The Minnesota County Geologic Atlas program is an ongoing effort begun in 1982 that is being conducted jointly by the University of Minnesota's Minnesota Geological Survey and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The program collects information on the geology of Minnesota to create maps and reports depicting the characteristics and pollution sensitivity of Minnesota's ground-water resources. County Geologic Atlases are used in planning and environmental protection efforts at all levels of government and by businesses to ensure sound planning, management, and protection of land and water resources. The Minnesota Geological Survey will use this appropriation to:

• Initiate geologic atlases for Sherburne and Morrison counties;
• Continue work on county geologic atlases already in progress;
• Make collected data available in a digital format;
• Investigate the hydrologic properties of the St. Lawrence Formation in southeastern Minnesota;
• Evaluate methods for investigating groundwater flow pathways in urban areas, using Rochester, MN as the test area.

A state Breeding Bird Atlas is a comprehensive systematic field survey of the occurrence, distribution, diversity, and breeding status of bird species within the state. Atlases are used to set conservation priorities, develop conservation plans, and guide habitat protection and restoration efforts. Minnesota is one of only seven states in the country that has yet to complete a Breeding Bird Atlas. Audubon Minnesota and the Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota - Duluth will use this appropriation to continue development of the Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas and create related publications, including a book and online atlas with distribution maps, breeding status, and historical species information.

The Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive insect that has been decimating ash trees throughout the Great Lake states and is currently advancing into Minnesota, where it threatens ash forests that occur across much of the state. Of particular concern is the impact Emerald Ash Borer will have on the ecology and functioning of black ash swamps, which cover over one million acres in Minnesota and represent the state's most common ash forest type. Scientists at the University of Minnesota's Department of Forest Resources are using this appropriation to conduct a five year study that will assess the likelihood of this invasive insect extending into the black ash forests in the northern part of Minnesota and its potential impact on these marshy forest areas. Findings will inform management recommendations for mitigating the potential impacts of Emerald Ash Borer.

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been decimating ash throughout the Lake States and is currently threatening the future of the ash forests that occur across much of Minnesota. Of particular concern is the impact of EAB on black ash swamps, which cover over one million acres. This project was designed to increase our understanding of the impacts of EAB through the establishment of a network of research sites in black ash forests. Treatments simulating EAB-induced mortality (all trees girdled in 4-acre areas) and associated management responses (i.e., clearcutting and group selection harvests) were implemented at eight, large-scale (20 acre) research sites on the Chippewa National Forest. Each treatment included two levels of planting (planting or no planting) to evaluate the potential for planting non-host species to increase the resilience of these areas to EAB. Planted seedlings included American elm, white cedar, yellow birch, tamarack, and swamp white oak. Results from this project indicate that loss of black ash will have significant impacts on the hydrology of these areas with clearcut and girdled (EAB mortality) plots experiencing flooded conditions that extended six to eight weeks longer than other areas. Estimates of black ash's contribution to the water budget indicate it accounts for 40-80% of total evapotranspiration, reinforcing the important role it plays in ash swamp hydrology. Three-year survival of planted seedlings also reflect its hydrologic influence, with lowest overall survival rates in clearcuts due to flooded, marsh-like conditions in these areas. Swamp white oak, hackberry, and American elm had the greatest survival rates of planted species (>80% in non-clearcut areas) with the lowest rates observed for black spruce, northern white cedar, and tamarack (less than 20%). Collectively, these results underscore the importance of maintaining black ash canopies in these areas to increase the success of plantings aimed at reducing vulnerability to EAB.

