Sherburne County

This listing is produced by the Minnesota State Lottery from information provided by project managers and the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources.  While we attempt to provide the most current information, specific project locations and allocations do change. Information on projects for the current biennium, in particular, should be regarded as preliminary.

County Geologic Atlas and South-Central Minnesota Groundwater – 2009
This appropriation to the University of Minnesota’s Minnesota Geological Survey and Department of Natural Resources will help collect information on the geology of Minnesota below the surface, including the state’s critical groundwater resources. The project will pay particular attention to the Mt. Simon aquifer, one of the major sources of water in central Minnesota, with this year’s studies focusing on McLeod, Wright, Sherburne, and Isanti counties. In addition, the Minnesota Geological Survey will produce atlases of the geology of Todd, Carlton, McLeod, Carver, Benton, and Chisago counties.

Implementing Denitrification Strategies for Minnesota’s Contaminated Aquifers ­­– 2001-03 biennium. Nitrogen is an important nutrient required for plant growth; that’s why it’s found in the fertilizers we use to grow things. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it can also lead to groundwater contamination in the form of nitrates which, in turn, have been linked to cancer and other health concerns. To help with this problem, the University of Minnesotas’ Department of Civil Engineering used this grant from the Trust Fund to field test a promising new strategy to reduce nitrate levels in contaminated groundwater. With a little help from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, they discovered that supplying hydrogen to water in the ground is effective under certain conditions. The site for this experiment was near Becker in Sherburne County, southeast of the Sherco power plant.

Local Grants Initiative Program: Outdoor Recreation Grants – 2001-03 biennium. Money from the Trust Fund as well as the Minnesota Future Resources Fund was allocated during the biennium for this project administered by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. As a result, grants were provided for more than 130 different local environmental initiatives under several different categories, each with their own requirements: the Natural and Scenic Area grants program, Regional Park grants, Local Park grants, Conservation Partner grants and Environmental Partnership grants. In Sherburne County, the Trust Fund portion of the allocation was used for grants to help the county purchase close to 115 acres of land, part of which is on Fremont Lake near Zimmerman for use as a regional park and to help Livonia Township purchase nearly 40 acres of maple-basswood forest land identified by the Minnesota County Biological Survey as an area containing relatively undisturbed native plant communities.

Conservation-Based Development Program - 1999-01 biennium.  The Minnesota Land Trust - a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting Minnesota’s land and water resources - used this appropriation to improve conservation practices for new housing developments throughout Minnesota.  A sample of this new style of building is Windsor Park, a 57-acre development in Elk River that includes a city park, community gardens, an extensive trail system and 35 acres of open space.

Diversifying Agriculture for Environmental, Economic and Social Benefits - 1999-01 biennium. Researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Sand Plain Experiment Station in Becker conducted two studies aimed at diversifying Minnesota agriculture.  The first study evaluated new strains and planting schedules of cover crops while the second studied the use of Illinois Bundleflower and False Indigo for livestock grazing. Projects in other parts of the state examined hybrid hazelnuts as a crop alternative. The diversification of agricultural products shows great promise for improving both the state’s environment and its farm economy.

Historic Site Land Acquisition - 1999-01 biennium.  This appropriation will allow the Minnesota Historical Society to purchase 50 acres of land just north of the Oliver H. Kelly Farm Historical Site near Elk River.  This purchase, located between the Mississippi River and U. S. Highway 10, will provide a buffer between the working 19th century farm and the development along the Highway 10 corridor.

Mussel Resource Survey - 1999-01 biennium. During the first two years of this project (this biennium), biologists and other staff from the Department of Natural Resources sampled 886 sites in 32 Minnesota rivers, 64 tributaries and 12 lakes including three sites on the Mississippi River in Sherburne County during August of 2001.  According to the website for this project, http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/nhnrp/mussel_survey/index.html, freshwater mussels, commonly called clams, occur throughout the world, but reach their greatest diversity in North America where about 300 species are found. Unfortunately, within the last 100 years mussel communities have declined in abundance and diversity due to dam construction, stream channelization, water pollution and sedimentation, over harvesting and the recent introduction of the exotic Zebra Mussel. In response, groups such as the American Fisheries Society and The Nature Conservancy have identified mussels as the most imperiled group of animals in North America. The primary goal of this project is to build the information base necessary to sustain freshwater mussels in Minnesota. Building this base of information is expected to take about six years to complete.

Minnesota County Biological Survey - 1997-99 biennium.  Minnesota still has pockets of rare plants, animals and natural areas that need to be protected, managed and studied. The Department of Natural Resources is surveying every county in Minnesota to locate these areas. Since the survey began in 1987, 29 counties have been surveyed.  In the 1997-99 biennium, the program will survey the Mille Lacs Uplands Ecoregion including portions of Sherburne County.

Protecting Rural Historic Landscapes in High Development Areas - 1997-99 biennium.  The Rochester-Twin Cities-St. Cloud Corridor still has significant rural landscape features - windbreaks, barns and farmhouses - that reflect the state’s agricultural history.  The Historical Society is identifying these features and working with land-planning agencies to protect them.

Sand Dunes State Forest Acquisition - 1997-99 biennium.  The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is buying 200 acres of private land within the Sand Dunes State Forest near Zimmerman.  With increased residential development in that area, the DNR hopes to buy most of the 700 privately-owned acres of land within the forest to protect and preserve rare Anoka Sand Plain plants and animals and to prevent major disruptions of recreation, wildlife and resource management programs.

RIM Accelerated Critical Habitat Match Program - 1995-97 biennium.  This is a continuation of previous programs to acquire and improve game and nongame fish, wildlife and native plant habitats.  In Sherburne County, 28 acres were purchased for the Uncas Dunes Scientific and Natural Area west of Zimmerman.  Lead agency:  Department of Natural Resources.

RIM Critical Habitat Match Program - 1993-95 biennium.  This Department of Natural Resources’ program provides matching funds to those who want to buy or improve critical fish, wildlife and native plant habitats.  In Sherburne County, this grant was used to acquire 75 acres for the Prairie Savannah Scientific and Nature Area and put towards sand prairie development.

RIM Wildlife Habitat Stewardship - 1993-95 biennium.  About 29,000 acres of state land is being developed and improved to protect wildlife and native plants.  The Department of Natural Resources is restoring prairies, brush land, forests and non-game habitat while planting and managing native vegetation to enhance hunting, observing nature and education.  The Sherburne County grant was spent on planting and managing native grasses.

Minnesota County Biological Survey - 1991-93 biennium.  Since 1987, the Department of Natural Resources has been collecting information on plants and animals throughout Minnesota to identify the location of natural areas and rare plants and animals.  This information is being collected on a county-by-county basis and will be used to better manage areas that have native species of plants and animals. The Sherburne County survey was completed during the 1991-93 biennium and a map of rare biological features was produced.

09/25/09 - TM