Minnesota's Lake Superior Coastal Program - Funded Projects
Natural Resources Enhancement, Protection & Management
306A-03-06: Shovel Point Climbers Platform
This project will continue efforts to protect and restore the native vegetation to visitor worn areas of Shovel Point.
Project Summary Sheet 340 kb
310-14-03: Spring Beauty Northern Hardwoods Scientific and Natural Area Land Acquisition
A 159.5 acre tract of northern hardwoods with old growth forests comprised of sugar maple and eastern white cedar as well as early successional forests. Rare species include white baneberry, Chilean sweet cicely, blunt fruited cicely, and Carolina Spring Beauty. The parcel to be acquired abuts an existing state scientific and natural area. As a natural area, the parcel will be preserved for nature observation, education and scientific research uses consistent with protection of the natural resources found on the site.
306A-11-05: George Crosby Manitou State Park Land Acquisition
The 260 acre proposed acquisition will consolidate lands into a contiguous unit containing hiking trails, backpacking campsites and protect ecologically significant resources and scenic vistas in the park.
306A-11-04: George Crosby Manitou State Park Land Acquisition
The 640 acre acquisition consolidated lands into a contiguous unit containing hiking trails, backpacking campsites and protect ecologically significant resources and scenic vistas in the park.
306A-01-09: Community Center Rain Water Gardens and Site Restoration Area
Phase I of the recreation area plan that was developed encompassing the ~ 50 acres between the Cook County Community Center and Cook County Schools the summer of 2007. Phase I includes moving the hockey rink and building a skateboard park in the 1-2 acres between the Community Center building and the Little League field. Before we can even begin construction we need to address the storm water issues and looking at as many environmentally correct ways to deal with it through rain gardens, pervious pavement and restorative plantings. These environmental projects will enhance and help with our overall environmental plan within those 1 -2 acres and are planned for implementation over a time period from Summer 2007 - Fall 2008.
306-15-09: Erosion & Sediment Control for Temporary Wetland & Stream Crossings Booklet/CD
The objective of the educational booklet/CD is to minimize impacts on water resources by providing instruction on techniques that will reduce erosion and sedimentation. Lake Superior and the streams and wetlands that drain to it within the Coastal Zone are prone to substantial damage due to improper erosion and sediment control practices during construction and silviculture activities. This booklet will provide written instructions and photos demonstrating erosion and sediment control practices for stream and wetland crossings that minimize damage to the resources. The booklet will be distributed to grading contractors, forestry workers, local governments and others that work around streams and wetlands or move dirt. Since it will be in a booklet/CD format, this information will be more readily available to many. It could be distributed by MECA, County staff and others.
306A-02-09: Storm Water Control - Temperance River State Park Wayside
The purpose of this project is to correct storm water drainage issues on the wayside parking lot at the Temperance River in Temperance River State Park. The project will address storm water runoff on the northeast parking lot that are causing serious erosion issues adjacent to the parking lot. The parking lot and erosion are contributing to sedimentation in the Temperance River and causing unsafe trail conditions on the Temperance River gorge trail. This trail is one of the most heavily used trails in the park that has over 275,000 visitors annually. The project contemplates using grading and bio-retention basins to control and treat the storm water runoff before discharging the drainage to the Temperance River. This will reduce erosion and runoff of parking lot pollutants to the river. The project will restore the impacts of existing runoff including gully erosion and loss vegetation adjacent to the Temperance River. The project will also address drainage issues that contribute to the high water velocities and volumes from the parking lot. This will also reduce pollutants and sediment reaching the Temperance River. The project will be a demonstration project and will interpretive information panels that explain water quality issues and natural water control methods being used to reduce the impact from impervious surfaces such as the parking lots. This information will reach a large audience and provides an excellent opportunity to educate the public on important issues.
306-06-08: Stream Protection at the Lake Superior Zoo: Internal Audit & Best Management Practices Training
The Lake Superior Zoo, City of Duluth's Stormwater Utility and the South St. Louis Soil & Conservation District will conduct an internal audit to assess current maintenance and cleaning policies. The audit will provide a comprehensive plan to implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) for grounds maintenance that will help to reduce erosion and animal fecal waste from entering the water of the creek. Zoo staff will be trained in BMPs.
