2006 PROJECTS
MN Laws 2006, Chapter 243, Section 19 & Section 20 (beginning July 1, 2006)
NOTE: If a project has been completed the Final Report has been posted under the project descriptions here. For projects still underway, contact us to obtain the most up-to-date work programs (project updates are required twice each year).
The following documents are short abstracts for projects funded during the 2006 Legislative Session. The final date of completion for these projects is listed at the end of the abstract. When available, we have provided links to a projects web site. The sites linked to this page are not created, maintained, or endorsed by the LCMR/LCCMR office or the Minnesota Legislature.
SECTION 19
Administration
Sec. 19 Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources
SECTION 20
Fish & Wildlife Habitat
Subd. 08 Land Exchange Revolving Fund for Aitkin, Cass, and Crow Wing Counties
Subd. 09 Riparian Land Acquisition
Subd. 11 Forest Legacy
Water Resources
Subd. 06 Lake Superior Research - RESEARCH
Subd. 07 Impacts on Minnesota's Aquatic Resources from Climate Change - RESEARCH
Land Use and Natural Resource Information
Subd. 05 Land Cover Mapping for Natural Resource Protection
Subd. 10 Statewide Conservation and Preservation Plan
Energy
Subd. 02 Enhancing Civic Understanding of Groundwater
Subd. 03 Phillips Biomass Community Energy System*
*DECLINED - TRANSFERRED TO 2008 RECOMMENDATIONS
Subd. 04 Laurentian Energy Authority Biomass Project Environmental Education
Funding Sources:
(**note: all projects are TF, unless otherwise noted)
Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (TF)
Great Lakes Protection Account (GLPA)
Administration
Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources
Section 19 $550,000
John Velin, Director
LCCMR
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd.
65 - State Office Building
St. Paul, MN 55155
Phone: (651)296-2406
Fax: (651)296-1321
Email: lccmr@lccmr.leg.mn
Web: http://www.lccmr.leg.mn/
For administration as provided in Minnesota Statutes, section 116P.09, subdivision 5.
Fish and Wildlife Habitat
Land Exchange Revolving Fund for Aitkin, Cass, and Crow Wing Counties
Section 20, Subd. 08 $290,000
Mark Jacobs
Aitkin County
209 - 2nd Street NW
Aitkin, MN 56431
Phone: 218-927-7364
Fax: 218-927-7249
Email: mjacobs@co.aitkin.mn.us
Web: http://www.co.aitkin.mn.us
To establish a six-year revolving loan fund for Aitkin, Cass, and Crow Wing Counties to improve public and private land ownership patterns, increase management efficiency, and protect critical habitat.
Project due to be completed: 6/30/2011
Riparian Land Acquisition
Section 20, Subd. 09 $640,000
Mike Halverson
DNR
500 Lafayette Rd
St. Paul, MN 55155
Phone: (651) 259-5209
Fax: (651) 297-4916
Email: mike.halverson@dnr.state.mn.us
Overall Project Outcome and Results:
Through leverage created by this funding, this project resulted in a grand total of approximately 149 acres and 2.13 miles of lake and stream shoreline being acquired in fee title. Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund dollars directly acquired 52.2 acres of the total, including 0.85 miles of lake and stream shoreline. Outside funds ($527,980) and other state monies ($2,025,220) leveraged with Trust Fund dollars totaled $2,553,200. These contributions helped acquire the remaining acres of the grand total including 79.4 acres and 1.05 miles using other state dollars, and 17.4 acres and 0.23 miles from outside funds.
This project complemented parcel acquisitions funded in the past with capital bonding, Trout Stamp, and Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund dollars. The acquisition of aquatic management areas adjacent to lakes and streams ensures the protection of critical riparian habitat areas within sensitive watersheds and headwater areas, as well as angler and management access. Acquisition under this project occurred in the following Counties: Bottle Lake in Hubbard, Rum River (Chuck Davis) in Mille Lacs, Dead Lake in Otter Tail, and Maple Lake in Douglas.
FINAL REPORT
Project completed: 7/16/2007
Forest Legacy
Section 20, Subd. 11 $500,000*
Incorporated into M.L. 2005, First Special Session, Chp. 1, Art. 2, Sec. 11, Subd. 9c work program.
