Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council recommendations

SCTIMES

Ann Wesselawessel@stcloudtimes.comNovember 17, 2015The following projects proposed for counties surrounding St. Cloud — Stearns, Benton, Sherburne, Morrison and Todd — are among 40 totaling $111.5 million that the Lessard-Sams Heritage Council has recommended for funding. Dollars listed here are rounded, and reflect the trimmed amounts, not the original requests.• State Wildlife Management Area additions, Pheasants Forever, $5.23 million to purchase up to 680 acres of prairie and wetland habitat from willing sellers, including in Stearns County.• Anoka Sand Plain habitat conservation, Great River Greening, $1.2 million for Phase 4 of habitat enhancement and restoration of 917 acres including land in Sherburne, Morrison and Todd counties. Affected sites include two state WMA’s, a state forest, two Scientific and Natural Areas, a national wildlife refuge and four regional projects.• Mississippi and Crow Wing rivers buffer expansion, Camp Ripley (working with the federal Army Compatible Use Buffer program), $1.5 million to protect 660 acres of habitat through 11 conservation easements, involving the Morrison County Soil & Water Conservation District.• Waterfowl Production Areas, Pheasants Forever, $5.7 million to speed up permanent protection of 175 acres of wetlands and 585 acres of grasslands open to public hunting, including Stearns and Wright counties.• Wetland habitat protection, Minnesota Land Trust, $1.6 million to protect 750 acres of high-priority wetlands through permanent conservation easements, including in Stearns County.• Aquatic habitat protection, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, $1.6 million to continue Phase 8 of shoreline acquisition on lakes and conservation easements on trout streams, including Morrison County.• Big Rivers (and tributaries’) habitat protection, Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, $4 million to continue Phase 7, protecting 280 acres, restoring 164 acres and enhancing 613 acres of priority habitat in metro counties including Sherburne.•Coldwater fish habitat enhancements, Minnesota Trout Unlimited, $2.1 million for Phase 8 of enhancements that deal with degraded habitat on public easements, public lands and public waters, including Little Rock Creek in Benton County.