306-STAR07-07: Reclassification of Portions of Lakes for Resource Protection
In 2005 the Cook County Water Advisory Committee completed a step toward lake reclassification. They used the recently-completed, voluntary MN DNR Alternative Shoreland Standards as a guide in building a data matrix (spreadsheet) displaying lake and shoreline conditions of the 96 developed lakes in the County. The Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District intends to conduct such a study in the coming year as part of a lakes reclassification project. This will ultimately protect water quality in lakes and portions of lakes requiring greater amounts of protection. It will finalize lake criteria to be used for reclassification, design GIS and field data gathering methods and protocols, and select lakes to be studied for the project. Phase two, the GIS phase, will be completed with Clean Water Legacy funds (or other) and will match for the STAR grant. Phase two work includes gathering of GIS data files and interpretation of the data using ArcGIS software. Aerial photo interpretation of cover types, shoreline rectification with parcel layers, lake depth and water quality data, slope and soils analysis, density analysis, and build-out scenarios are operations that will be completed during this phase.
306A-04-02: Wetland/Upland Restoration Trail and Educational Materials Development Program
Sugarloaf Cove Construction of two sections of trail: extending a boardwalk on an existing portion of the trail on the Scientific and Natural Area at Sugarloaf Cove, and building a spur from the existing trail into the recently restored wetland. Design and build informational kiosks, to be placed along the spur into the wetland. Update the trail guide to include information about the wetland and upland restoration project.
306-08-02: Shoreline Plant Communities Survey
A collaborative project between MCBS and State Parks designed to survey vegetation types (native plant communities) along the Lake Superior shoreline that are strongly influenced by the lake. The survey will be designed to evaluate the impacts of high visitor use on public lands, by comparing areas of high use in state parks to areas of moderate and low use on public and private lands.
306-09-02: State Park Vegetation Mapping
MCBS and State Parks produced digital maps showing the location of native plant communities and rare plants and preparing natural history information and management recommendations for three parks along the Lake Superior shore.
306-17-02: North Shore State Parks Spruce Beetle Study
The North Shore State Parks Spruce Beetle Study aims to determine the extent of the infestation of D. rufipennis in state parks along the North Shore of Lake Superior. A ground survey of North Shore State Parks and selected state forest lands will be conducted to find areas of spruce beetle infestation and determine beetle population trends. An important outcome of this study will be to provide information to local land managers and interested members of the public on spruce beetle outbreaks.
306-17-01: Lake Superior Drainage Mussel Survey
This project seeks to complete a prerequisite step to sustaining aquatic resources of Minnesota's Lake Superior Coastal region for future generations - taking inventory of our natural assets. Accounting for the mussel resources of rivers and streams throughout Minnesota's Lake Superior Drainage will allow us to better measure our successes and failures in avoiding the decimation that has visited many human civilizations throughout history. As the sentinels of river health, mussels provide us with an important measure of our society's impacts on rivers, and how well we are sustaining these natural resources for our future.
310-09-03: Miller Creek Sediment Trap
This project will complete an in-stream sediment trap behind the Miller Hill Mall. Preliminary design has been completed. Agreements and permits with the City of Duluth are also in order.
310-02-02: Remediation of Sargent's Creek Dump Site
The project is a complete remediation of the site, utilizing a standard process of evaluation and assessment operations as developed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
310-03-02: Two Harbors Old City Dump Site Restoration
City of Two Harbors restoration of the old dump site in three phases.
310-01-02: Managed Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems in the Lake Superior Basin: Outreach and Education
Onsite treatment systems Wastewater Education in the Lake Superior basin.
306A-02-03: Conifer Restoration to benefit Lake Superior's Water Quality
This project is a pilot effort, initiated in subwatersheds with the greatest opportunity for improvement by forest management activities, to develop methods of selective harvest that can maintain or improve the water quality in nearby streams. All activities will be located on public lands in the Manitou Forest landscape near Finland, MN.
306A-03-03: Lake County Wetland Creation to enhance Migratory Bird Habitat
Incorporate county owned gravel pit rehabilitation and closure with the creation of palustrine emergent, and associated palustrine forested and palustrine shrub wetlands, for migratory birds.
306A-05-03: Northern Hardwoods Management to benefit Lake Superior's Water Quality
Develop methods of selective timber harvest that can maintain or improve the water quality in nearby streams.
306-18-04: Rare Herpetofauna and Important Seasonal Ponds within the Minnesota Lake Superior Coastal Region
Conduct surveys for rare and undocumented amphibians and reptiles in the Minnesota Lake Superior Coastal (MLSC) area and (b) identify important seasonal ponds for amphibians.
306-17-04: Identification of Potential Coaster Brook Trout Spawning Areas Along the Minnesota Shore of Lake Superior
Identify and map critical ground water source areas. These maps will serve as valuable planning tools for the protection and rehabilitation of coaster brook trout in the future.
