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Natural Resources Funding on the Ballot this November

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Since its establishment in 1988, the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) has invested over one billion dollars in environmental projects "for the public purpose of protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state's air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources." The constitutional dedication of these funds is set to expire in 2025, but Minnesota residents can vote this November to rededicate them through 2050. A 'Yes' vote supports this measure, whereas a 'No' vote opposes it. If left blank on the ballot, it will be counted as a 'No' vote.  

Funding for the ENRTF originates from Minnesota State Lottery proceeds and is administered by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. It is a substantial source of long-term and stable funding for a variety of organizations and projects throughout the state, supporting efforts tied to improving water quality, habitat, recreation, outreach and education, renewable energy, and more. Learn more about the ENRTF and find a full list of the 1,700(+) projects it has supported HERE. For more information contact Breanna Keith, Water Resource Specialist at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Water Quality Improvement Project Opportunities Identified in Ford Brook Watershed

Ford Brook is a stream tributary to the Rum River draining over 24,000 acres of rural lands in northwestern Anoka County. Nutrient concentrations in Ford Brook regularly exceed state standards for impairment, thereby contributing to excess nutrient loading in the Rum River. Addressing this issue requires watershed-level analyses and an understanding of which best management practice (BMP) would provide the greatest benefit per dollar spent; ACD's Subwatershed Analysis ("SWA") approach does just this.

Photo: Ford Brook Watershed location in northwestern Anoka County.

ACD has completed over 20 urban SWAs in order to strategically plan for BMPs such as stormwater ponds, rain gardens, and subsurface structures treating stormwater runoff. However, replicating this process in rural watersheds, dominated by agriculture, required different tools and techniques; ACD achieved this for the Ford Brook Watershed through the use of desktop analyses, targeted water quality monitoring, field surveys, and a new modeling tool called PTMApp. 

Photo: Cropped field with several candidate projects sited as part of this analysis. 

As a result, over 250 candidate water quality improvement projects were sited within the Ford Brook Watershed. The majority of these are agricultural practices such as cover crops, no-till farming, grassed waterways, water and sediment control basins, and enhanced riparian buffers, but additional practices such as prescribed grazing, wetland restorations, and lakeshore stabilizations were also included. For each practice, anticipated costs and water quality benefits to Ford Brook were generated, and all findings are summarized in detail in the corresponding SWA report. This report will be a valuable asset as we pursue nutrient reduction goals in Ford Brook and, by extension, the Rum River. For more information contact Breanna Keith, Water Resource Specialist at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Stabilizing Eroding Slopes

On lakeshores and riverbanks, fluctuating water levels, currents, or wave action can gradually eat away the soil along the water's edge and compromise the ground above. However, any slope – regardless of its proximity to a waterbody – can experience erosion from water runoff. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to mitigate these impacts. 

Photo: A steeply sloped lakeshore stabilized by robust native vegetation on the majority of the slope and protected from erosive wave action by fieldstone riprap along the base.

Vegetation is often essential to slope stabilization. Native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses provide ground cover, slow the velocity of water runoff, and produce a network of deep, interconnected roots, which help lock soil in place. Lawn debris, heavy shade, and invasive buckthorn are common drivers of suppressed plant growth. To manage these challenges, avoid dumping yard waste on sloped areas, prune trees and shrubs to increase sunlight, and remove buckthorn using these techniques. Then, bolster the native plant community with supplemental seeding and/or plantings. Be sure to select species well-suited to your property, and support them as they became established by removing weeds, watering when needed, and covering temporarily exposed soils with erosion control fabric. This seed selection tool, plant finder tool, and native plant encyclopedia can help you select plants well-suited to your site.  

Photo: Straw wattles used to manage erosion on a sandy slope in Anoka County. The area was later hydro-seeded and planted with native vegetation.

