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M.L. 2021 ENRTF Recommendations

2021 Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund Recommendations

As of November 18, 2020, the Legislative‐Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) has selected 88 projects totaling $70,881,000 to recommend to the 2021 Minnesota Legislature for funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF). In response to LCCMR's 2021 Request for Proposal (RFP), 329 proposals requesting a total of approximately $240 million were received and considered through a competitive, multi‐stage evaluation. The following recommendations range from funding the full proposal and dollar amount requested to partial funding for specific proposal elements.

Check the LCCMR schedule for the most up-to-date information and important process dates.


Visit the 2021 Proposal & Funding Process Main Page for additional information.


Print-ready PDF list of 2021 proposals selected to present - listed by category with project summaries (8-pages).

Print-ready PDF list of 2021 proposals selected to present - listed by category without project summaries (6-pages).

Summary and process of the M.L. 2021 proposals recommended by the LCCMR.

Viewing Proposals

  • Click on the "ENRTF ID #" of the proposal to view the full proposal.
  • To find specific proposals within the table you can use your browser's page-search function to search for a project by Project Manager 'Last Name', 'Project Title', or 'Organization'. In most browsers, the page-search function can be accessed under the browser's 'Edit' drop-down menu or by pressing 'Control+F' on a PC or 'Command+F' on a Mac.
  • Hyperlinks within the proposal to proposal attachments may not work for everyone. If you wish for a copy of a proposal attachment that is not already included in the PDF, please send a request to LCCMR staff.

Topic Area ENRTF $
($70,881,000)
Percentage of Total
Subd. 03 Foundational Natural Resource Data and Information
(14 Projects)
$10,459,000 14.76%
Subd. 04 Water Resources
(10 Projects)
$4,771,000 6.73%
Subd. 05 Technical Assistance, Outreach, and Environmental Education
(7 Projects)
$2,687,000 3.79%
Subd. 06 Aquatic and Terrestrial Invasive Species
(7 Projects)
$6,148,000 8.67%
Subd. 07 Air Quality and Renewable Energy
(6 Projects)
$6,205,000 8.75%
Subd. 08 Methods to Protect or Restore Land, Water, and Habitat
(18 Projects)
$6,429,000 9.07%
Subd. 09 Land Acquisition, Habitat, and Recreation
(22 Projects)
$32,062,000 45.23%
Subd. 10 Contract Agreement Reimbursement
(3 Projects)
$2,120,000 2.99%
Total Project $ $70,881,000 100%


Fund Source $ Amount
FY 2022 - Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) $70,881,000
Total $ $70,881,000

*NOTE: Region designated in the State include Statewide, Central, Metro, NE, NW, SE, SW. Metro region includes the 11 counties of Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Washington, and Wright.