The results of this project have been shared on numerous occasions with resource professionals, policy makers, citizens, and scientists over the past five years in efforts to inform forest conservation decisions regarding the impacts of emerald ash borer on black ash forests in Minnesota. These dissemination activities have included the development of a fact sheet for LCCMR members that was distributed on the LCCMR tour of Itasca State Park on July 18, 2013. In addition, we have shared the results from this project with private forest landowners, and county, state, tribal and federal natural resource managers on multiple occasions, including at the Aitkin County Land Department Ash Workshop on March 9, 2012, Forest Health Workshop in Walker, MN on February 12, 2013, and North Central Forest Pest Workshop in Frontenac, MN on September 24, 2013. We organized and led a Black Ash Field Day at our research sites on August 21, 2013 for 38 field foresters, loggers, and landowners and also included several stops at our research sites as part of a Climate-Informed Forest Management field tour of the Chippewa National Forest on May 8, 2014 for 100 participants. We have developed a "silviculture case study" of the five-year results of this project that will posted online on the "Great Lakes Silviculture Prescription Library" website this fall. Result of the project have also been presented at the Midwest-Great Lakes Society for Ecological Restoration Chapter Meeting in St. Paul, MN on March 28, 2014, Midwest Invasive Species Conference in Duluth, MN on October 22, 2014, Black Ash Symposium in Orono, ME on November 4, 2014, and Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative Wildlife and Forest Research Review in Cloquet, MN on February 24, 2015. Finally, the project PI has served on the Minnesota DNR black ash management guideline committee since the inception of this project and has shared project results to influence the current recommendations for managing MN black ash forests in the face of EAB. Publications resulting from this work are available for download from the Department of Forest Resources web site (www.forestry.umn.edu). Additional publications from this work that are currently in development will also be posted on this site and shared with LCCMR staff for dissemination.

Invasive plants cause considerable ecological and economic damage in Minnesota and their control is often difficult to achieve in a long-term cost-effective manner. Although not immune from invasion, healthy forests may be somewhat resistant to invasion; therefore management aimed at maintaining, restoring, or enhancing key forest characteristics might be a useful strategy for slowing forest invasion. Scientists from the University of Minnesota's Department of Forest Resources will use this appropriation to study 80 different forest sites in order to determine the links between forest attributes and plant invasion. Findings will be used to make recommendations for how to best manage forests to resist invasive species.

The primary project goal was to identify forest characteristics effective as deterrents to invasive plants. Healthy forests are likely more resistant to invaders, so management to enhance these key characteristics might slow the spread of invaders.

Invasive plants sometimes form dense thickets that affect recreation and wildlife and exclude native plant species. To determine how various site characteristics affected the abundance of common buckthorn and other invaders, we surveyed plant diversity in 67 sites in central and southern Minnesota. At each site, we measured environmental characteristics to simultaneously account for other factors that might influence invasibility. Buckthorn was most abundant in sites with sparse leaf litter, where seed availability was high, and where native plant diversity was low. Both a greenhouse experiment and a second field study indicated that introduced earthworms also benefit germinating invasive plants by eliminating leaf litter.

We propose the idea of "preventive environmental care" that, like preventative medicine, manages forests to maintain "wellness". Although not a panacea for reducing invasion, it is worth considering given the challenges of controlling established invasive species. We suggest managers enhance the competitive challenge to invaders by increasing the diversity of native species by seeding natives and/or reducing the density of white-tailed deer, a species that severely impacts native forest plants. Furthermore, timber harvests should be limited to the winter season and trail maintenance should be done in a way that limits disturbance. This will help maintain intact native understory plants and litter layers, important deterrents to invasive plant establishment. However, none of these approaches are likely to be successful without a strong effort to control landscape level seed availability. Collaborative management with neighboring landowners is crucial to any effort that hopes to reduce invasibility.

To summarize results from the project and provide guidelines for management, we prepared a pamphlet that included all aspects of the research, as it pertains to the invasion of buckthorn. The pamphlet also provides suggestions for pre-invasion management to reduce invasibility, the main focus of the "Healthy Forests" research project. We distributed the pamphlet to all participants at a symposium held on August 14, 2013. The pamphlet is available as a pdf from the project website, http://forestecology.cfans.umn.edu/Research/Buckthorn/index.htm.

We presented talks at the Upper Midwest Invasive Species conference (a regional meeting focused on invasive species) and the Ecological Society of America conference (an international conference focusing on all aspects of ecology) in 2012 and 2013. The talks focused on measuring propagule pressure, the greenhouse study, the relationship between earthworm and buckthorn buckthorn, and the effects of native species diversity on buckthorn abundance.