In some cases, additional stabilization elements are needed. Rock rip-rap, coir logs, and tree revetments are commonly used to protect the zone where moving water meets the land and restricts vegetation growth. Excessively steep slopes can be re-shaped to a more stable grade, and brush or straw wattles can be trenched into the slope to slow water runoff and trap soil. Taking early action to stabilize your slope is key to avoiding costlier solutions such as retaining walls or other heavily engineered approaches. For more information contact Breanna Keith, Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

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Four New Rain Gardens Coming Soon to a Fridley Neighborhood

Stormwater runoff from Fridley's Channel Rd. NE neighborhood currently flows to and through the storm sewer network directly to Rice Creek, untreated. This is a common occurrence in well-established neighborhoods built prior to stormwater treatment regulations. However, thanks to collaboration between the City of Fridley, Rice Creek Watershed District (RCWD), ACD, and private landowners, this neighborhood with soon be retrofitted with four curb-cut rain gardens designed to reduce water volume and pollutants entering Rice Creek. 

Photo: Planting excerpt from design plans (compiled by ACD) for a upcoming rain garden installation.

These gardens have been strategically located throughout the neighborhood in order to capture as much runoff as possible. The benefits of infiltrating this stormwater will amount to an estimated reduction of 56,192 cubic feet of water, 3.57 lbs of phosphorus, and 677 lbs of total suspended solids to Rice Creek per year. Each garden will also be densely planted with native forbs, grasses, and shrubs to provide improved water infiltration and pockets of high-quality habitat in a highly developed landscape. 

Photo: A rain garden installed in 2022 as part of a previous multi-project effort in Fridley’s Rice Creek Terrace Neighborhood

Funding is provided by the RCWD's water quality cost share program and the City of Fridley. Landowners at each garden site have voluntarily enrolled in this opportunity and have agreed to maintain these gardens to ensure long-term functionality. For more information contact Breanna Keith, Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

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Emergent Vegetation Plays an Important Role in Lake Health

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Emergent aquatic plants such as cattails, bulrushes, and sedges grow within the shallow margins, or "littoral zone", of most lakes in Minnesota. These plants improve water clarity as their roots stabilize the lakebed and take in nutrients. Their stems and leaves provide habitat both above and below the water, and they protect shorelines against the forces of wave action. Emergent plants often grow alongside other aquatic vegetation, collectively creating diverse habitat essential to lake health. 

Any Destruction of Emergent Vegetation Requires a Permit in Minnesota - Lakeshore owners often wish to remove emergent vegetation to improve their water access. Given the important role emergent vegetation plays in lakes, any removal of aquatic emergent plants requires a permit from the Department of Natural Resources. The permit process connects landowners with professionals to ensure that the extent of vegetation removal (and methods used to achieve it) minimize impacts to the lake. Learn more about aquatic plant regulations HERE.

When Does Emergent Vegetation Become Problematic? - Non-native species such as narrow-leaf and hybrid cattails often grow in dense monocultures that can outcompete native species. Habitat quality and recreation can be quickly reduced as these species spread across large areas of shallow water, but management efforts to remove them are often challenging and costly. When occurring in small clusters, these plants can still provide water quality benefits along shorelines where native emergent plants are absent. In either circumstance, any removal of emergent plants - even if non-native -  requires a permit.


Expectations for Living on a Lake - Aquatic vegetation is a natural and important part of lake and wetland systems. The abundance and types of plants present are largely driven by water depth and clarity. Many lakes in the north metro are shallow (less than 15 ft. deep) or are technically open-water wetlands. When paired with good water quality allowing sunlight to reach the bottom, these lakes usually contain abundant vegetation throughout. The alternative is poor water quality from disturbances such as excessive nutrients, which can  reduce aquatic vegetation and the fish and wildlife that depend on it. Learn more about shallow lake vegetation from this StoryMap produced by the Rice Creek Watershed District: Aquatic Plants: Guardians of our Shallow Lakes.

For more information contact Breanna Keith, Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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