WRAPS report for each watershed.
This project proposes the implementation of 10 best management practices identified as having the lowest cost-benefit ratio as it relates to phosphorus reduction to downstream Moody and Bone Lakes with an estimated reduction to watershed phosphorus loads to Bone Lake by 90 pounds per year and to Moody Lake by 24 pounds per year. The Bone Lake watershed is at the ?top? of the larger watershed, making it an ideal location to begin work that will have direct improvements downstream.
Bone Lake and upstream Moody Lake are the headwaters of the Comfort Lake-Forest Lake Watershed District northern flow network, and as such, their water quality sets the stage for downstream waters, particularly Comfort Lake, the Sunrise River, and ultimately Lake St. Croix. This project proposes the implementation of six wetland restorations located along the tributary identified as the single highest source of phosphorus loading to Bone Lake. These wetland restorations are estimated to reduce watershed phosphorus loads to Bone Lake by 50 pounds per year.
St. Bonifacius is the only town in Minnesota with a real Nike-Hercules missile in its park, commemorating the nearby missile base that stood from 1959 to 1974. This is a rare display; as only l5-20 missiles still exist from the thousands placed around 20 U.S. cities during the Cold War. The project designed and manufactured two outdoor interpretive panels to tell the story of this missile and missile base within the larger context of the Cold War, a chapter in U.S. History increasingly invisible to younger people.
A 3-volume boxed set of "Patriots of Brooklyn: Suppressors of the Great Slave Rebellion" was published by the Brooklyn Historical Society. The books document the historic role that 200+ soldiers from Brooklyn Township played in the American Civil War. The books are a valuable reference resource for local residents and historians.
A professional quality book documenting the stories of refugees in Minnesota is now in print. The book, "This Much I Can Tell You", was self-published by the Minnesota Council of Chuches Refugee Service. It is a compilation of eighteen stories told by local refugees, from nine different countries, who have resettled in Minnesota after fleeing their country of origin. The 980 books printed through this project make important refugee histories accessible to a wider Minnesota audience.
THA erected an interpretive marker at the site of the former Carlos Boynton Land Company Ranch to provide public access to the story surrounding the ranch.. Volunteers provided the labor to dig the post hole, install the post and mount the weather-proof marker.
To hire a qualified consultant to develop a Historic Structure Report that will help preserve the Brainerd Water Tower, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) will partner with citizen groups and nonprofit groups to complete projects to reduce stormwater runoff and retain water on the land in Crow Wing County's (CWC) 125 minor watersheds. The SWCD will implement a mini grant program and provide competitive grant funds to an anticipated 12 groups. This project will also address CWC Water Plan priorities one, two, and six, which involve stormwater management and sediment control, shoreline buffers, and agriculture best management practices.
Based on the Minnesota Waters Lake and River Association database, Crow Wing County has the highest number of lake associations in Minnesota. Currently, there are over 136 lake association groups in the county, which does not include neighborhood, resort or religious groups. These lakes aer a cornerstone to the state's tourism econmy and there is a great demand for stormwater management incentive program to protect these local water resources.
The Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) will engage citizen and nonprofit groups to enhance, improve, and protect Crow Wing County (CWC) lakes and rivers. To do this, the SWCD will partner with the University of Minnesota Extension, MN DNR, CWC, nonprofits, and lake associations to implement a mini grant program and provide grant funds to 20 community groups.
Healthy communities and healthy water is a priority in Crow Wing County (CWC). The County and the Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) propose to enhance and improve the water quality of Little Buffalo Creek, a tributary to the Mississippi River. The SWCD will partner with CWC, the City of Brainerd, citizens, Central Lakes Community College, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to complete raingardens, shoreline stabilizations, and bioretention areas within the Little Buffalo Creek subwatershed.
The Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) proposes to partner with citizen groups and nonprofit groups to complete projects that will reduce polluted runoff and keep water on the land in Crow Wing County's (CWC) 125 minor watersheds. To do this, the SWCD will implement a mini grant program and provide competitive grant funds to an anticipated 12 groups. Citizens groups will use their innovation and creativity to apply for project funds through the SWCD.
Upgrade software and hire consultant services to assist in providing multilingual services for park users in St. Croix Bluffs and Lake Elmo Park. Consultant tasks would include design guidance and direction in effective communication methods to non-native speakers
To hire a qualified consultant to develop architectural drawings for Bridge No. L-4646 (Spring Brook Bridge), listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Briggs Lake Chain Association (BLCA) is one of Sherburne County's most proactive lake associations. This sub-grant will provide for approximately 20-30 stormwater reduction best management practices on strategically targeted parcels previously identified as contributing to degraded water quality through Total Maximum Daily Loads, aerial lakeshore analysis and site-reviews conducted by the BLCA.
The Equity Alliance MN will bring to life absent narratives of Latino, Hmong, Native, Asian, African American, and women of the Civil Rights Era in a collaboration among youth, social studies teachers, Full Circle Theater (FCT), and St. Paul Neighborhood Network. The narratives, researched by youth, will be transformed by FCT into a six person play that will be presented, video recorded, and distributed with accompanying curriculum written by social studies teachers for teachers across the Equity Alliance MN and the state.
Sustainably built singletrack mountain bike trail connecting trail clusters that draws new visitors and becomes part of the NE Minnesota efforts to become a national destination for mountain biking.
The City of Brookston will be designing a campground, boat launch, and outdoor recreation area on the banks of the St. Louis River in northeastern Minnesota.
Brown marmorated stink bug is a terrestrial invasive species in Minnesota that was first discovered in 2010 and has been expanding its range since. It is a generalist plant pest that attacks more than 300 species of plants in natural, agricultural, and horticultural settings and is known for its unpleasant odor, large numbers, and propensity for home invasion. Proactive management approaches are available and in development that can be used to slow and potentially control brown marmorated stink bug populations.