306A-07-03: Lincoln Park Miller Creek Wall Restoration Project
The restoration and preservation of the creek walls. The walls of Miller Creek were built during the City Beautiful Movement, during the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. Built mostly of large natural stones from the area, they have withstood extremely high water levels during many flash floods over the years; however, this activity has caused a great extent of deterioration to those walls in the lower and central part of the park.
306A-05-01: Minnesota Point Restoration and Protection
Continued protection and restoration of the sand dunes on Minnesota Point on the western end of Lake Superior. The dunes are severely eroded and barely 100 yards separate Lake Superior from Superior Bay. This is a heavily utilized recreation area, and the beach grass that unites the dunes in other areas of the Point cannot grow here due to the relentless foot traffic of beach-goers.
306A-10-05: Lake County Demonstration Forest
Construct hiking trails, install location/educational signs, develop two brochures ("History of the Area" and "Forest Management Tour"), and complete the development of a practical forest management plan utilizing state-of-the-art forest management practices and techniques.
306A-06-05: Two Harbors High School Expanded and Enhanced Wetlands and Native Plant Restoration
Construct retention and wetland basins, restore disturbed areas around the new building with a grass mixture applied by hydromulch. Expand the wetlands area of approximately twice, from 2 to 4 acres total. Reshape the wetlands for emergent vegetation growth, fish life, and bird life. Replant most of the disturbed acreage with native grasses, and forbs rather than a maintained turf. Construct a demonstration pervious parking area for 24 cars.
306-34-04: Development of a Hydroacoustic Survey Design for the MN Waters of Lake Superior
Design a viable hydroacoustic survey using the present MNDNR vessel and gear to generate annual biomass estimates of prey in Minnesota's portion of Lake Superior.
306-05-05: The Importance of the North Shore of Lake Superior to the Distribution and Abundance of Bats
To complete surveys that evaluate the importance of the MN Lake Superior Coastal Area to bats. The MN County Biological Survey proposes to (1) document the arrival and department of migratory bats to/from the North Shore, and to (2) locate and evaluate potential over-wintering sites for cave bats along the North Shore coastline.
310-12-03: Reserve Mining Groundwater and Surface Water Contamination Control
Reserve Mining-Silver Bay Scrapyard and Diesel Range Organics (DRO) Plume Site is located approximately .5 miles from Lake Superior and .1 mile from the west part of the City of Silver Bay, Minnesota. There are two known source areas, the Drum Burial Pit and the Landfill, together called the Scrapyard. The Scrapyard is approximately 4.5 acres and was formerly used as an industrial landfill until May 1980. It contains both hazardous (lead) and nonhazardous drums of leaded grease and diesel range organics. Other contaminants include methyl ethyl ketone, low levels of other volatile organic compounds, dioxim-like PCBs, and metals. The Scrapyard was also reportedly used for disposal and burning of used grease and storage of old transformers. The source of the DRO has not been identified.
Soil, groundwater and surface water have been impacted by the source areas, mainly from metals and DRO. This project will only focus on the investigation of groundwater and surface water impacts for the restoration and protection of Lake Superior waters. Significant progress has been made in the investigation of groundwater and surface water in the Scrapyard area, including the installation and sampling of groundwater monitoring wells and sampling of surface water. Additional investigations are necessary to clearly define the nature, extent, and migration of groundwater contamination in the soil and fractured bedrock aquifers and surface water. This information is necessary to develop and implement a Remedial Design/Response Action Plan for the contaminated groundwater and surface water.
306-STAR08-04: Special Native Seed Mix for Gitchi-Gami State Trail Development
The purchase of additional special native seed mix that will be planted on the Gitchi-Gami State Trail in Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. This is a great opportunity to improve the vegetation adjacent to the Gitchi-Gami Trail by planting this native seed mix.
306-15-05: The Risk to Native MN Beach Grass Posed By Historical Restoration Efforts That Used MI Plants
The long-term goal of this research is to determine the extent and impact of hybridization on Park Point to provide site managers with information to make sound conservation decisions regarding the threatened status of the MN population and guide future management and restoration of Lake Superior coastal populations. This proposal presents the first steps toward this goal. The specific aims of the proposed work are: 1) To determine whether outbreeding depression occurs when MN and MI grasses are intentionally hybridized, 2) To identify morphological traits that distinguish MN and MI plants on Park Point, and 3) To produce a map of Park Point based on historical records and field surveys that shows areas where MI grass is already established.