On August 14, we hosted a symposium on the St. Paul campus that brought together managers, researchers, and private landowners to share the latest information on invasive plants in Minnesota forests. In addition to talks based on this LCCMR project, other speakers presented information about buckthorn invasion on the prairie-forest border in west central Minnesota, garlic mustard (another common plant invader in Minnesota's forests) as a driver of species invasion, management of buckthorn from a forester's perspective, and management efforts to control other common invasive plants. The symposium was attended by 100 people. The project website has links to recordings of all the symposium talks, as well as links to the MS Access database, species lists from all survey sites, and a photo gallery.

We have published one paper ("Community phylogenetic diversity and abiotic site characteristics influence abundance of the invasive plant Rhamnus cathartica L.") in the Journal of Plant Ecology. A second paper based on results from our greenhouse experiment (Native plant diversity and introduced earthworms have contrasting effects on the success of invasive plants") has been submitted to the peer-reviewed journal Biological Invasions. More papers are in preparation including one focusing on propagule pressure and another that documents the relationship between earthworms and buckthorn abundance.

The round goby is an invasive fish that is rapidly spreading throughout the Great Lakes. One reason for its rapid expansion is that round goby outcompetes native fish through its ability to spawn throughout the spring and summer in contrast to native fish, which only spawn once a year. Interrupting this reproductive cycle in some way could be used to help halt further expansion of round goby and control existing populations. Scientists from the University of Minnesota - Duluth are using this appropriation to develop and test a method for trapping these fish using sounds that mimic those that male gobies use to attract females to the nest.

The bioacoustics of the round goby population in the Duluth-Superior Harbor were investigated over the course of three summers. The goal of the project was to assess the behavior and the sound production of this invasive species to develop a fish trap to target this invasive species. Fish were found to move offshore during the winter and thus subsequent concentrations were thought to have great potential for collection. However, fish were found to be inactive the majority of the winter and did not produce sound. Sound production coincided with the resumption of swimming activity and feeding in late spring with vocalization first recorded when water temperature exceeded 8 degrees C, which correlated with the initiation of spawning. Two choice experimental trials succeeded in attracting the fish to sound sources using both pure tones and round goby vocalizations, indicating that fish can find the origin of sound. Several different traps were produced and bioacoustical field trials were conducted. We were able to capture, for the first time, round gobies in unbaited traps using sound as the only stimulus and observed many round gobies approach sound sources but fail to enter the traps. As they readily enter the same traps when baited, it was concluded that although sound is an effective attractant, it is not the only sensory modality that round goby use to approach calling males. Future experiments that would combine sound with a large sexually mature fish and/or pheromones could significantly increase the number of fish that enter the trap and could prove to be an effective strategy.

Project manager collaborated with the Great Lakes aquarium to produce a audio video exhibit on invasive fish. Two master's students, Jared Leino (degree pending) and Elise Cordo (degree in progress), received funding from the project and five undergraduate students received funding for summer research. Additionally several manuscripts are in preparation and will be submitted for publication.

Biomass-based energy holds important potential as a viable renewable alternative to non-renewable fossil-based energy supplies; however significant challenges to biomass energy technologies remain to be overcome before such a role can be achieved at a large scale. Researchers at the University of Minnesota's Center for Biorefining, in partnership with the Metropolitan Council, are using this appropriation to develop, build, and test a pilot scale fuel production system that uses the nutrients in sewage wastewater to grow algae that can then be harvested to produce biodiesel. Additional benefits resulting from the system may include improved water quality, minimized freshwater and land use, reduced carbon emissions, and capture and recycling of plant nutrients. With additional research and development of this system it could potentially be implemented at other wastewater treatment facilities and adapted to other waste streams throughout Minnesota and beyond.