Draft Work Plan
Subd.
Original Proposal
ENRTF ID
Title Total ENRTF $ FY2022 Organization Project
Manager
Subd. 03 Foundational Natural Resource Data and Information (14 Projects - Subtotal = $10,459,000)
03a 2021-032 What’s “Bugging” Minnesota’s Insect-Eating Birds? $199,000 U of MN, Duluth - NRRI Alexis Grinde
03b 2021-055 Protecting Minnesota's Beneficial Macroalgae: All Stoneworts Aren't Starry $811,000 MN DNR, Ecological and Water Resources Division Donna Perleberg
03c 2021-071 County Groundwater Atlas $1,875,000 MN DNR, Ecological and Water Resources Division Paul Putzier
03d 2021-087 Improving Resiliency and Conservation Outcomes for Minnesota Turtles $391,000 Minnesota Zoological Society Tricia Markle
03e 2021-113 Minnesota Biological Survey: Setting a Future Course $1,500,000 MN DNR, Ecological and Water Resources Division Bruce Carlson
03f 2021-118 2021 Groundwater Contamination Mapping Project $800,000 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Myrna Halbach
03g 2021-138 Geologic Atlases for Water Resource Management $3,092,000 U of MN, MN Geological Survey Barbara Lusardi
03h 2021-140 Redwood County RIM Easement Evaluation and Public Outreach $197,000 Redwood Soil & Water Conservation District Kristy Zajac
03i 2021-159 Collaborative State and Tribal Wild Rice Monitoring Program $644,000 MN DNR, Ecological and Water Resources Division Josh Knopik
03j 2021-238 Morrison County Performance Drainage and Hydrology Management II $197,000 Morrison Soil and Water Conservation District Shannon Wettstein
03k 2021-278 Preserving Minnesota’s Wetlands: Our Resource for Future Medicine $210,000 U of MN, Crookston Brian Dingmann
03l 2021-289 A Biodiversity Checkup for Minnesota’s Big Woods $109,000 U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences Lee Frelich
03m 2021-321 Microbiome in Raptors: A New Tool for Conservation $129,000 U of MN, Raptor Center Julia Ponder
03n 2021-396 Bioacoustics for Broad-Scale Species Monitoring and Conservation $305,000 U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences Elena West
Subd. 04 Water Resources (10 Projects - Subtotal = $4,771,000)
04a 2021-050 Trout Stream Habitat Restoration Success $319,000 U of MN, Duluth - NRRI Valerie Brady
04b 2021-115 Novel Nutrient Recovery Process from Wastewater Treatment Plants $200,000 U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences Bo Hu
04c 2021-121 Monitoring Emerging Viruses in Minnesota's Urban Water Cycles $416,000 U of MN, College of Biological Sciences Sebastian Behrens
04d 2021-144 Microgeographic Impact of Antibiotics Released from Identified Hotspots $508,000 U of MN, College of Veterinary Medicine Randall Singer
04e 2021-266 Sustainable Irrigation Management: Expanding a Statewide Web Application $1,139,000 U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences Bryan Runck
04f 2021-358 Assessing Membrane Bioreactor Wastewater Treatment Efficacy $419,000 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, St. Cloud State University Heiko Schoenfuss
04g 2021-364 Evaluating Coronavirus and Other Microbiological Contamination of Drinking Water Sources from Wastewater $594,000 U of MN, College of Science and Engineering Timothy LaPara
04h 2021-376 St. James Pit Water Level Control $259,000 City of Aurora Becky Lammi
04i 2021-384 Long-Term Nitrate Mitigation by Maintaining Profitable Kernza Production $485,000 Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District Dennis Fuchs
04j 2021-390 Antibiotic Resistance and Wastewater Treatment: Problems and Solutions $432,000 University of St. Thomas Justin Donato
Subd. 05 Environmental Education (7 Projects - Subtotal = $2,687,000)
05a 2021-042 Increasing Outdoor Learning For Young Minnesotans $383,000 Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center Shannon Walz
05b 2021-131 Pollinator Education in the Science Classroom $366,000 U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences Elaine Evans