Doug Anderson
DNR - Division of Forestry
500 Lafayette Rd
St. Paul, MN 55155
Phone: (651) 259-5251
Fax: (651) 296-5954
Email: doug.anderson@dnr.state.mn.us
Web: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/forestry
To acquire easements as described under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 84C (Conservation Easements), on private lands. The conservation easements must guarantee public access, including hunting and fishing.
Project completed: 6/30/2008
*Incorporated into 2005 project, "Sustainable Management of Private Forest Lands" (Subd. 09c). See 2005 Projects for Final Report and more information.
Water Resources
Lake Superior Research
Section 20, Subd. 06 $295,000 ($267,000 TF + $28,000 GLP)
Steven M. Colman
Large Lakes Observatory, UMD
2205 E. 5th Street
Duluth, MN 55812
Phone: 218-726-8128
Fax: 218-726-6979
Email: scolman@d.umn.edu
Web: http://www.d.umn.edu/llo
RESEARCH
For research on Lake Superior waters.
Project due to be completed: 6/30/2009
Impacts on Minnesota's Aquatic Resources from Climate Change
Section 20, Subd. 07 $250,000
Lucinda Johnson
UMD - Natural Resources Research Institute
5013 Miller Trunk Hwy.
Duluth, MN 55811
Phone: 218-720-4251
Fax: 218-720-4328
Email: ljohnson@nrri.umn.edu
Web: http://www.nrri.umn.edu/cwe/staff/ljohnsonintro.htm
RESEARCH
To quantify climate, hydrologic, and ecological variability and trends and identify indicators of future climate.
Project due to be completed: 6/30/2009
Land Use and Natural Resource Information
Land Cover Mapping for Natural Resource Protection
Section 20, Subd. 05 $250,000
Roel Ronken
Hennepin County - Environmental Services
417 North 5th Street, #200
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: 612-596-1172
Fax: 612-348-8532
Email: roel.ronken@co.hennepin.mn.us
Web: http://www.hennepin.us
Overall Project Outcome and Results:
Much of the land cover within the five Twin Cities metropolitan county partners on this project (Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Scott, and Washington) has been converted from historic native plant communities to human-disturbed systems. However, remnant natural plant communities persist and their protection remains critical, while significant opportunities also exist for the restoration of other cover types in these landscapes. Restoration within these areas will increase the extent and connectivity of remnant natural areas, provide ecological benefits such as improved wildlife habitat and reduced soil erosion, and present many opportunities for landowners and other citizens to engage in improving the natural resource base in their own communities. Large-scale restoration will be more possible with landscape-scale planning that provides methods for identifying and prioritizing opportunities based on the best available information.
Over a period of years, significant public funding has been invested in land cover mapping as part of a natural resource inventory to help determine regional priorities for wildlife habitat protection and restoration using the Minnesota Land Cover Classification System (MLCSS). The purpose of this project was to create a GIS-based model following MLCSS that the five participating counties could use as a tool for identifying opportunities for ecological restoration at a landscape-scale in their urbanized landscapes.
This project completed identified land cover mapping for the five partner counties and used it along with other data - e.g. soils, slope, and aspect - to develop prioritization criteria to identify and rank potential restoration sites. The Restoration Prioritization and Prediction Model (RePP) was the resulting computer model developed to identify these sites. After the initial categorization of approximately 1.5 million acres, the model was run on approximately 837,000 acres defined as having restoration potential.
Land cover data and an electronic version of the RePP including appendices are available by reviewing the "Restoration Prioritization and Prediction Model" located at the following Minnesota Department of Natural Resources .ftp site: ftp://ftp.dnr.state.mn.us/pub/gisftp/barichar/restoration_model/Workshop%20Materials/
Additional background data is available at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Data Deli: http://deli.dnr.state.mn.us/
Project Results Use and Dissemination:
Increasingly, land cover data is referenced and used as a tool for planners and government officials. Cities and other local forms of government can benefit from the model and understanding how it can be used in planning efforts. A training session with the staff of county partners was conducted. A presentation of the model was made to a partnership of local nonprofit organizations and other entities that promotes protection of open space in the Twin Cities region. Further dissemination will occur through the Data Deli, through project partners familiar with the model, and through planners that find the publicly available model.
