The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is now accepting applications for two funding opportunities through the Minnesota Lake Superior Coastal Program. The first opportunity is for the STAR (short term action request) grant program, and the second is a grant program for conference and training support.

Eligible applicants within the Coastal Program service area include local and tribal governments, non-profit organizations, public schools and universities, port authorities, joint powers and sanitary sewer boards, and conservation districts. The Coastal Program’s service area stretches from the US-Canadian border, along the 189 miles of Lake Superior coast to Duluth and then up the St. Louis River estuary to near Wrenshall. It includes portions of four counties, 31 towns and cities and two tribal nations.

The $2,500 – $10,000 STAR grants are available quarterly to balance protection of Lake Superior coastal resources with providing places for people to live, work and play. Successful projects will achieve at least one goal related to coastal habitat, coastal hazards, water quality, public access, coastal community development, or coordination and public involvement.

Competitive applications for this round of STAR grant funding are due Sept. 1, 2021.  Selected projects will  begin April 1, 2022. $75,000 in funding is available.

A separate program of non-competitive conference and training support grants of up to $4,500 are available to eligible partners to provide staff, community leaders and resource managers with training that will enhance their technical skills and knowledge for managing coastal resources.

Applications for conference and training support grant funds are due at least 30 days in advance of the event and are open as long as funds are available. Currently, $18,000 in funding is available.

More information about the grant programs, service area, and grant application forms are available on the DNR website at Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program under the grants program tab.

DNR publishes Groundwater Atlas of Winona County

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently published the Groundwater Atlas of Winona County. This atlas covers groundwater conditions and sensitivity to pollution. It expands on the geologic atlas previously published by the Minnesota Geological Survey.

The atlas can help identify viable water sources, evaluate water supply, identify recharge sources and flow, manage sustainability, guide decisions for well and septic system construction, assist in well-head protection for public water supply, research and assess pollution sensitivity.

The atlas is available online and in printed form:

• Online: Winona County Groundwater Atlas. The webpage includes geographic information system (GIS) files and PDFs of the report and maps. The web page includes associated metadata and an ArcMap file that displays the data as shown on the published maps. It includes hyperlinks to image files of the published cross sections. For the Geologic Atlas of Winona County and other completed counties, consult the County Atlas Status List.
• Paper copies: The geologic and groundwater atlases can be purchased from Minnesota Geological Survey Map Sales, 612-626-2969.

For more information on the program, visit the County Groundwater Atlas webpage.

The Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund provides partial funding for this project.