2015 ENRTF Proposals Received and Selected to Present - by Funding Priority Topic Area

2015 Environment and Natural Resouces Trust Fund Proposals Received and Selected to Present - by Funding Priority Topic Area

Below proposals are listed within funding priority topic areas in rank order based on preliminary staff evaluation.

In response to the 2015 Request for Proposal (RFP), due March 28, 2014, 152 proposals requesting a total of approximately $126.3 million were received. This RFP process is for funding available beginning July 1, 2015. For that period, approximately $44 million from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund is currently expected to be available to recommend for project funding.

The LCCMR reviewed, evaluated, and ranked all proposals received. On June 4, the LCCMR selected 76 proposals requesting a total of approximately $74.9 million to invite in for a presentation before the Commission for further consideration. Proposal presentations are scheduled for June 17, 18, 19, 25, and 26.

This selection represents the first phase in narrowing the proposals received in response to the 2015 RFP into what will be recommended for funding to the 2015 Minnesota Legislature. Proposal presentations facilitate the LCCMR's next phase of consideration for reaching a decision on July 8 and 9 about which projects will be recommended.

Check the LCCMR schedule for the most up-to-date information on important process dates.

Visit the 2015 Proposal & Funding Process Main Page for additional information.

Note About Proposal Listings
All proposals received in response to the 2014 RFP are listed below. Proposals that were selected on 09/18/13 to present before the Commission and receive further consideration are indicated with an "X" in the left-most "Selected to Present" column.

Click here for print-ready list of 2015 proposals selected to present to the LCCMR - listed by category with project summaries (17-page PDF file).