FINAL REPORT
Project completed: 6/30/2008
Statewide Conservation and Preservation Plan
Section 20, Subd. 10 $300,000
LCCMR
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd.
65 - State Office Building
St. Paul, MN 55155
Phone: (651)296-2406
Fax: (651)296-1321
Email: lccmr@lccmr.leg.mn
Web: http://www.lccmr.leg.mn
Overall Project Outcome and Results:
The Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund funded a unique partnership among the University of Minnesota and the consulting firms of Bonestroo and CR Planning to evaluate the state's natural resources, identify key issues affecting those resources, and make recommendations for improving and protecting them. More than 125 experts, including University scientists and public and private natural resource planners and professionals, participated in the 18-month effort.
The team addressed Minnesota's Constitutionally identified natural resources of air, water, land, wildlife, fish, and outdoor recreation in two distinct phases. In the first phase of the project, the project team assessed the past and present condition of each of these six natural resources. They identified and described (where possible) the drivers of change immediately impacting them, and identified key issues that could be addressed to protect and conserve them in an integrated fashion. This information was published as the Preliminary Plan. In the second phase of the project, the team addressed the key issues in depth, developing recommendations that would positively impact as many natural resources as possible while taking into account demographic change, public health, economic sustainability, and climate change. These recommendations then were synthesized into a framework with five strategic areas. Recommendations were identified as being either policy and action recommendations (those that could be put into effect directly by the legislature) or recommendations that add to our knowledge infrastructure (research needs, data gathering and monitoring needs, or educational activities). This framework and its recommendations were published as the Final Plan.
The Minnesota Statewide Conservation and Preservation Plan (SCPP) lays out a deliberate strategy for fostering the conditions in Minnesota we as citizens most cherish. The strategy aims to balance long-term plans for conserving and protecting our priceless natural resources with those for ensuring a healthy public and healthy economy, and it does so in a unified, integrated fashion that employs an interdisciplinary approach with multiple perspectives and expertise.
To learn more and access an electronic version of both the Preliminary Plan and the Final Plan, please visit http://www.lccmr.leg.mn/statewideconservationplan/StatewidePlan.htm.
Project Results Use and Dissemination:
During the development of the Final Plan, project team members made nearly 50 presentations reaching more than 2,000 people. Three public outreach forums were held around the state during May and June to present and gather comments on a set of draft recommendations. The discussion following the presentations and at the outreach forums influenced the final recommendations in this report. A fourth public outreach forum was held after the release of the Final Plan to gather additional feedback. A summary of these efforts is included in the appendices of the Final Plan.
Now that the Final Plan has been completed, team members continue to give presentations on the plan to organizations around the state and provide guidance to both public and private decision-makers on how to make use of the plan recommendations within their own efforts.
In addition to being available on the web (http://www.lccmr.leg.mn/statewideconservationplan/StatewidePlan.htm), hard copies of the plan have also been distributed to several libraries around the state.
Project completed: 6/30/2008
Energy
Phillips Biomass Community Energy System
DECLINED & FUNDS TRANSFERRED TO 2008 PROJECTS
Section 20, Subd. 03 $500,000
Jeff Cook-Coyle
Phillips Community Energy Cooperative (PCEC)
2801 - 21st Ave. South, #110
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Phone: 612-278-7120
Fax: 612-278-7101
Email: cnelson@greeninstitute.org
Web: http://www.kandiyo.com/energy.php
To assist in the distribution system equipment and construction costs for a biomass district energy system. This appropriation is contingent on all appropriate permits being obtained and a signed commitment of financing for the biomass electrical generating facility being in place.