05c 2021-132 Minnesota Freshwater Quest: Environmental Education for 20000 Youth $699,000 Wilderness Inquiry Julie Edmiston
05d 2021-175 Minnesota Master Naturalist: Nature for New Minnesotans $293,000 U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences Robert Blair
05e 2021-186 The Voyageurs Classroom Initiative $348,000 Voyageurs National Park Association Christina Hausman Rhode
05f 2021-320 Restoring Land, Reviving Heritage: Conservation Through Indigenous Culture $420,000 Belwin Conservancy Katie Bloome
05g 2021-323 Expanding Access to Environmental Education for Underserved Communities $178,000 U of MN, Raptor Center Julia Ponder
Subd. 06 Aquatic and Terrestrial Invasive Species (7 Projects - Subtotal = $6,148,000)
06a 2021-017 Starch Allocation Patterns of Starry Stonewort (Nitellopsis Obtusa) Harvested from Lake Koronis, MN $101,000 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, Minnesota State University Mankato Ryan Wersal
06b 2021-091 Long-Term Efficacy of Invasive Removal in Floodplain Forests $25,000 Macalester College Mike Anderson
06c 2021-162 Oak Wilt Suppression at the Northern Edge II $423,000 Morrison Soil and Water Conservation District Shannon Wettstein
06d 2021-164 Biocontrol of Bee Lawns and Parklands $425,000 U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences Vera Krischik
06e 2021-188 Building Knowledge and Capacity for AIS Solutions $3,750,000 U of MN, MAISRC Nicholas Phelps
06f 2021-217 Evaluating Minnesota's Last Best Chance to Stop Carp $424,000 U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences Peter Sorensen
06g 2021-313 Stop Starry Invasion - Community Invasive Species Containment $1,000,000 Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates Jeff Forester
Subd. 07 Air Quality, Climate Change, and Renewable Energy (6 Projects - Subtotal = $6,205,000)
07a 2021-010 Enhanced Thermo-Active Foundations for Space Heating in Minnesota $312,000 U of MN, Duluth Aggrey Mwesigye
07b 2021-169 Storing Renewable Energy in Flow-Battery for Grid Use $2,408,000 U of MN, Morris Bryan Herrmann
07c 2021-191 Agrivoltaics to Improve the Environment and Farm Resiliency $646,000 U of MN, WCROC Bradley Heins
07d 2021-294 Behavioral Response of Bald and Golden Eagles to Acoustic Stimuli $261,000 U of MN, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory Christopher Feist
07e 2021-344 Create Jobs Statewide by Diverting Materials from Landfills $2,244,000 Better Futures Minnesota Steve Thomas
07f 2021-402 Strengthening Minnesota's Reuse Economy to Conserve Natural Resources $334,000 ReUse Minnesota Jennifer Kedward
Subd. 08 Methods to Protect, Restore, and Enhance Land, Water, and Habitat (18 Projects - Subtotal = $6,429,000)
08a 2021-022 Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape Forest Restoration and Enhancements $731,000 Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District Melissa Barrick
08b 2021-039 Restoring Mussels in Streams and Lakes - continuation $619,000 MN DNR, Ecological and Water Resources Division Mike Davis
08c 2021-058 Pollinator Central II: Habitat Improvement with Community Monitoring $631,000 Great River Greening Rebecca Tucker
08d 2021-062 Preserving Minnesota’s only Ball Cactus Population $103,000 U of MN, Landscape Arboretum David Remucal
08e 2021-065 Phase 2 - Prescribed-Fire Management for Roadside Prairies $217,000 Minnesota Department of Transportation Nathan Johnson
08f 2021-084 Restoring Upland Forests for Birds $193,000 American Bird Conservancy Kevin Sheppard
08g 2021-097 Minnesota Green Schoolyards $250,000 The Trust for Public Land Eric Weiss
08h 2021-137 Plumbing the Muddy Depths of Superior Hiking Trail $187,000 Superior Hiking Trail Association Lisa Luokkala
08i 2021-212 Reducing Plastic Pollution with Biodegradable Erosion Control Products $200,000 Agricultural Utilization Research Institute Riley Gordon
08j 2021-223 Remote Sensing and Super-resolution Imaging of Microplastics $309,000 U of MN, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory Ardeshir Ebtehaj