Current biomass energy technologies have encountered economic, ecological, and policy concerns, including feed stock procurement, energy balance, carbon footprint, competition for food and fuel, water use, and others. This project was built on our existing collaborative R&D partnership to demonstrate an innovative photosynthetic algae production system which simultaneously produces high lipid oil for bio-fuel production, captures and recycles nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater, and sequesters carbon dioxide. The goal of the project was to develop, build, and test a pilot scale algae production system that will treat concentrated wastewater and animal facility wastewater and generate algal biomass for production of biofuels and bioproducts. More than 10 high performance algae strains have been developed for specific applications such as oil accumulation, nutrient removal, growth under low temperature and low light conditions, and accumulation of high value lipids. Growth conditions were optimized for specific applications. A pilot cultivation facility with a cultivation volume of 20,000 liters was developed and demonstrated. The microwave assisted pyrolysis was found to be an excellent conversion alternative to conventional oil extraction based biodiesel process, and the hydrothermal process is a cost effective pretreatment technology to improve dewatering of algal biomass. The life cycle analysis results indicate that our technologies, which integrate wastewater into algal cultivation, can improve the environmental performance of algal biofuels. The life cycle analysis study also suggests that utilization of multiple major waste streams in wastewater plants should be developed to maximize the economic and environmental benefits of algae based technologies. The outcomes of the project point to a great potential of algae technologies for simultaneous removal of nitrogen, phosphorus, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and other nutrients in municipal and animal wastewaters; sequestration of carbons in organic matters and flue gas; and at the same time accumulation of biomass for production of high vale biofuels and bioproducts.

Information about the project results were disseminated through more than 10 presentations at national and international conferences, five demonstrations to stakeholders, eleven peer-reviewed journal publications, and through a website: http://biorefining.cfans.umn.edu.

Perennial grasslands have the potential to provide Minnesota with locally grown energy sources that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve water quality, and provide other important benefits. However, much remains unknown about how these crops will be impacted by factors such as climate change and invasive species. Through this appropriation, researchers at the University of Minnesota's Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve will study how irrigation, fertilization, and climate warming impact perennial grassland biofuel crops in terms of yield, carbon sequestration, plant biodiversity, water quality, and susceptibility to invasive species. Findings will be used to develop methods for optimizing biofuel production, carbon storage, and habitat restoration.

Minnesota's perennial grasslands produce considerable biomass that could become a valuable resource for producing renewable energy. How might Minnesota's capacity to produce biomass for biofuels be impacted by climate change and anticipated mitigation practices? We explored the impacts of warming, fertilization, and irrigation on biomass production at the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve.

Our major overall finding is that high diversity mixtures of prairie perennials provided the best combination of biomass production, invasion resistance, carbon storage in soil, and response to climate warming of all the biomass crops we tested.

Specific findings from the Climate Experiment include:

1. Compared to low diversity mixtures of prairie plant species, high diversity mixtures produced much more biomass when experiencing normal weather, were more resilient to the stress of warming, and had their biomass production increase the most from warming.
2. High diversity mixes enhanced ecosystem services more than low diversity mixes by sequestering more carbon in soils and being less prone to invasion by non-native species.
3. Warming inhibited seed establishment. This could reduce invasions by non-native species, but might threaten establishment of native prairie restorations.

The Fertilization & Irrigation Experiment found:

1. Fertilization had similar impacts across all species mixtures.
2. Moderate fertilization and irrigation increased productivity, with the largest effects in the Panicum, Panicum+Grasses, and High Diversity plots.

Overall findings on plant invasion showed:

1. Invasion is inhibited by higher diversity species mixtures.
2. A potential biofuel crop, Miscanthus (as a sterile hybrid), was ineffective at producing biomass in central Minnesota, at least on sandy, drier soils. It had detectable, but moderate invasion into native prairies.

This research has been documented in one publication. Two manuscripts have been submitted and are either in review or under revision. Another manuscript is in preparation. We anticipate additional publications will follow. In 2012, the education programming Cedar Creek reached 6,619 users, including K-12 students, teachers, and the general public.

The data from these studies will be included in Cedar Creek's database and made publicly available on the Cedar Creek website. Researchers around the world access and use the data on this site for diverse ecological analyses in many research areas including, among others, biodiversity, invasion, and climate change studies.

