Office of the Revisor of Statutes

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Habitats new text end

new text begin $4,711,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for agreements to acquire land in fee and acquire permanent conservation easements and to restore and enhance natural habitat systems in the St. Croix River watershed as follows: $1,905,000 to Trust for Public Land; $110,000 to Wild Rivers Conservancy; and $2,696,000 to Minnesota Land Trust. Up to $224,000 to Minnesota Land Trust is to establish a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17. new text end

new text begin $2,242,000 the second year is to the Board of Water and Soil Resources, in cooperation with the Crow Wing County Soil and Water Conservation District, to acquire permanent conservation easements of high-quality forest, wetland, and shoreline habitat. Up to $120,000 of the total amount is for establishing a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17. Subdivision 8, paragraph (b), does not apply to this project. A list of permanent conservation easements must be provided as part of the final report. new text end

new text begin $3,321,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for agreements to acquire land in fee and permanent conservation easements and to restore and enhance lakes of outstanding biological significance in northeast and north-central Minnesota. Of this amount, $1,083,000 is to the Northern Waters Land Trust and $2,238,000 is to Minnesota Land Trust. Up to $224,000 to Minnesota Land Trust is for establishing a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17. new text end

new text begin $2,060,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with the Shell Rock River Watershed District to acquire land in fee and restore and enhance habitat in the Shell Rock River watershed. new text end

new text begin $2,555,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for agreements to acquire lands in fee and restore and enhance wildlife habitat in the Cannon River watershed as follows: $54,000 to Clean River Partners; $888,000 to Great River Greening; and $1,613,000 to Trust for Public Land. new text end

new text begin $2,706,000 the second year is to acquire lands in fee and permanent conservation easements and to restore wildlife habitat in the Mississippi headwaters. Of this amount: new text end

new text begin (1) $1,706,000 is to the commissioner of natural resources for agreements as follows: $57,000 to the Mississippi Headwaters Board and $1,649,000 to Trust for Public Land; and new text end

new text begin (2) $1,000,000 is to the Board of Water and Soil Resources, of which up to $100,000 is to establish a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17. new text end

new text begin $2,687,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for agreements to acquire land in fee and in permanent conservation easements and to restore and enhance wildlife habitat to sustain healthy fish habitat on coldwater lakes in Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, and Hubbard Counties as follows: $2,252,000 to Northern Waters Land Trust and $435,000 to Minnesota Land Trust. Up to $56,000 to Minnesota Land Trust is to establish a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17. new text end

new text begin $5,119,000 the second year is to acquire permanent conservation easements to protect, restore, and enhance stream and riparian habitat throughout the Red River watershed. Of this amount, $169,000 is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with the Red River Watershed Management Board and $4,950,000 is to the Board of Water and Soil Resources. Up to $380,000 of the total amount is for establishing a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17. Subdivision 8, paragraph (b), does not apply to this project. A list of permanent conservation easements must be provided as part of the final report. new text end

new text begin $2,486,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for agreements to acquire permanent conservation easements and to restore and enhance habitat in targeted watersheds of southeast Minnesota to improve heritage brook trout and coldwater aquatic communities. Of this amount, $400,000 is to The Nature Conservancy, $612,000 is to Trout Unlimited, and $1,474,000 is to Minnesota Land Trust. Up to $168,000 to Minnesota Land Trust is to establish a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17. new text end

new text begin $3,052,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for agreements to acquire lands in fee and permanent conservation easements and to restore and enhance wildlife habitat on public lands and permanent conservation easements in southeast Minnesota as follows: $970,000 to The Nature Conservancy, $964,000 to Trust for Public Land, and $1,118,000 to Minnesota Land Trust. Up to $112,000 to Minnesota Land Trust is to establish a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17. new text end

new text begin $2,345,000 the second year is to acquire land in permanent conservation easement and to restore river and related habitat in the Wild Rice River corridor. Of this amount, $30,000 is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with the Wild Rice Watershed District and $2,315,000 is to the Board of Water and Soil Resources. The Board of Water and Soil Resources may use up to $60,000 for establishing a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17. Subdivision 8, paragraph (b), does not apply to this project. A list of permanent conservation easements must be provided as part of the final report. new text end

new text begin $1,359,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources to acquire in fee and restore and enhance lands for wildlife management purposes under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.05, subdivision 8, and to acquire land in fee for scientific and natural area purposes under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.05, subdivision 5. Subject to evaluation criteria in Minnesota Rules, part 6136.0900, priority must be given to acquiring lands that are eligible for the native prairie bank under Minnesota Statutes, section 84.96, or lands adjacent to protected native prairie. new text end

new text begin $2,872,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with Minnesota Land Trust to acquire permanent conservation easements and to restore and enhance high-quality wildlife habitat in southwest Minnesota. Of this amount, up to $168,000 is to establish a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17. new text end

new text begin $3,965,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for agreements to acquire lands in fee and permanent conservation easements and restore and enhance wildlife habitat in the Sauk River watershed as follows: $375,000 to Great River Greening; $1,199,000 to Sauk River Watershed District; $1,192,000 to Pheasants Forever; and $1,199,000 to Minnesota Land Trust. Up to $168,000 to Minnesota Land Trust is to establish a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17. new text end