08k 2021-229 Woodcrest Trail Expansion and Prairie Restoration $16,000 Country Manor Campus, LLC Sara Gabrielson
08l 2021-231 Urban Pollinator and Native American Cultural Site Restoration $213,000 Friends of the Mississippi River Betsy Daub
08m 2021-280 Economic and Ecological Benefits of Soil Health $288,000 Redwood Soil & Water Conservation District Scott Wold
08n 2021-308 Creating Cost-Effective Forage and Management Actions for Pollinators $198,000 U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences Daniel Cariveau
08o 2021-322 Shoreline Stabilization, Fishing, ADA Improvements at Silverwood Park $200,000 Three Rivers Park District Jonathan Vlaming
08p 2021-337 Lawns to Legumes Program Phase 2 $993,000 Board of Water and Soil Resources Dan Shaw
08q 2021-375 Reintroduction of Bison to Spring Lake Park Reserve $560,000 Dakota County Tom Lewanski
08r 2021-377 Elm Creek Habitat Restoration Final Phase $521,000 City of Champlin Todd Tuominen
G. Land Acquisition, Habitat and Recreation (22 Projects - Subtotal = $32,062,000)
09a 2021-012 Perham to Pelican Rapids Regional Trail (McDonald Segment) $2,245,000 Otter Tail County Matthew Yavarow
09b 2021-028 Mesabi Trail CSAH 88 to Ely $1,650,000 St. Louis & Lake Counties Regional Railroad Authority Robert Manzoline
09c 2021-029 SW MN Single Track Trail $190,000 Jackson County, Parks & Trails Jeremy Bartosh
09d 2021-043 Local Parks, Trails and Natural Areas Grant Programs $2,250,000 MN DNR, Grants Unit Audrey Mularie
09e 2021-049 Metropolitan Regional Parks System Land Acquisition- Phase 7 $2,250,000 Metropolitan Council Jessica Lee
09f 2021-069 Sauk Rapids Rapids Project Lions Park $463,000 City of Sauk Rapids Todd Schultz
09g 2021-092 City of Brainerd - Mississippi Landing Trailhead $2,850,000 City of Brainerd David Chanski
09h 2021-105 Native Prairie Stewardship & Prairie Bank Easement Acquisition $1,341,000 MN DNR, Ecological and Water Resources Division Judy Schulte
09i 2021-109 Moose Lake - Trunk Highway 73 Trail $330,000 City of Moose Lake Katie Bloom
09j 2021-151 SNA Acquisition, Restoration, Citizen-Science and Outreach $3,336,000 MN DNR, Ecological and Water Resources Division Molly Roske
09k 2021-154 Precision Acquisition for Restoration, Groundwater Recharge and Habitat $467,000 Shell Rock River Watershed District Courtney Phillips
09l 2021-222 Lake Brophy Trail Expansion $100,000 Big Ole Bike Club Jefferson Brand
09m 2021-325 Veterans on the Lake $553,000 Veterans on the Lake Neil Olson
09n 2021-329 Voyageur National Park Crane Lake Visitors Center Project $2,700,000 Town of Crane Lake JoAnn Pohlman
09o 2021-330 Brookston Campground, Boat Launch & Outdoor Recreational Facility Final $425,000 City of Brookston Kaycee Melin
09p 2021-332 Moose/Seven Beaver Multi-Use Trail Upgrade $900,000 City of Hoyt Lakes Rebecca Burich
09q 2021-338 Above the Falls Regional Park Acquisition and Restoration $950,000 Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board Adam Arvidson
09r 2021-339 Silver Lake Trail Improvement Project $1,071,000 City of Virginia Britt See-Benes
09s 2021-362 Minnesota State Trails Development $4,266,000 MN DNR, State Parks and Trails Division Kent Skaar
09t 2021-363 Highbanks Ravine Bat Habernaculum Project $825,000 City of St. Cloud Lisa Vollbrecht
09u 2021-371 State Parks and State Trails In-Holdings $2,560,000 MN DNR, State Parks and Trails Division Brandon Helm
09v 2021-380 Accessible Fishing Piers and Shore Fishing Areas $340,000 MN DNR, State Parks and Trails Division Nancy Stewart
Subd. 10 Administration (4 Projects - Subtotal = $2,120,000)
10a 2021-027 ML 2021 Contract Agreement Reimbursement $135,000 MN DNR, Grants Unit Katherine Sherman-Hoehn
10b n/a LCCMR Budget FY22-FY23 $1,750,000 LCCMR Becca Nash
10c n/a Emerging Issues Account $233,000 LCCMR Becca Nash
10d n/a Legislative Coordinating Commission (LCC) Administration $2,000 LCC Sally Olson

2021 Proposal & Funding Process Main Page