The results of these studies are integrated into the educational programming and outreach at Cedar Creek. In 2012, 1,777 K-12 students participated in on-site programs. 1,062 K-12 students participated in off-site programs. Furthermore, 120 K-12 teachers participated in professional development opportunities at Cedar Creek and in their schools. At the university level, 845 students and faculty have made use of Cedar Creek programs, courses, meetings, and workshops both on and off-site. There have been 1,070 visitors to the experimental sites where this study took place.

One journal article that documents findings from this study has been published. See:

Isbell, F., 2013, Nutrient enrichment, biodiversity loss, and consequent declines in ecosystem productivity, PNAS, 110: 29.

A second publication by Heather Whittington is under revision in Oecologia and a third has been submitted to Functional Biology. Jane Cowles has a fourth article in preparation. We anticipate additional publications will result from this work.

More than 7,000 acres of public and private lands needing restoration have been identified within 75 miles of St. Paul. Given the various emerging markets for woody biomass, a unique opportunity has been identified. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will use this appropriation to continue development of an innovative approach to improving lands by harvesting ecologically inappropriate woody vegetation and working with local markets to turn the resulting biomass into marketable products such as mulch, animal bedding, firewood, and wood pellets for energy generation. Funds raised from the sale of these products could then be used to expand this type of model into other areas of Minnesota. In addition to helping stimulate local economies, benefits of this approach also include enhanced biodiversity and effective utilization of woody material traditionally burned or landfilled.

This innovative project helped restore 385 acres of critical habitat and high quality native plant communities by removing ecologically inappropriate woody vegetation (exotic and/or native species) while stimulating local economies through jobs and strategic utilization of the biomass material for bioenergy and other products. This project facilitated habitat restoration efforts that might not have otherwise occurred while making the woody material, traditionally burned or landfilled, available to established and emerging woody biomass markets.

Of the $600,000 appropriation, $490,666 was spent on eleven projects. Seven non-DNR public and private landowners received a total of $324,530 granted through a competitive process. Four DNR projects received a total of $166,136. A variety of types of projects (based on restoration goals, species/type of woody biomass material, density, distance, land ownership, utilization opportunity, etc.) were completed.

Projects were selected based on critical requirements including ecological value and recovery potential of the project site, current ecologically-based management plan, project-specific harvest plan, post-harvest restoration plan, and demonstrated capacity and long-term commitment to effectively manage the site to achieve and maintain restoration goals.

Viable markets were identified prior to project implementation. Utilization of the woody biomass resulted in 291 semi-truck loads or 5,280 tons for bioenergy, 242 semi-truck loads of commercial mulch, 450 cords of pine sawlogs, 6 log loads of cottonwood for pallets, and pine cabin logs. Biomass material was either sold separately from the harvest with revenue collected, or in conjunction with the harvest where contractors valued the material (deducted from the harvest bid) and were responsible for final utilization. Revenues collected ($11,100) and values attributed ($4,000) were reinvested for further purposes of the project.

This project demonstrated that there are opportunities to sell or properly utilize ecologically inappropriate woody vegetation removed through habitat restoration activities. The long-term vision for this effort is to achieve an ecologically sound and systematic approach that addresses: current and future issues of habitat restoration and enhancement; renewable energy and climate change; invasive species, and natural resources conservation planning and implementation - all of which are effected, to some degree, by the impacts and opportunities of woody biomass.

The webpage "Linking Habitat Restoration to Bioenergy and Local Economies" located at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/habitat_biomass.htmlprovides an overview of the entire project, the project fact sheet, the LCCMR-approved Work Program, and the final report.

Project data were compiled and regularly updated for the DNR's Grant Outcomes webpage to provide project descriptions, funding information, indicators, targets and outcomes information. The website is located at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/grants/outcomes/index.html.

Project information was shared at public workshops, conferences and meetings through formal presentations, panel discussions, informal conversations and handouts, such as the project fact sheet and other printed materials, targeted for the audience. Project information was also shared with DNR staff through staff meetings, project coordination, formal presentations, and informal discussions.

