M.L. 1996 Projects

This program has multiple purposes that generally address the upkeep and improvement of Metropolitan Regional Parks. Objectives include: developing or redeveloping recreation facilities, acquire residential and vacant lands within parks and reserves from willing sellers, create/restore natural habitats in parks and reserves, retrofit recreational facilities to accommodate persons with disabilities. Appropriations to this program may come from state bonding, Metropolitan Council bonding, and both the ETF and the FRF.

For specifics results of the 1996 approproation, see ML95 Chap. 220 Sec. 19 Subd. 4(a).

This project accomplished some of the goals of the State Park and Recreation Area Development, Acquisition, and Betterment and Rehabilitation Programs. Funds for this project were used to acquire high priority parcels of private lands within the state park boundaries offered for sale by willing sellers. This project also included the major rehabilitation and development of state park and recreaction area buildings and the betterment of non-building facilities. This program is funded not only from the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resource Trust Fund (ETF) and the Minnesota Future Resources Fund (FRF) but also from other state allocations.

For specifics results of the 1996 approproation, see ML95 Chap. 220 Sec. 19 Subd. 4(b).

This matching grant program assists local governments and/or private organizations in acquisitions and development of outdoor recreation areas, trails, natural areas, scenic resources, and fish and wildlife habitat and will help private organizations conduct surveys and research on fish and wildlife. The five different grant programs are

1. Local Park Grants
2. Natural and Scenic Grants
3. Conservation Partners Grants
4. Environmental Partnership Grants and
5. Cooperative Trail Grants.

Emphasis is placed on coordinated efforts and grants will be made to those proposals that further a partnership approach involving both state and local governments and the private sector to help meet both outdoor recreation and natural resource protection needs of the state. This program receives funds from not only the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resource Trust Fund (ETF) and the Minnesota Future Resources Fund (FRF), but from state bonding and the general fund as well.

For specifics results of the 1996 approproation, see ML95 Chap. 220 Sec. 19 Subd. 4(e).

The appropriation was intended to complete the northerly segment of the Chippewa County regional trail and to add linkages to the middle segment of the Chippewa County Regional Trail System. Project objectives for the Trail System include the following results.

1. Approximately 51.7 acres of land and 1.8 miles of permanent easement have been secured for the Trail System through donations, initiation of eminent domain proceedings, and/or direct negotiation and acquisition of fee title and permanent easements.
2. 2.75 miles of trail linkages will be added to the middle segment of the Trail System. This is scheduled for completion in the Spring of 1998 with federal ISTEA and local, non-state funds.
3. 1.75 miles of trail along the system’s northerly segment will be graded, constructed, and paved (10” wide and 3.5” thick.)
4. One new trail wayside will be developed on the northerly segment at the County wetland. Costs will include design assistance, pavement of parking area and installation of bike racks at County wetland site and landscaping and related construction costs.

For results #2,3 and 4, all work is complete except construction. The entire appropriation was not spent, however, and the remaining funds cancelled. Additional money to complete these construction costs will be obtained from other sources.

This project will investigate and suggest an approach with strategies for developing a connected network of natural lands for the metropolitan region. Expected project results include 1) the formation of a collaborative group to investigate the value of developing a 7-county network of natural areas linked by green corridors, and 2) one or more GIS maps based on refinement of the existing GIS map which will depict a potential network of interconnected natural areas in the metropolitan area. Significant progress has been made toward meeting these goals. Since last March, the Collaborative has met monthly to work in subgroups on selected topics. Through this process, the Collaborative Group has developed 6 goals to be included in the final report and continues to work on the development of more specific strategies and recommended next steps. By drawing on the group discussions of the Collaborative, a draft outline was prepared by the project coordinator and project consultant. This outline was presented to the Collaborative and LCMR staff to obtain feedback on the format and content of the final report. It is anticipated that the Collaborative will continue to meet into November in order to work on report topics, to review the draft report in September, and to approve the final legislative report.

Significant strides have also been made in GIS map production for this project. The project has gone from one cognitive map that illustrates the look of a greenways network to county-specific GIS mapping of a variety of data layers. Close work between the Collaborative's county planners and the DNR's GIS and TAG staff have produced some very useful maps showing existing resources that can be used in combination with criteria developed by the Collaborative to improve county-level planning and to plan for a regionwide greenways and natural areas system. Final GIS maps depicting a potential greenways network will be completed before the end of the project in December 1997.

