Hennepin County Public Works Environment and Energy

Hennepin County Community Works, Environment and Energy, and Sentencing to Service plant bare-root gravel-bed trees along Hiawatha Avenue (CSAH 55) in South Minneapolis. A total of nearly 136 trees were installed on this corridor in 2015 to increase canopy area, provide shade, and reduce the urban heat island effect.

Hennepin County -

Natural Resources Management Program

2015 Accomplishments

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Introduction As the county’s official soil and water conservation district, Hennepin County takes the lead on delivering of soil and water conservation services in the county. Conservation programs and services provided by the county include:

• Providing technical and financial assistance to landowners and local governments to protect and preserve the county’s natural resources.

• Maintaining and updating countywide natural resource and wetland inventories. • Implementing environmental education and volunteer water quality monitoring programs. • Pursuing and fostering internal and external partners to protect and enhance the county’s natural

resources. The following is a summary of the county’s accomplishments in delivering of conservation services and managing natural resources in 2015: Provided technical and financial assistance

Awarded natural resources grants to six projects totaling $156,000 to implement best management practices that protect natural resources. The grant projects will implement stormwater best management practices, promote stormwater reuse, and stabilize and enhance riparian areas. The natural resource grants leveraged $400,000 of Clean Water, Land and Legacy funds and about $420,000 from local in-kind and cash matches. Since the program was established in 2005, the natural resources grant programs have provided more than $625,000 to landowners and local governments for 60 projects.

Awarded environmental education grants to support organizations in implementing projects that engage and empower residents to take action to protect and improve the environment. Funded projects focused on a wide range of educational activities including reducing waste, increasing recycling, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, and protecting air and water quality.

In 2015, the program funded 25 projects totaling $248,800. Since the program was established in 2012, 67 projects totaling $628,000 have been completed. Provided well-sealing funding totaling $35,509 to help landowners seal 36 abandoned wells.

The Parkway Place townhome complex received a natural resources grant to reduce stormwater runoff by removing impervious surfaces and incorporating bioretention features.

Students make prints of rain garden plants at the Highpoint Center for Printmaking, which received a grant to do water education with students using their on-site rain gardens.

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Awarded Disaster Recovery Assistance Program (DRAP) funds totaling $308,000 to three applicants to implement numerous projects to repair flood damage caused by a series of intense rainfall events in June 2014. Hennepin County was one of 37 Minnesota counties and three tribal governments declared disaster areas under DR-4182 caused by the flood damage. As part of the process, the county solicited applicants for the cost-share funds and adopted a DRAP Cost-Share Policy for DR-4182 as well as any future DRAP funds. Provided funding for the assessment and cleanup of contaminated sites through the Environmental Response Fund (ERF). In 2015, the program provided more than $2 million for 18 projects that address a variety of assessment and cleanup activities including soil and groundwater evaluation and cleanup of properties that are eventually redeveloped into housing, mixed use and commercial properties and green space. To date, Hennepin County has awarded 328 ERF grants totaling $46.3 million. Received a 2015 Brownfields Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the Surly Brewery project in Minneapolis, which used ERF funding for contaminated soil cleanup. Provided technical assistance to landowners and local governments by reviewing about 50 site plans and participating on technical advisory committees (TACs) for the Pioneer-Sarah and Elm Creek watersheds. Staff also participated on TACs and provided review and comment on county watershed plan updates, plan amendments and draft rules. Additionally, staff conducted site visits and provided technical assistance to county residents on sustainable landscaping, riparian erosion, stormwater, floodplain, and public and private ditch and culvert issues.

Promoted collaboration and coordination among county natural resource management entities through the facilitation of the Hennepin Natural Resources Partnership, a group of representatives from watersheds, cities, county departments and state and regional natural resources agencies. The partnership encourages the sharing of information, increases opportunities to leverage resources, and provides a venue to address countywide policy issues. In 2015, the county facilitated six partnership meetings to promote collaborative land and water management efforts on issues transecting political and hydrologic boundaries such as emerald ash borer preparedness, the Master Water Steward program and contaminated soils remediation and funding. Worked with cities and residents on drainage questions and complaints through site visits with the landowner adjacent to Judicial Ditch 19 in the City of Independence, answering questions related pertaining to other county ditches, and discussing with the City of Maple Grove the process for them to acquire ditches within their boundaries from the county.