new text begin $8,123,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for agreements to acquire land in fee and permanent conservation easements and to restore and enhance natural habitat systems associated with the Mississippi, Minnesota, and St. Croix Rivers and their tributaries within the metropolitan area as follows: $1,250,000 to Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Inc.; $420,000 to Friends of the Mississippi River; $803,000 to Great River Greening; $2,750,000 to Trust for Public Land; and $2,900,000 to Minnesota Land Trust. Up to $224,000 to Minnesota Land Trust is to establish a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17. new text end

new text begin $1,802,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for agreements to restore and enhance wildlife habitat on public lands and easements in the Anoka Sand Plain ecoregion and intersecting minor watersheds as follows: $1,508,000 to Great River Greening and $294,000 to Sherburne County. new text end

new text begin $4,206,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources to restore and enhance aquatic habitat in degraded streams and aquatic management areas and to facilitate fish passage. new text end

new text begin $2,308,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with Trout Unlimited to restore and enhance habitat for trout and other species in and along coldwater rivers, lakes, and streams throughout Minnesota. new text end

new text begin $1,572,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission, in cooperation with the Lake Superior Steelhead Association, to restore and enhance trout habitat in the Knife River watershed. If the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission declines to serve as the fiscal agent for the project, an alternative fiscal agent must be identified in the accomplishment plan for the project. new text end

new text begin $2,163,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources to restore and enhance priority aquatic, riparian, and forest habitats in the St. Louis River estuary. Of this amount, $716,000 is for an agreement with Minnesota Land Trust. new text end

new text begin $3,054,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with the Roseau River Watershed District to restore and enhance the Roseau Lake and Roseau River habitat complex in Roseau County, Minnesota. new text end

new text begin $2,300,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with the city of St. Cloud to enhance the Highbanks Ravine Bat Hibernaculum in St. Cloud. new text end

new text begin $1,918,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with Friends of the Falls to restore and enhance wildlife habitat at Upper St. Anthony Falls. This appropriation may only be spent for site grading, oak savanna, and aquatic habitat portions of the project. new text end

new text begin $2,368,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with the city of Rochester to restore and enhance aquatic habitat in Silver Lake and the south fork of the Zumbro River by modifying the existing low-head dam in Rochester. new text end

new text begin $3,000,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with Cook County to restore and enhance stream habitat in the Little Devil Track River. new text end

new text begin $15,000,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for a program to provide competitive matching grants of up to $500,000 to local, regional, state, and national organizations for enhancing, restoring, or protecting forests, wetlands, prairies, or habitat for fish, game, or wildlife in Minnesota. Unless there are not enough eligible grant applications received, of this amount, at least $4,000,000 is for grants in the seven-county metropolitan area and cities with a population of 50,000 or more and at least $4,000,000 is for grants to applicants that have not previously applied for money from the outdoor heritage fund. Grants must not be made for activities required to fulfill the duties of owners of lands subject to conservation easements. Grants must not be made from the appropriation in this paragraph for projects that have a total project cost exceeding $1,000,000. Of the total appropriation, $600,000 may be spent for personnel costs, outreach, and support to first-time applicants and other direct and necessary administrative costs. Grantees may acquire land or interests in land. Easements must be permanent. Grants may not be used to establish easement stewardship accounts. The program must require a match of at least ten percent from nonstate sources for all grants. The match may be cash or in-kind. For grant applications of $25,000 or less, the commissioner must provide a separate, simplified application process. Subject to Minnesota Statutes, the commissioner of natural resources must, when evaluating projects of equal value, give priority to organizations that have a history of receiving, or a charter to receive, private contributions for local conservation or habitat projects. All restoration or enhancement projects must be on land permanently protected by a permanent covenant ensuring perpetual maintenance and protection of restored and enhanced habitat, by a conservation easement, or by public ownership or in public waters as defined in Minnesota Statutes, section 103G.005, subdivision 15. Priority must be given to restoration and enhancement projects on public lands. Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 13, applies to grants awarded under this paragraph. This appropriation is available until June 30, 2027. No less than five percent of the amount of each grant must be held back from reimbursement until the grant recipient completes a grant accomplishment report by the deadline and in the form prescribed by and satisfactory to the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. The commissioner must provide notice of the grant program in the summary of game and fish law prepared under Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.051, subdivision 2. new text end

new text begin $12,000,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources to fund activities to protect the upper Mississippi River from invasive carp. Activities within this appropriation include agreements with federal partners, such as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to design, construct, and begin operating and maintaining a structural deterrent for invasive carp at Lock and Dam No. 5 on the Mississippi River to protect Minnesota's aquatic habitat through an adaptive management approach. Deterrent design must be fully completed within two years of the date of this appropriation. Deterrent installation must be completed by June 30, 2029. Money not spent or obligated for design installation and operation of the deterrent may be used for testing technologies to support the future effectiveness of the deterrent. A detailed accomplishment plan must be submitted to and approved by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council before money is released. This appropriation is available until June 30, 2029. new text end