Viewing Proposals

Click on the "last name" of the proposal to view the full proposal.
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Selected to Present	ENRTF ID #	Last Name	First Name	Project Title	Organization	$ Requested
A. Foundational Natural Resource Data and Information (RECEIVED: 32 proposals/subtotal = $19,712,775 )
X	001-A	Setterholm	Dale	MGS Geologic Atlases to Support Natural Resource Management [Continuation]	U of MN - MN Geological Survey	$2,040,000
X	002-A	Converse	Carmen	Minnesota Biological Survey [Continuation]	MN DNR	$3,500,000
X	003-A	Kloiber	Steve	Completing the National Wetland Inventory Update for Minnesota [Continuation]	MN DNR	$2,772,610
X	004-A	Baker	Richard	Endangered Bats, White-Nose Syndrome, and Forest Habitat	MN DNR	$1,269,546
X	005-A	Barker	Keith	Integrating Minnesotas Biodiversity Data: a Comprehensive, Dynamic Atlas	Bell Museum of Natural History	$339,750
X	006-A	Falteisek	Jan	County Geologic Atlas Continuation for Water Resource Sustainability [Continuation]	MN DNR	$2,542,389
X	007-A	Henderson	Carrol	Contaminants in Minnesotas Loons and Pelicans-Phase 3	MN DNR	$141,000
X	008-A	Quinn	Edward	Reintroduction/Interpretation of Bison in Minnesota State Parks	MN DNR	$797,718
X	009-A	Oberhauser	Karen	Effects of Grazing Versus Fire for Prairie Management	U of MN	$414,064
X	010-A	Boe	Kathleen	St. Anthony Falls Lock Closure: Assessing Ecological Impact	Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership	$148,093
X	011-A	Blair	Robert	Minnesota Native Bee Atlas: A Citizen Science Project	U of MN	$790,000
	012-A	Kapfer	Paul	Restoring Minnesota's Apex Weasel, the Fisher	Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe	$316,086
X	013-A	Moen	Ron	Genetic and Camera Techniques to Estimate Carnivore Populations	U of MN - Duluth NRRI	$236,326
X	014-A	Martell	Mark	Creating a Statewide Wetland Bird Survey	Audubon Minnesota	$146,520
	015-A	Venturelli	Paul	Using Angler Smartphone Data to Benefit Aquatic Resources	U of MN	$322,633
X	016-A	McGuire	Jennifer	Turtle Population Dynamics in an Urban Lake	University of St. Thomas	$258,603
X	017-A	D'Angelo	Gino	Movements and Seasonal Habitat Use of Minnesota Elk	MN DNR	$250,242
X	018-A	Henderson	Bobby	Goblin Fern: Habitat Mitigation for Species Conservation	Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe	$61,040
	019-A	Casper	Gary	Amphibian and Reptile Conservation in Lake Superior Basin	Great Lakes Ecological Services, LLC	$199,204
X	020-A	Falkowski	Michael	A Foundational Dataset Characterizing Historic Forest Disturbance Impacts	U of MN	$323,161
	021-A	Heinicke	Matthew	Conservation Genetics of Minnesotas Rare Lizards and Snakes	University of Michigan (UM-Dearborn)	$224,341
	022-A	Travis	Dominic	Unique Partnership Approach for Protecting Minnesotas Threatened Ecosystems	U of MN	$260,147
	023-A	Russell	Matthew	A Web-Based Portal for Forest Ecosystem Health	U of MN	$130,018
X	024-A	Karwan	Diana	Hydrologic Effects of Contemporary Forest Practices in Minnesota	U of MN	$201,296
	025-A	Ferrington	Leonard	Evaluation of Thermal Regimes For Optimizing Trout Habitats	U of MN	$450,489
	026-A	LaRue	Michelle	Cougars in Minnesota: Management Strategies for Changing Ecosystems	U of MN	$263,230
X	027-A	Moen	Ron	LiDAR for Wildlife in Northeastern Minnesota	U of MN - Duluth NRRI	$99,717
	028-A	Snell-Rood	Emilie	The Effect of Salt on Roadside Habitats	U of MN	$109,000
	029-A	Johnson	Renee	Cooperative Public Land Survey/Cadastral Spatial Data Management	MN DNR	$500,000
	030-A	ONeil	Thomas	Wildlife-Habitat Relationships in Minnesota	Northwest Habitat Institute	$397,124
X	031-A	Montgomery	Kent	Enhancing Future Forest Conservation Using Gullions Historic Research	Central Lakes College	$75,885
	032-A	Wilmot	Neil	Silica Sand Mining and the Minnesota Economy	U of MN - Duluth	$132,543
B. Water Resources (RECEIVED: 30 proposals/subtotal = $13,497,894 )
X	033-B	Keeler	Bonnie	Informed Water Management: Mapping Scarcity,Threats, and Values	U of MN	$234,936
X	034-B	Hu	Bo	A Novel Biofilm Technology for Water Nutrient Removal	U of MN	$281,270
X	035-B	Valentas	Kenneth	Preventing Phosphorous from Entering Water Resources Through Draintiles	U of MN	$355,000
X	036-B	Schoenfuss	Heiko	Biological Consequences of Septic Pollution in Minnesota Lakes	St. Cloud State University	$364,427