Telephone conversations and meetings were convened with land managers/owners, harvest contractors, and biomass market industry representatives to discuss the project, garner insights for improvements to implementing this project, identify challenges and opportunities to move this effort forward and to facilitate connections between landowners, contractors, and biomass end-users.

The key messages were:

1. For land managers/owners conducting habitat restoration projects: explore and implement the option to utilize the biomass material removed versus piling and burning or landfilling;
2. For contractors: provide the combined service of harvest and utilization of the material; and
3. For end-users: acknowledge habitat restoration projects as a potential significant source of material and to seek this opportunity.

Many of the most experienced conservation practitioners at local soil and water conservation districts throughout the state are nearing retirement, and with their departure will go much of their practical, on-the-ground knowledge, experience, and skills. Meanwhile, college students seeking to be the next generation of conservation practitioners have knowledge of emerging technologies and other innovations that can improve and contribute to current conservation efforts. Through this appropriation the Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources will work with the Minnesota Conservation Corps to find and place a total of 60 students in apprenticeship positions with county soil and water conservation district offices throughout the state. This unique program will provide an opportunity for interns to gain valuable in-the-field experience from current practitioners while sharing their knowledge with those practitioners about the newest ideas and solutions for meeting today's natural resource challenges.

Many of Minnesota's conservation districts' most experienced conservation professionals and practitioners are nearing retirement age but due to budget constraints will not be replaced until they have left employment. Consequently, Minnesota is missing a great opportunity to transfer knowledge and experience to the next generation responsible for Minnesota's conservation.

While college graduates with conservation-related degrees are knowledgeable in technology, theory, and research methods, their practical, on-the-ground skills need development. Communicating with landowners and adjusting designs for field nuances are vital skills for the success of conservation projects and are best learned from seasoned professionals. In turn, apprentices bring knowledge of emerging technologies and other innovations to improve the quality and productivity of current conservation efforts. This allows for a cross-pollination of ideas and solutions for natural resource challenges.

From 2011 to 2012, 65 students were placed with 60 Conservation Districts. During this time, the apprentices planted 33,339 trees, took 5,219 samples to monitor water quality; provided environmental education to 1,495 people; conducted 1,372 surveys; restored 1,542 acres of habitat through invasive species removal; completed 466,773 square feet of rain garden planting and maintenance; 272,173 square feet of erosion control and shoreline restoration; and 12,933,645 square feet of seeding. Due to the 2011 state shut down, a shifting of allocated funds allowed for the placement of an additional 35 students with conservation districts in May of 2013.

This program has benefits to both students and conservation districts. 100% of apprentices indicated the hands-on experience gained during the apprenticeship will enhance their future academic studies, and that they now have increased technical conservation skills and are more prepared for a future career in conservation.

98% of the Districts were satisfied with the work their apprentices completed, and 100% indicate they would participate in the program again. Managers also indicated that the work conducted by the apprentices increased the amount of conservation practices delivered by their districts during the program period.

Information from the project has been disseminated through reports to LCCMR, press releases by BWSR and the Governor's Office, local press releases by SWCDs, and through the Conservation Corps newsletter and annual report. Information was used to recruit apprentices and increase awareness of the project.

Communication and outreach activities include the aforementioned reports, press releases, and electronic newsletters. Additionally, BWSR and Conservation Corps staff conducted outreach to SWCDs to find optimal matches between districts and apprentices. Through the course of their work, the apprentices conducted significant outreach to land owners and residents in topics ranging from easement protection, to water quality education, to plant biodiversity.

The number of people from other cultures and with other native languages is increasing in Minnesota. It is important for these new Minnesota residents to have knowledge of behaviors that best ensure protection of Minnesota's natural resources into the future. However, effectively communicating with people across cultures to change behaviors can be challenging. Through this appropriation, the Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women in Minnesota and the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization are partnering to use the common ground of fishing as a foundation for community outreach on environmental stewardship to Southeast Asian elders, youth, and families. Public events will be held that combine fishing and environmental education on topics including water quality, invasive species, lead-free tackle, mercury and other contaminants, fish consumption advisories, and fishing regulations.