Sponsor: Parks & Recreation
Title
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Grant Award from Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for State Fiscal Year 2025 Conservation Partners Legacy Program
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Recommendation
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1. Ratify the submittal of a grant application to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for State Fiscal Year 2025 Conservation Partners Legacy program grant.
2. Accept and approve a grant award with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for State Fiscal Year 2025 Conservation Partners Legacy program grant for the Lake Josephine Enhancement Project grant for the period of grant execution through June 30, 2028, in the amount of $172,350.
3. Authorize the Chair and Chief Clerk to execute the grant agreement.
4. Authorize the County Manager to enter into agreements and contracts and execute amendments to agreements and contracts, in accordance with the county’s procurement policies and procedures, provided the amounts are within the limits of the grant funding.
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Background and Rationale
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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) administers the Conservation Partners Legacy Grants program, funded by the Outdoor Heritage Fund, created by the Minnesota Legislature through the Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment. For State Fiscal Year 2025, $2,500,000 was made available for metro grants, for projects located within the seven-county metro area or within city limits of cities with a population greater than 50,000.
The DNR manages the Conservation Partners Legacy Grants program to provide competitive matching grants from $5,000 up to $500,000 to local, regional, state, and national non-profit organizations and government entities. Grants must restore, protect, or enhance prairies, wetlands, forests, or habitat for fish, game, or wildlife in Minnesota. A minimum of 10% match is required for all grants, which may be cash or in-kind resources and must be identified at the time of application.
Grant applications are scored based on six criteria:
1) Overall project value
2) Applicant performance
3) Project benefits
4) Public benefits
5) Financial assessment
6) Urgency
Ramsey County Parks and Recreation submitted the grant application, the Lake Josephine Enhancement Project, and was awarded $172,350 to restore 27 acres of woodlands and prairie surrounding a high value wetland through invasive species removal and control followed by native seeding within Lake Josephine County Park located in Roseville, Minnesota. The woodland and prairie remnant are currently dominated by dense buckthorn, woody invasives, invasive garlic mustard and invasive grasses, to name a few. After the woodland and prairie communities are healthy, they will provide much needed food and shelter for native pollinators, migratory birds and other wildlife. This restoration project will also reduce the spread of invasive species to other areas of the park, provide an improved experience for park visitors and have positive environmental impacts to the park, its neighbors, and the county.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☐ Opportunity ☒ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
Lake Josephine County Park is situated within the city of Roseville, where the overall demographic shows 30% of the population identifying as people of color. This project will focus on establishing access to a critical natural resource habitat in a degraded natural area. Degraded natural resource environments cause a lack of balance which effects ecosystem services such as flood mitigation, carbon sequestration, and diversity in the living environment.
Community Participation Level and Impact
This grant award is the result of a competitive grant process through the DNR found at: <https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/grants/habitat/cpl/index.html>. Information about the completed project will be posted on the Ramsey County website: <https://www.ramseycounty.us/restorationprojects>.
After the woodland and prairie communities are healthy, they will provide much needed food and shelter for native pollinators, migratory birds and other wildlife. This restoration project will also reduce the spread of invasive species to other areas of the park and will provide an improved experience for park visitors. This type of work moves forward Ramsey County’s 2024-25 Strategic Plan of being committed leaders in the mitigation of climate change.
☒ Inform ☐ Consult ☐ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower
Fiscal Impact
The Lake Josephine Enhancement Project grant award of $172,350 will require a match in the amount of $17,254 for a total project cost of $189,604. The Ramsey County Capital Improvement Projects funding will be used for the required grant match. The funds associated with this grant will expire on June 30, 2028. These funds not accounted for in the 2025 Parks budget.
Last Previous Action
None
Attachments
1. Grant Agreement