Project due to be completed: N/A
Laurentian Energy Authority Biomass Project
Section 20, Subd. 04 $400,000
Terry Leoni
Virginia Public Utility
PO Box 1048, 618 Second Street South
Virginia, MN 55792
Phone: 218-748-7564
Fax: 218-748-7544
Email: leonit@VPUC.com
Web: http://www.virginiamn.com
Overall Project Outcomes and Results:
The project resulted in 1,368 acres of hybrid poplar plantations being planted as a closed loop renewable biomass fuel source for the Laurentian Energy Authority's (LEA) Biomass Project. 35 MWh of electricity will be produced and sold to Xcel Energy to meet a state mandate for renewable energy. The Trust Fund appropriation was used to purchase trees (slips/whips developed by the University of MN, Duluth NRRI - hybrid poplar NM-6), tree planting, and for plantation land leasing on this 1,368 acres. LEA funded all technical assistance, crop care maintenance, and farming. Two separate plantations in Aitkin and Koochiching Counties totaling 1,368 acres were partially funded by the Trust Fund grant and partially funded and LEA.
The Trust Fund grant was also being used as a 50% non-federal match to the latest federal earmark/appropriation request. All of the Trust Fund funding was used directly to establish the initial and important plantings of the closed loop biomass crop. The success of the project depends upon growing a large portion of the fuel supply over the long term and successfully applying the work of the U of M's Natural Resource Research Institute (NRRI) and others on short rotation woody crops to real world production of fuel to large scale commercial projects.
The project assists the State of Minnesota's goal of 25% renewable fuels by 2025. Further it builds on the Federal Government's push to create one billion tons annually of renewable biomass fuels. The research and implementation is being accomplished under the U of M NRRI's direction with assistance from the USDA, Forest Service and is being done under the U.S. Department of Energy guidance and review.
Project Results Use and Dissemination:
LEA will assemble all data, costs, slips, care, and maintenance records for the 1,368 acres of plantation and this data will be available on paper from the Laurentian Energy Authority. All data, which has been under the auspices of the U of M NRRI with assistance from the USDA Forest Service, will be shared and turned over to them for determining ongoing and the long-term results. The U.S. Department of Energy is providing guidance and review.
FINAL REPORT
Project completed: 6/30/2008
Environmental Education
Enhancing Civic Understanding of Groundwater
Section 20, Subd. 02 $150,000
Patrick Hamilton
Science Museum of Minnesota
120 W. Kellogg Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55102
Phone: 651-221-4761
Fax: 651-221-4514
Email: hamilton@smm.org
Web: http://www.smm.org
Overall Project Outcome and Results
Ground water is a resource in great and growing demand in Minnesota. Yet many citizens are unaware of the links between land use and ground water and the interconnections between ground water and surface water. The Science Museum of Minnesota, with the help of many partners, created outdoor ground water exhibits for visitors to the Museum and a ground water classroom program for delivery to schools throughout Minnesota.
The creation of the Ground Water Plaza in the Science Museum of Minnesota's outdoor science park, the Big Back Yard, significantly leveraged resources provided by LCMR. The Minnesota Ground Water Association provided $20,463 to drill the artesian well that provides the water for the ground water exhibits. A gift of $10,000 from the Toro Giving Program and in-kind donations from numerous entities also helped make the Ground Water Plaza possible.
Since its opening in August 2007, the Ground Water Plaza has become one of the key educational attractions in the Big Back Yard. About 40,000 people visit the park each summer season. The Big Back Yard and the Ground Water Plaza have become so popular as a destination for field trips that the Museum now sets aside two full weeks each September for exclusive use of the park by schools.
The Ground Water Classroom Program began visiting schools throughout Minnesota in spring 2008. The program reached a total of 50 schools and 7,324 students through spring 2009. Although the LCMR project, Enhancing Civic Understanding of Ground Water has concluded, the ground water classroom program will continue to be offered to schools. It is now included under the Water Residency heading on Science Museum of Minnesota's residency program website - http://www.smm.org/schools/atyourschool/residencies/.
Project Results Use and Dissemination
The Science Museum and the American Museum of Natural History in partnership produced an internationally traveling exhibit about water that opened in New York City in November 2007. Two Ground Water Plaza outdoor exhibit components were modified for indoor use and replicated for inclusion in the 7,000 square-foot water exhibition. The National Ground Water Association provided $54,000 to cover the cost of building these two ground water components. Two copies of the Water exhibition with its ground water components were produced - one to tour North American venues and the second for overseas venues. To date, 712,000 people have seen the Water exhibition with its ground water components and several million more will as the show continues to tour for several more years.
FINAL REPORT
Project completed: 6/30/2009