The Surly Brewery, which used ERF funds to remediate contaminated soil, received an outstanding achievement award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Drafted the Hennepin County Natural Resources Strategic Plan to help guide the county in responding to natural resource issues and developing policies, programs and partnerships that improve, protect and preserve natural resources. This is the county's first comprehensive strategic plan focused on the protection and preservation of natural resources. The county gathered feedback on the draft plan from 500 participants through meetings, presentations, surveys and events. Participants included residents and representatives from watersheds, cities, park districts, state and regional agencies, and community and internal partners. Participants generally favored the plan’s emphasis on partnerships, supported the idea of the county taking a more active role in facilitating collaboration in natural resources management, and saw opportunity for the county to lead by example. The draft plan will be brought to the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners for adoption in 2016.

Protected and preserved natural resources

Prevented the introduction and spread of invasive species by continuing to participate on regional and statewide invasive species task forces, educating the public on the actions they need to take, and allocating state funding to enhance efforts to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. The county awarded grants to cities, park districts and watersheds for a variety of projects including enhanced watercraft inspections, public education, and the purchase of decontamination units. The county also offered early detection workshops, prepared conceptual designs for a permanent boat wash station, conducted research into the prevalence of alternative pathways for aquatic invasive species introduction throughout the county, and developed educational tools. The county has submitted guidelines for using state aquatic invasive species prevention aid to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources so this work can continue in 2016.

Initiated a subwatershed retrofit assessment on the Ardmore Lake subwatershed, identifying potential rural and urban best management practices that could be implemented to reduce the amount of nutrients going into Lake Independence in Medina. The county also continued to work with the City of Greenfield, the Pioneer-Sarah Creek Watershed Management Commission and the Lake Sarah Improvement Association to find willing landowners to implement best management practices identified in the Dance Hall Creek Subwatershed Assessment.

Participants at an early detection workshop get hands-on training in identifying various aquatic invasive species.

The Hennepin County Natural Resources Strategic Plan will guide the protection of land and water in the county.

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Started a wetland restoration at the county home school to bolster the availability of wetland mitigation credits within the county. Currently, wetland mitigation often occurs outside of Hennepin County because there are limited wetland mitigation credits available within the county. This project will involve restoring a large wetland complex located at the Hennepin County Home School in Minnetonka in order to establish a wetland mitigation bank. These credits could be used to replace wetlands impacted during county projects or sold to promote no-net-loss of wetlands in the county and fund future wetland restoration and mitigation banking projects.

Continued to establish and manage county-owned conservation easements to permanently protect critical natural areas. In 2015, county staff completed required inspections on three Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) easements, conducted routine inspections on more than 35 easements, met with landowners to discuss boundaries and management issues, installed easement boundary signs, completed vegetation maintenance activities and distributed change of ownership information packets. In addition, staff worked to secure conservation easements on portions of tax-forfeit parcels in Rogers and Hanover to protect Cowley Lake and the Crow River.

Established a gravel-bed nursery with more than 500 trees of 12 different species at the Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility. The gravel-bed nursery gives the county access to a wider variety of tree species for use on county projects and properties, will help the county proactively replace ash trees that will ultimately be infected with the emerald ash borer, and will produce trees that have a higher survival rate than conventional nursery trees. There are an estimated 1 million ash trees in Hennepin County that will be lost to the emerald ash borer.

The trees were transplanted to a variety of county projects and properties. Planting projects in 2015 includes at the Cepro greenspace along the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis, along Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis, at the county’s maintenance facility in Orono, and at the Adult Corrections Facility in Plymouth. Planting projects achieve a variety of goals, such enhancing shade and aesthetics, increasing tree canopy, reducing the urban heat island effect and replacing trees that had died or were scheduled for removal.

Map of a proposed wetland restoration at the Hennepin County Home School.

Trees from the gravel bed nursery (above) were replanted planted at a community park adjacent to the Midtown Greenway (below).

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Participated in the enforcement of the Wetland Conservation Act (WCA). The county regulates wetlands under WCA by participating on Technical Evaluation Panels (TEPs) and writing restoration orders related to WCA violations. The county participated on 95 wetland TEPs, wrote four restoration orders and closed seven cases in 2015.

Worked to control and prevent the spread of noxious weeds by administering and enforcing the state’s noxious weed laws and rules and providing education, training and outreach to professional land managers and local weed inspectors. In 2015, the county handled 27 new noxious weed issues and complaints and followed up on those handled in previous years. The county also inspected county right-of-ways for noxious weeds and worked with cities to respond to complaints.

Updated and maintained natural resources data

Worked on updating the county’s geologic atlas in cooperation with the Minnesota Geological Survey (MGS) and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. County staff located 6,876 wells that were entered into the county’s Geological Information System and provided to the MGS for inclusion in the revised atlas.