The Adaptive Environmental Assessment (AEA) project for the Upper Mississippi River has two objectives: Phase I - develop an integrated, science-based understanding of the river as a natural system; and Phase II - explore alternative ways of reconciling the competing demands for the river resource. Phase I of the project successfully established a regional forum to search for more sustainable futures for the Upper Mississippi River. A computer model that utilizes existing data about the river and its uses to predict alternative river futures if different management approaches were undertaken was developed to engage stakeholders, scientists, and managers in a science-based dialogue. A second workshop was conducted for the purpose of evaluating and refining this model and a report on this workshop prepared. What resulted was a dynamic description of the river in the form of a user friendly computer package. In addition, the computer modeling team report and future modeling needs were incorporated into a comprehensive Phase I report. The results from Phase I of this workprogram form the basis for Phase II in the process, which will occur after July 1, 1997 and will be funded from sources other than LCMR.

This was a collaborative project of the Department of Natural Resources and the Pollution Control Agency to provide public access via the Internet to natural resource, environmental and ecosystem information. The objective was to create and maintain informative, educational, entertaining, intuitive, and easy to navigate web sites, that facilitate citizen involvement and encourage public participation, provide quick access to information needed by diverse customers and promote ecosystem sustainability.

The web sites are a single point of electronic access to natural resource and environmental information, and they are continuing to grow in their breadth and depth. Some broad categories of information available via the web sites include: aquatic resources (e.g. lake ecology and habitat, lake maps, fish population status reports, water quality and lake model summaries, Clean Water Partnership reports, Best Management Practices summary sheets); hunting and fishing seasons and regulations; State Parks and outdoor recreation; wildlife, mineral and vegetation resources; landscapes, watersheds, ecosystems, geologic features, and climatology; air and water quality; environmental fact sheets; and environmental education resources.

This appropriation was for FY97 and the first 6 months of FY98. This period was planned as Phase I of a three-year design and development process. Both DNR and PCA management affirmed their commitment to the project in the FY98/99 biennium by securing continued funding for the web development staff positions in each agency. Phase II of the project is now focusing on more tightly integrating the web sites, and reaching out to other environmental agencies.

This project assessed the economic impact of wetland regulations on property values resulting from regulation under state law of draining and filling of wetlands. The project generated a report consisting of:

1. an analysis of the relationship between wetland regulations and property values;
2. the issue of compensation to landowners for costs resulting from regulation under state law of draining and filling of wetlands; and
3. recommendations for legislation to address weaknesses identified.

The report also included eight case studies in which wetland regulation is said to have effected development decisions. This final report was distributed to the chairs of the senate committees on agriculture and rural development and environment and natural resources, the finance division of the senate committee on environment and natural resources, and the house committees on environment and natural resources, agriculture, and enviornment and natural resources finance.

This project provides an ongoing opportunity for private individuals, groups, and businesses to help fund the cost of acquiring or improving critical fish, wildlife, and native plant habitats. State funds in the Minnesota Critical Habitat Private Sector Matching account (CHM) are matched dollar-for-dollar by restricted and unrestricted contributions of land easements, or cash to the program. Land purchases have been primarily for wildlife management areas (WMA), with other projects involving acquisitions in scientific and natural areas (SNA), state parks, aquatic management areas (AMA), and state forests.

Appropriations to this program may come from state bonding and other additional state funds as well as both the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resource Trust Fund (ETF) and the Minnesota Future Resources Fund (FRF).

This represents an additional appropriation to this ongoing program. More specific details about project results for the 1995-1997, you can reference the 1995 appropriation (ML95 Chap. 220 Sec. 19 Subd. 10(b)).

In 1995, the MPCA received a number of reports of deformed frogs in several locations in Minnesota. Initial collections and necropsies confirmed the serious nature of these deformities. This project began an investigation of sites that had deformed frogs, including reconnaissance of reported sites and chemical analysis of sediments, water and frog tissue.