X	037-B	Smith	Erik	Subsurface Drainage Impacts on Groundwater Recharge: Southeast Minnesota	U.S. Geological Survey	$488,394
	038-B	Wammer	Kristine	Toxicity of Fragrances to Native Fish and Mussels	University of St. Thomas	$219,572
	039-B	Barney	Brett	Expanding Biofertilizers for Responsible Nitrogen Application	U of MN	$568,000
	040-b	Sadowsky	Michael	Woodchip Bioreactors Controling Sulfate, Nitrate, and Phosphorus Runoff	U of MN	$638,000
	041-B	Hobbie	Sarah	Determining Stormwater Pollution Sources to Improve Urban Waters	U of MN	$538,000
X	042-B	Sheaffer	Craig	Reducing Nitrogen Pollution in Groundwater with Perennial Grasses	U of MN	$482,186
	043-B	Hondzo	Miki	Enhanced Microbial Nitrate Removal in Minnesota Waters	U of MN	$333,763
	044-B	Wackett	Lawrence	Solving Problems From Pesticides and Spills in Minnesota	U of MN	$440,000
X	045-B	Ellison	Christopher	Using Hydroacoustics to Monitor Sediment in Minnesotas Rivers	U.S. Geological Survey	$455,663
	046-B	Abbas	Abdennour	Autonomous Chemical Sensor for Water Toxicants Monitoring	U of MN	$320,000
X	047-B	Drewitz	Matt	Southeastern Minnesota Cover Crop and Soil Health Initiatives	Board of Water and Soil Resources	$253,000
X	048-B	Maciej	Gerry	Achieving Minnesotas Groundwater Sustainability Through Irrigation Efficiencies	Benton Soil and Water Conservation District	$431,100
	049-B	Wang	Ping	Wireless Biosensing for Monitoring of Aquatic Ecosystems	U of MN	$981,249
	050-B	Zhang	Kechun	Integrated Algae Process for Value-Added Fuels and Chemicals	U of MN	$919,662
	051-B	Clark	Ryan	Conservation Reference Watersheds within the Minnesota River Basin	Renville County SWCD	$699,820
	052-B	Garono	Ralph	Mapping and Classifying North Shore Vernal Pools	U of MN - Duluth NRRI	$525,846
	053-B	Meschke	Linda	Tile Outlet Treatment Trains to Improve Water Quality	Rural Advantage	$514,394
	054-B	Small	Gaston	Removing Excess Phosphorus in Urban Lakes through Hydroponics	University of St. Thomas	$174,046
	055-B	Garono	Ralph	Nutrient Dead-Zone Interactions in the St. Louis Estuary	U of MN - Duluth Large Lakes Observatory	$550,200
	056-B	Kluckhohn	Rebecca	Lake Management Guidance, Strategies to Reduce Internal Loads	Clearwater River Watershed District	$233,900
	057-B	Julius	Matt	Reducing Dairy Plant Impact on Water Quality	St. Cloud State University	$499,733
	058-B	Montgomery	Kent	Developing and Implementing Watershed-level Protection Strategies for Lakes	Central Lakes College	$192,863
	059-B	Anglo	Kathleen	Improving Water Quality, Daylighting Trout Brook	City of Saint Paul	$400,000
X	060-B	Schaum	Jessica	Shoreview Water Consumption and Groundwater Awareness Project	City of Shoreview	$54,470
	061-B	Innes	Alister	Replace Chemical Hazards in Products; Reduce Emerging Contaminants	Minnesota Pollution Control Agency	$1,039,600
	062-B	Johnson	Margaret	Crow River Erosion Analysis and Targeted Implementation Project	Middle Fork Crow River Watershed District	$308,800
C. Environmental Education (RECEIVED: 18 proposals/subtotal = $8,384,448 )
	063-C	Luce	Don	Inspiring Citizen Action to Control Aquatic Invasive Species	Bell Museum of Natural History	$239,215
	064-C	Hamilton	Patrick	MNwatch: A Major New Exhibit About Minnesotas Environment	Science Museum of Minnesota	$1,085,000
X	065-C	Ponder	Julia	Hunter's Choice: Alternative Ammunition	U of MN	$132,557
X	066-C	Lenczewski	John	Connecting Students with Watersheds through Hands-On Learning	Minnesota Trout Unlimited	$437,195
X	067-C	Svien	Lawrence	Building 8 Zumbro Watershed Recreational Learning Stewardship Sites	Zumbro Watershed Partnership	$356,920
	068-C	Kay	Adam	Stewardship Science: Enhancing education in Underserved Urban Communities	University of St. Thomas	$111,887
	069-C	Anderson	Neil	Reed Canary Grass Threat to the Tension Zone	U of MN	$538,968
	070-C	Vlasak	Raymond	Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge Outdoor Youth Learning Program	Friends of Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge, Inc.	$118,600
	071-C	Nerbonne	Julia	Be The Spark: Experiential Youth Development	Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light	$576,377
	072-C	Thommes	Judy	Youth Energy Education: Making Energy Conservation Fun!	Center for Energy and Environment	$162,000