Maintained, updated and enhanced the county’s natural resources inventory and associated natural resources interactive map, including updating the Minnesota Land Cover Classification System (MLCSS) data. Enhancements to the interactive map included adding map layers, tools, metadata, advanced search options and links to additional natural resources information. The inventory and map help to identify critical habitats and natural resource corridors for protection and is used by cities to develop open space plans.

Provided environmental education and volunteer opportunities

Promoted the conservation services the county provides to partners and residents through the updated conservation services website, the monthly Green Notes e-newsletter, the county’s social media channels, print pieces, and education resources provided to partners.

The Natural Resources Interactive Map is a tool local governments can use to make land use decisions and landowners can use to learn more about their land.

Example of a filled wetland that would need to be remediated or replaced under WCA.

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Offered volunteer water quality monitoring and outreach programs through the Stream Health Evaluation Program (SHEP), Wetland Health Evaluation Program (WHEP) and River Watch. In 2015, teams of volunteers evaluated the quality of 36 wetlands through WHEP and collected invertebrate information on seven stream sites through SHEP. More than 300 students from nine schools collected invertebrate and habitat data on 17 sites through River Watch. The county also launched an interactive map for the River Watch program so that students and teachers can compare the data they collect to historical data for that stream as well as analyze how land use may impact water quality.

Participated in planning and implementation of environmental education programs including the Metro Children’s Water Festival, Envirothon, and West Metro Water Alliance. The county also facilitated four Non-Point Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) workshops and piloted NatureFest, an environmental education field day for fifth graders, in partnership with the Three Rivers Park District. Over two days, 260 students from underserved schools learned about nature and the actions they can take to protect the environment through a variety of activities, such as wading into the Mississippi River to collect organisms that help to determine the health of the river, learning how to fish, catching insects in sweep nets and decorating reusable bags with their pledge to protect the environment. Partnered in offering two free workshops for the county’s rural agriculture community on managing horse stables and farmland to protect water quality. The Horse Stable Land Management Techniques Field Day taught participants about managing horse manure, pastures and other facilities in ways that keep horses, people, and local waters clean and healthy. The Women Caring for the Land workshop targeted women who own farmland and focused on land conservation, connecting farm owners with local resources, and facilitating peer-to-peer discussio ns about land management and conservation goals.

Fostered strong partnerships to meet common goals Continued to develop strong partnerships with a variety of

entities including cities, water management groups, other soil and water conservation districts, local, state and federal agencies and non-governmental organizations to further our ability to deliver technical assistance, provide educational activities, and leverage funds for the protection of natural resources. The county participated in numerous multi-entity cooperative groups such as the Metro Conservation Districts, Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and the Crow River Organization of Water. The county also assisted four watershed

A student collects macroinvetebrates to assess water quality through the River Watch program.

Runoff from improper agricultural activities can lead to degradation of nearby water resources.

Students analyze organisms collected from the Mississippi River during NatureFest.

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management organizations certify funding to implement water quality projects under MN Statute 103B.251.

Participated in the North Fork of the Crow River One Watershed One Plan planning process. County staff served on the advisory committee on this project that will result in a comprehensive water management plan for the entire North Fork of the Crow River. All entities outside the seven-county metro will operate under this plan, which will be "prioritized, targeted and measureable" to ensure that resources from all project partners are dedicated to the activities and causes that can have the greatest effects in the watershed.

Prioritized staff development Sent staff to workshops, conferences and educational opportunities in order to stay current on natural resources management issues and needs and to expand knowledge on state-of-the-art management methods and analytical tools. In 2015, staff attended the Minnesota Water Resources Conference, Clean Water Summit, Annual Road Salt Symposium, Environmental Initiative Forums, Metro Summit for Lake and River Groups, University of Minnesota Wetlands Conference, Minnesota Master Naturalist Conference, Community-Based Social Marketing Workshop, International Association of Public Participation 2 (IAP2) Training, Northwest Metro Water Supply Workgroup, BWSR Academy, County AIS Summit, K-12 NEMO presentation training, stormwater and Clean Water Land and Legacy funding workshops, and numerous webinars on an array of natural resources management topics.

For more information

For more information on the conservation services and programs the county provides or participates in, visit www.hennepin.us/naturalresources or contact Randy Anhorn, supervisor of the Hennepin County Land and Water Unit, at 612-348-2027 or randy.anhorn@hennepin.us.