http://www.theamendment.org/ Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:52:34 EST Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council has completed evaluating the thirty projects we invited to present before us, and are now making our individual allocations. Staff has requested us to return those to the office no later than September 8. Staff will then average allocations by all council members for each project. Chair Kilgore has laid out a set of principles by which council members are to proceed. Here are some of those guidelines. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5300 Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST The Northfield History Collaborative, a local consortium dedicated to creating online access to documents and images related to Northfield history, has received a $43,950 grant from the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage grants program. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5293 Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST The Faribault County Soil and Water Conservation District has made and circulated videos to help educate the public on proper maintenance of septic systems to prevent water pollution. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5275 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST The state s Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council has turned down a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources proposal for funding a moist soil habitat initiative designed to attract waterfowl. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5272 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST The Kasson Public Library has received several grants from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5271 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST Rural Scott County is planning routes for trails it hopes will ultimately help commuters connect with downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis. Funds from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment are helping pay for planning of the expansion of the regional trail system. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5264 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST s Creek and the St. Croix River. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5259 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST A new strategy to create waterfowl habitat in Minnesota was dealt a blow last week when the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council rejected funding for the project. said Jim Cox, a council member and former president of the Minnesota Waterfowl Association. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5253 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST How did the Council arrive at these thirty? Let me explain our process. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5250 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST The Minnesota African American Museum and Cultural Center (MAAM) was recently awarded a $50,000 grant from the state s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created by the Minnesota Legislature and approved by Minnesota voters in November 2008. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5235 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST Minnesota livestock producers have a new voluntary and proactive way to address water quality issues on their land through the Livestock Environmental Quality Assurance (LEQA) program. With funds from the environmentally-dedicated sales tax, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has launched the program to help livestock producers take the initiative on a non-regulatory basis to evaluate water quality issues and implement appropriate practices. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5234 Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST Darby Nelson is president of the Board of Directors of Conservation Minnesota and a member of the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC). The DNR Division of Forestry http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5219 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST Sections of the Heartland State Trail North will be closed temporarily while old railroad trestles at Kabekona Bay and Swamp Creek and various sections of the paved trail are rehabilitated, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5209 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST The Minnesota Department of Health has awarded grants from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to 34 communities and one business to take steps to protect drinking water supplies. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5208 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST The Nature Conservancy is starting a new program to protect native prairie with money from the state s located between two large prairies that are already protected. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5207 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST Darby Nelson is president of the Board of Directors of Conservation Minnesota and a member of the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC). Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council members have now completed our individual rankings of forty-two project proposals requesting Outdoor Heritage Funds for the current funding round. (Conservation Partners and some technical administrative funds add two more.) My next several columns will give you a feeling for the nature of some of the requests. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5197 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST The Minnesota DNR now owns 5,000 feet of shoreline in Lantern Bay of Woman Lake. On July 14, 2010, the Minnesota DNR purchased the last 200 feet of sensitive shoreland in the Lantern Bay Protection Project using new constitutionally dedicated sales tax money. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5176 Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST A Standard Issue Iron Pour held last week in Sylvan Park by the Lanesboro Arts Center culminated Saturday with the pouring of red-hot, glowing, molten iron into molds, attracting a crowd throughout the day estimated at up to 300 people. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5168 Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST The Department of Natural Resources is explaining Conservation Partners Legacy Grants and inviting applications. The s clubs. The grant amounts run from $10,000-$400,000 in size. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5159 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST Funding gathered through the Legacy Amendment is beginning to make its way to Red Wing area arts organizations. Sheldon Theatre Executive Director Sean Dowse reported that a collaboration with the James Sewell Ballet next spring will be made possible because of a $12,000 grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5142 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST Supporters of a new regional park at Detroit Mountain are optimistic about Becker County s chances of landing up to $500,000 in DNR parks and trails funding. There is $4.2 million available in fiscal year 2011 for parks and trails of regional or statewide significance. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5141 Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST Smack-dab in Dakota County s Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5128 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST Winona businesses and organizations will this weekend be showing Minnesota what the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment can do, especially for a river town that draws its identity from the arts and nature that legacy dollars have been appointed to protect. Called Legacy Weekend, a series of activities are scheduled throughout Winona to celebrate how legacy funds can enhance local use of amenities like theater, waterways and hiking trails, with many of the events free thanks to grant dollars. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5126 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that 7,504 acres of wetlands and grasslands will be restored in Minnesota through the RIM-WRP program. A total of $8.37 million in state funds was available, including $6.895 million from the Outdoor Heritage Fund, based on a recommendation by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC). Those state dollars made it possible to leverage $13.75 million in federal dollars through the NRCS Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP). http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5088 Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST Combine the chance to spend $35 million a year to improve parks and trails with Minnesotans s what you get: hefty crowds, in one case more than 100 people, for meetings to talk about how Legacy Amendment money should be spent. Recognizing that much is at stake, nearly 1,000 people came to 17 sessions held around the state in May and June. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5077 Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST All funding requests for Outdoor Heritage Fund dollars must be in the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council office by the end of the day, Thursday, July 15. Council staff will then have a week to perform a basic assessment of the proposals before sending them out to Council members. We will then have two weeks to individually evaluate and rank the proposals, http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5066 Sun, 11 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST The Brown County Historical Society Museum just got word that it has been awarded a $49,513 Legacy grant to install new shelving that will help better preserve museum records and art collections and optimize the use of space and staff time. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5063 Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST For more than a year, the Mower County Historical Society has been under a collections moratorium. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5056 Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST Five Brainerd area communities were among 56 recipients that received Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage mid-size and large grants from the Minnesota Historical Society for fiscal year 2011. The heritage grants are made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund with passage of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment by the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008. The amendment supports efforts to preserve Minnesota land, water and legacy, including our state s history and cultural heritage. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5055 Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST Maintaining a state park goes on continually, but this year jobs needing to be done have been helped along from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy amendment, which has pumped additional funding into the Parks program. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5052 Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST The Fillmore County History Center in Fountain will receive a $25,940 grant for a new wheelchair lift. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5048 Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST Conflict between Rep. Rick Hansen and other members of the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council ratcheted higher Thursday when a member of the group s ouster from the 12-member panel. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5035 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST Darby Nelson is president of the Board of Directors of Conservation Minnesota and a member of the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC). An article in Sunday about the $36 million acquisition of perpetual easements on forest land in northern Minnesota unfortunately leaves the reader with several misleading perceptions. Star Tribune writer Mike Kaszuba suggests both Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council Chair Mike Kilgore and staff of the national conservation group the Conservation Fund had conflicts of interest regarding that purchase. The implication that these people personally benefited at public expense is ludicrous. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5028 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST The City of Saint Paul has been a major beneficiary of funds from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the State Constitution approved by Minnesota voters in November 2008. Counting both direct and indirect funding, the City and its institutions have already received over $4 million in new funds for water pollution cleanup, parks and trails improvements and renewable energy demonstration projects. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=4989 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST With funds provided by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) will take a scientific look at three contaminants of growing concern for drinking water. One of the contaminants is an ingredient in anti-bacterial soaps used in the home. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5020 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST More than $4 million in state grants is available to local government units for projects to protect and restore water quality by improving feedlots near impaired waters and replacing subsurface sewage treatment systems (SSTS) that are identified as an imminent health threat. The grant programs were approved by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) on June 23. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5018 Sun, 27 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST Darby Nelson is president of the Board of Directors of Conservation Minnesota and a member of the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC). This column lays out the Lessard Outdoor Heritage Council Our proposal book for FY 2011 was well over 600 pages.) http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5014 Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grants are another example of how outdoors amendment dollars - money provided for via the state sales tax - can be used to leverage federal funds, expanding the worth of money distributed by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=5001 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST How are Legacy Amendment funds being used here in the metro area? http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=4993 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC) issued its 2012 Call for Funding Request on June 1. Requests are due Thursday, July 15. The Council anticipates recommending over $80 million for programs that, under the MN Constitution, http://www.theamendment.org/track/news/?id=4992