During the summer and fall of 1996, MPCA established four focal areas in the state for research. The focal areas are in Polk and Becker Counties, Crow Wing County, Meeker County, and LeSueur County. At each site, frog populations were surveyed, abnormalities recorded, and frogs measured. Both normal and abnormal frogs were collected as well as water and sediment core samples. Some sites were measured three or more times through the season. The field component was completed in 1996. Analysis of the data collected is in progress. This includes chemical analysis of sediment, water, and frog tissue samples, necropsies, DNA and chromosome studies, histopathology, parasitology, and in situ reproduction caging experiments.

The extent of frog deformities found in 1996 was much greater and more widespread than expected at the time of the proposal in the spring of 1996. Reports of deformed frogs in Minnesota have been received from approximately 54 of the state's 87 counties. Twenty-one sites in 14 counties have been confirmed to contain deformed frogs. The distribution of abnormal frogs appears to be statewide, with the exception of the far northwest and far southwestern areas. Deformed frogs were observed in six species, primarily the Leopard Frog, but also in the Mink Frog, the Wood Frog, the American Toad, the Spring Peeper, and one of the Grey Tree Frogs. There were also seasonal differences in the frquencies of abnormalities confirming that one site visit is not enough to confirm the presence or absence of abnormal frogs.

Preliminary findings have been presented to a variety of sources by MPCA. These sources include a conference on the frog problem, several state agencies and partnerships, and national and international news media. Upon completion of data analysis, further dissemination will occur with the distribution of a final report by December 31st, 1997. This data will be very important in directing future analysis in the next round of work for 1997. A separate appropriation of $200,000 was made to the MPCA by the legislature.

This project focused on an investigation of the health of frog populations in the state of Minnesota and development of a prototype environmental education project looking at frogs as indicators of environmental health. The combination of citizen monitoring and public education/outreach has had a synergistic effect. Frogs have proven themselves to be key in engaging the public, educators, and youth in environmental education and awareness.

Results of the project include, but are not limited to, the following examples.

1. The New Frog Project successfully monitored the Le Sueur County site in coordination with researchers from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA.)
2. 10,000 newsletters and frog monitoring surveys were distributed through schools and organizations to youth statewide.
3. The CGEE acted as a data gathering area when over 5,000 people called in response to a citizen survey and related media outreach.
4. 1,000 copies of an eight-page study guide were developed and distributed throughout the state. This information affected 25,000 students statewide.
5. The project conducted Frog Week, an on-line education experience from October 21-25, 1996 and continued the project for several weeks due to popular demand.

Educators in Minnesota and beyond have used dissemination of project results to reach groups ranging from first graders to environmental law students. Due to its success and the extensive interest generated in the deformed frog problem, this project has received a continuation of funding by the LCMR for the 1997-99 biennium in the amount of $300,000 (Laws 1997 Chapter 216 Sect. 15 Subd. 13(c).)

This project represents an appropriation to replace monies unspent from the original appropriation funding the Niemackle Watershed Restoration project (ML93 Chap. 172, Sec. 14 Subd. 12(f).) This funding source was necessary for the completion of the original project. The 1993 project had the following objectives : Through citizen participation with federal, state, and local governments, and nongovernmental agencies, this project intended to improve water quality, enhance fish and wildlife habitat, reduce flood damage, reduce topsoil losses, and increase recreation and education opportunities in the Niemackl watershed. The program consisted of: land-use modifications on uplands for soil and water conservation; restoration of drained wetland basins; intensive management of fish and wildlife resources; and the construction of water control structures for the purpose of metering runoff, controlling rough fish, and restoring and managing aquatic ecosystems.

Since 1993, general project accomplishments include, but are not limited to the following results. Surface water within and leaving the watershed has a reduced nutrient load and fewer suspended solids compared with levels prior to this project. Aerial surveys for waterfowl and nongame species have been conducted. Fish population assessments have been done for six lakes and some restocking has occurred. Benchmarks have been established on 14 basins and a hydroligical model is being developed for the watershed. Meetings with landowners in the watershed were held in an effort to promote conservation practices on private land. Examples of specific project results include:

1. 1672 acres of grassed filter and buffer strips were created adjacent to wetlands throughout the watershed;
2. 95 acres of wetlands were restored;
3. 1 animal waster storage facility (feedlot operation) was modernized;
4. 192 landowner conservation plans were prepared;
5. Cottonwood Lake was treated for rough fish removal and later stocked with game fish.