306-06-06: Lake Superior Marine Unit
Purchase of a water craft to be used as the primary patrol vessel for the MN DNR Lake Superior Marine Unit. The MN DNR Lake Superior Marine Unit enforces all state natural resource laws and rules on the MN waters and shoreline of Lake Superior. This new water craft will replace a 1988 25' Boston Whaler which has been the primary patrol vessel since 1988 and is 5 years past the projected replacement date. The vessel will be stationed in the Duluth Harbor and patrols all of the MN waters of Lake Superior. The patrol boat will perform the following duties: search and rescue operations for boats and persons, recovery of drowning victims, commercial, charter and sport fishing law enforcement, boat and water safety law enforcement for both recreational boating and fishing activities, and on water support of biological surveys, response and investigation of pollution impacting Lake Superior waters and adjacent shorelines.
306-07-06: Investigation and Design for Sediment Traps for Miller and Coffee Creeks
The City of Duluth would like to install sediment devices to remove material prior to discharge in the St. Louis River. However significant investigative work and initial design work must be done to determine an effective method of removing sediment from a high velocity stream.
306-08-06: Investigation of Potential Wetland Restoration and Creation Sites
The South St. Louis Soil and Water Conservation District seeks funding to complete a project to identify potential wetland restoration and creation sites within the South St. Louis SWCD's portion of the Coastal Boundary and Lake Superior Basin. The deliverable for this project will be a report: Investigation of potential wetland restoration and creation sites with in the South St. Louis SWCD portion of the Lake Superior Basin. The report will be posted on our website, and the posting will be noticed by email to resource managers that have an interest in the Lake Superior Basin.
306A-10-06: Landscape Level Restoration Forestry to Benefit Lake Superior's Water Quality
This project will use various techniques to restore long lived conifers on approximately 500 acres of Northern hardwood forest in the watersheds of the Manitou, Caribou, and Baptism Rivers. Restoration efforts will be guided by historical records of conifer abundance and surveys of baseline stands where timber harvesting has not occurred.
306A-04-06: Shovel Point Vegetation Restoration
This project will continue efforts to restore the native vegetation to visitor worn areas of Shovel Point.
306A-03-07: Green Roof Retrofit: Duluth Motor Pool Building Evaluation
Remove the existing parking surfaces and waterproofing to retrofit the upper most level of the building with a "Green Roof System".
306-STAR07-05: Interactive Animation and Visualization Tool for Exploring Lake Superior Beach Monitoring Program Bacteria Data
Lake Superior Beach Monitoring Program and Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI-UMD) staff to developed an interactive online tool for viewing lake and estuary indicator bacteria data with a new perspective. This data visualization tool will be installed on the www.lakesuperiorstreams.org website with appropriate links from the Lake Superior Beach Monitoring website www.mnbeaches.org to allow users to visualize changes in bacteria counts over time compared to temperature, precipitation, wave height and wind direction.
306-08-08: Real-time data to estimate sediment, nutrient and Hg loading from Northshore L.Superior streams
DuluthStreams.org, created in 2002 as a partnership among the City of Duluth, U. of MN (NRRI & Sea Grant), WLSSD and MPCA, seeks to enhance public understanding of aquatic ecosystems and their connections to watershed land use by illustrating the nature and consequences of degraded stormwater and its real costs to society. Automated water quality monitoring of several Duluth streams are fed into a website linking the data to GIS, land use, and current and historical water quality and biological databases. Interactive data visualization tools and interpretive text visually engage citizens and students and encourage the use of environmental data in local decision-making. We request funds to: (1) operate this network for 2006-7 and add low level mercury sampling to develop accurate stream discharge/pollutant budgets and models relating "surrogate" sensor values to pollutants of interest (especially Hg and turbidity); and (2) provide an easy access web portal for citizens, businesses, and decision makers to understand the environmental and public health issues and regulatory framework associated with the actual pollutant monitoring data. The sensor data will be coupled with manually collected TSS, nutrient, chloride and Hg data to estimate concentrations and seasonal/annual loadings of these pollutants from the five monitored watersheds and to provide a first assessment of event-based interannual variability (weather driven) in Northshore streams. The ultimate success of impairment assessments and mitigation and restoration strategies depends on accurate pollutant budgets that account for interannual variability and establish background concentrations as well as informed citizens and decision makers who then set appropriate management policies.
306A-05-04: WITHDRAWN - Low Cost Stabilization Demonstration Project
Demonstrate low cost alternatives for stabilization of steep clay slopes along a selected portion of Highway 210 through Jay Cooke State Park.
306A-09-04: WITHDRAWN - Conifer Restoration to Benefit Lake Superior's Water Quality
A goal to restore a more natural balance to the forest and river systems within the Manitou landscape by reestablishing ecologically appropriate conifers to key watershed areas.
306A-10-04: WITHDRAWN - Northern Hardwoods Management to Benefit Lake Superior's Water
Project to develop forestry practices that mimic the natural recruitment process in hardwood forests.