X	073-C	Freese	Joan	Splash Screen: SciGirls Exploring Watersheds Using Mobile Technologies	Twin Cities Public Television	$187,400
X	074-C	Mercer-Taylor	Beth	Water Journey Camps	U of MN	$25,138
	075-C	Martinez	Cecilia	Zenteotl-Community Empowerment Through Urban Agriculture	Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy	$382,887
	076-C	Hall	Patricia	Race to Reduce: Replicating Success!	H2O for Life, Inc	$82,500
	077-C	Eldred	Craig	City of Waconia Fountain Park Storm Water Education	City of Waconia	$52,415
	078-C	Kaminski	Timmothy	Assessing Carcass Disposal Assistance for Reducing Wolf-Cattle Conflicts	Howling For Wolves	$72,000
	079-C	Bodette	Dan	Community and Field-Based Environmental Learning Model	School of Environmental Studies	$388,274
	080-C	Homan	Ed	Regional Mattress Recycling: Reducing Landfill Use, Recovering Resources	McLeod County	$3,435,115
D. Aquatic and Terrestrial Invasive Species (RECEIVED: 15 proposals/subtotal = $24,347,412 )
X	081-D	Buhr	Brian	Minnesota Terrestrial Invasive Species Research Center	U of MN	$14,937,920
X	082-D	D'Amato	Anthony	Emerald Ash Borer Ecological/Hydrological Impacts - Phase 2	U of MN	$420,408
X	083-D	Becker	Roger	Biological Control of Canada Thistle	U of MN	$300,000
X	084-D	Blanchette	Robert	Preventing a New Disease of Pines in Minnesota	U of MN	$371,840
X	085-D	Aukema	Brian	Minnesotas Newest Invasion: European Gypsy Moth is Here	U of MN	$350,000
X	086-D	Henquinet	Jeffrey	Mobile Ballast Water Treatment System for Great Lakes	Izaak Walton League of America	$1,006,200
X	087-D	Phelps	Nicholas	Small Fish, Big Problem: Understanding Minnesotas Baitfish Industry	U of MN	$236,526
X	088-D	Hicks	Randall	Forecasting Microbial Invasions: Muskie Pox and VHS Virus	U of MN	$467,589
	089-D	Sadowsky	Michael	Biocontrol of Eurasian Water Milfoil Based on DNA Sequencing	U of MN	$574,000
	090-D	Cotner	James	Using CO2 to Control Fish in Shallow Lakes	U of MN	$505,000
	091-D	Frohnauer	Nick	Minnesota Asian Carp Action Plan Implementation	MN DNR	$4,359,517
	092-D	Hibbard	Calder	Minnesotas Forest Health Threats: Terrestrial Invasive Species	Minnesota Forest Resources Council	$308,322
	093-D	Matthews	Thomas	Treatment of Emerald Ash Borer-infested Ash Trees	Phyllom BioProducts Corporation	$120,000
	094-D	Larson	Chris	Ash Tree Preservation: Environmental Education & Stewardship	City of Oakdale	$85,590
	095-D	Shneider	Joseph	Prepackaged AIS Thermal Decontamination Program for Water-Related Equipment	MN Coalition of Lake Associations	$304,500
E. Air Quality, Climate Change, and Renewable Energy (RECEIVED: 21 proposals/subtotal = $12,985,267 )
X	096-E	Levenson-Falk	Annie	Ending Minnesota Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Fossil Fuels	Legislative Energy Commission	$1,500,000
	097-E	Hu	Bo	Electrochemical Micro-Aeration for Hydrogen Sulfide Removal from Biogas	U of MN	$316,754
	098-E	Montgomery	Rebecca	Tree Productivity and Health Depend on Cold Winters	U of MN	$241,568
	099-E	Reich	Peter	Managing for "Climate-Smart" Trees and Forests	U of MN	$457,953
	100-E	David	Andrew	Development of Forest Seed Transfer Guidelines for Minnesota	U of MN	$327,602
X	101-E	McCormick	Alon	Renewable and Sustainable Fertilizers Produced Locally	U of MN	$1,620,000
	102-E	Nagel	Linda	Making Minnesota Forests More Resilient to Climate Change	U of MN	$396,872
	103-E	Goldberg	Louise	Housing Clusters Consuming Less Electricity Than They Generate	U of MN	$195,000
	104-E	Dutcher	Cari	Lake and River Spray Impacts on Minnesota Climate	U of MN	$516,000
	105-E	Hemmingsen	Richard	Optimizing Environmental and Economic Value of Harvested Cattails	U of MN	$1,545,750
	106-E	Davy	Ray	Reducing Land Applied Agricultural Waste in SE Minnesota	Agri-Waste Energy Operations	$504,385
	107-E	Gerard	Gena	Reducing Wood Smoke: Protecting Our Health and Environment	Environmental Initiative	$1,116,570
X	108-E	Hong	Jiarong	Assessing Environmental Impact of Wind Turbines in Minnesota	U of MN	$528,000
	109-E	Current	Dean	Zero-Waste Aquaponic System for Fish and Vegetable Production	U of MN	$906,400
X	110-E	Northrop	William	Reducing Emissions from Open Burning through Biomass Gasification	U of MN	$268,188
	111-E	Slesak	Robert	Soil Frost and Sustainable Forestry Under Varying Climate	U of MN	$305,000
X	112-E	Becker	Dennis	In-Woods Biomass Drying to Increase Energy Value	U of MN	$194,550
