Minnesota Mixed Bag: BWSR accepting applications for Clean Water Legacy Partners Program – Outdoor News
St. Paul — The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources is now accepting grant applications for the Clean Water Legacy Partners Program, which seeks to protect, enhance, and restore water quality throughout the state. Eligible applicants are tribal governments, nongovernmental organizations, and watershed districts.
A total of $2.7 million from the Clean Water Fund is available:
$1.125 million is available for NGOs, $1.125 million is available for tribes, and $450,000 is available for watershed districts. Grant requests must be between $50,000 and $250,000; a non-state match of at least 10%, provided via cash or in-kind services, is required. The grants can be used for a wide range of conservation activities including urban stormwater practices, agricultural best management practices, shoreline stabilization projects, well sealing, and public-engagement efforts.
The application period closes Jan. 7, 2025. For more information on how to apply, see the program’s Request for Proposals on BWSR’s website.
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Horse and Hunt Club to Host Wingshooting Clinics
Prior Lake, Minn. — The Minnesota Horse and Hunt Club in Prior Lake will be holding a wingshooting clinic Oct. 26-27. The two-day event will feature one of the top professional shooting instructors in the country: Kate Ahnstrom, owner of Virginia Shooting Sports in Orange, Va. Ahnstrom will show attendees how they miss, why they miss, and how to quickly fix those issues and build consistency in shooting.
This is an opportunity for beginning and advanced shooters alike to improve consistency on the clay course or add more birds to the bag in the field. You’ll be able to shoot with family, friends, or meet someone new, with women-only and co-ed clinics throughout both days.
To register or learn more, visit www.horseandhunt.com.
Pre-Deer Opener Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters Fundraiser is Nov. 7
Minnetonka, Minn. — Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters is hosting a first-ever pre-deer opener fundraiser on Thursday, Nov. 7, at Unmapped Brewing Company in Minnetonka. Join fellow hunters, anglers, and paddlers for an evening of raffles, auctions, prizes, giveaways, and live music (from Grunge Unplugged) at “Deers & Beers: A Hunting and Hardwater Celebration” presented by We-nonah Canoe.
All proceeds from the event will go directly toward the work that Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters is engaged in to support hunting and fishing opportunities in and around northeastern Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The event will run from 5-9 p.m. Visit www.sportsmenbwca.org for additional details.
DNR State Forest Nursery Accepting Orders for Spring 2025 Seedlings
St. Paul — The Minnesota DNR’s State Forest Nursery began spring 2025 seedling sales earlier this week. With around 5 million seedlings available, landowners can reforest their property, create wildlife habitat, plant shelterbelts, or establish a woodland oasis by bulk ordering bareroot tree seedlings.
Landowners may order their seedlings using the DNR’s online ordering form. The nursery takes orders only via the online request form, but if needed, staff are available to assist during work hours at (218) 364-8010.
Visit the nursery’s seedling price list to view the inventory of native seedlings.
New for 2025: The minimum order is 300 seedlings (previously 500 seedlings). Orders may be customized in increments of 100 seedlings per species. An acre can generally accommodate 300 to 700 bareroot seedlings depending on the landowner’s goals. The nursery also offers a fruiting trees and shrubs packet that comes in 500 per packet, featuring a mix of sand cherry, red-osier dogwood, wild plum, elderberry or nannyberry, and chokecherry – ideal for creating a bird and pollinator-friendly woods.
Landowners may contact a local DNR forester for advice on selecting trees and shrubs that best match their property and management goals. Seedlings must be planted within Minnesota. The last day to order is Tuesday, March 11, 2025, but some species will sell out before then.
Zebra Mussels Confirmed in Rice Lake in Hennepin County
St. Paul — The Minnesota DNR has confirmed the presence of zebra mussels in Rice Lake, located partially in Maple Grove in Hennepin County.
A Rice Lake property owner contacted the DNR after finding zebra mussels attached to a settlement sampler affixed to their dock. Another lake resident in a different location also reported zebra mussels on a settlement sampler. DNR staff found zebra mussels on rocks in the water near these properties.
Settlement samplers aid in detection and are solid surfaces temporarily placed in the water so people can regularly check for attached zebra mussels.
People should contact a Minnesota DNR aquatic invasive species specialist if they think they have found zebra mussels or any other invasive species that was not already known to be in the water body.
More information is available on the aquatic invasive species page of the DNR website.