	113-E	Current	Dean	BMP Portfolio for Non-forest Biomass for Bioenergy	U of MN	$213,250
	114-E	Green	Jim	Duluth Steam Energy Efficiency Project	City of Duluth	$153,360
	115-E	Oskoui	Kazem	Restorative Integrated Resource Management at Prospect	Clark Engineering Corporation	$499,440
X	116-E	Thomas	Steve	Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Solid Waste	The NetWork for Better Futures d/b/a Better Futures Minnesota	$1,178,625
F. Methods to Protect, Restore, and Enhance Land, Water, and Habitat (RECEIVED: 19 proposals/subtotal = $7,211,764 )
X	117-F	Johnson	Lucinda	Prioritizing Future Management of North Shore Trout Streams	U of MN - Duluth NRRI	$416,411
X	118-F	Perrine	Rich	Thirteen Counties Propagating Native Plants, Restoring Diverse Habitats	Martin SWCD	$495,000
X	119-F	Remucal	David	Preserving and Protecting Minnesota's 48 Native Orchid Species	U of MN - Landscape Arboretum	$167,700
	120-F	Griffis	Timothy	Forecasting the Intensity and Spread of Minnesotas Wildfires	U of MN	$184,080
X	121-F	Buck	Wiley	MeCC VIII: Restoration for Climate Resilience, Pollinators, Working Lands	Great River Greening	$459,000
X	122-F	Hoek	Tabor	Conservation Assistance Acceleration Project	Board of Water and Soil Resources	$1,500,000
X	123-F	Wisenden	Brian	MSU Moorhead Science Center Restoration & Monitoring	Moorhead State University	$527,760
X	124-F	Herb	William	Prioritizing Walleye Spawning Habitat Restoration in Minnesota Lakes	U of MN	$277,235
X	125-F	Erwin	John	Building "Pollinator Friendly" Landscapes	U of MN	$225,714
X	126-F	Lewanski	Tom	MeCC VIII: FMR Restoring Prairie and Forest Habitat	Friends of the Mississippi River	$276,482
X	127-F	Rudolf	Sarah	Empowered Citizens Improve 5 Urban Forests: Statewide Model	Minnesota Pollution Control Agency	$835,342
X	128-F	Kleist	Christopher	Flood Recovery on Sargent Creek Duluth Habitat Restoration	City of Duluth	$398,000
X	129-F	Ryun	Debra	Shoreland Protection for the Lower St. Croix River	St. Croix River Association	$190,300
	130-F	Hoganson	Howard	Transitioning Pine Plantations to Multi-Aged, Mixed-Species Pine Stands	U of MN	$260,222
	131-F	Erwin	John	Building Ecologically-Sound Landscapes in Our Communities	U of MN	$241,828
	132-F	Singer	Alan	Integrating Agriculture with Water Quality and Wildlife Habitat	Dakota County	$300,000
	133-F	Hoganson	Howard	Recognizing Full Value of Pine Restoration	U of MN	$177,278
	134-F	Arvidson	Adam	Ecological Management Plans for Vegetation and Water	Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board	$204,412
X	135-F	Erickson	Mark	Redwood/Renville County Outdoor Recreation and Conservation Master Plan	Redwood County and Renville County	$75,000
G. Land Acquisition for Habitat and Recreation (RECEIVED: 16 proposals/subtotal = $40,057,901 )
X	136-G	Stefferud	Arne	Metropolitan Regional Park System Land Acquisition Phase 4	Metropolitan Council	$3,000,000
X	137-G	Booth	Peggy	SNA Acquisition, Restoration, Enhancement and Public Engagement	MN DNR	$6,315,700
X	138-G	Garms	Jason	Native Prairie Stewardship & Prairie Bank Easement Acquisition	MN DNR	$6,450,162
X	139-G	Christie	Jennifer	State Parks and State Trails Land Acquisitions	MN DNR	$2,000,000
	140-G	Peterson	Richard	Protecting the Pineland Sands Aquifer	MN DNR	$2,006,856
X	141-G	Loon	Deborah	MeCC VIII: Priority Expansion Minnesota Valley NWRefuge	Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Inc.	$500,000
X	142-G	Manzoline	Robert	Mesabi Trail Development Soudan to Ely Phase 2	St. Louis & Lake Counties Regional Railroad Authority	$1,000,000
X	143-G	Rivers	Patrick	MeCC VIII: MN DNR Metro Conservation Corridors 8, Ecological Landscapes	MN DNR	$530,000
X	144-G	Salus	Danielle	MeCC VIII: TPLs Strategic Land Protection Program	The Trust for Public Land	$1,000,000
X	145-G	Curry	John	MeCC VIII: Ecological Landscapes - Overall, Mapping and Coordination	Minnesota Land Trust	$40,000
X	146-G	Singer	Alan	MeCC VIII: Dakota County Riparian and Lakeshore Protection	Dakota County	$600,000
X	147-G	West	Paula	Multi-benefit Watershed Scale Conservation on North Central Lakes	Leech Lake Area Watershed Foundation	$1,225,750
X	148-G	Curry	John	MeCC VIII: Metro Conservation Corridors 8 Ecological Landscapes	Minnesota Land Trust	$882,500
X	149-G	Damon	Susan	Enhanced Access to Isolated State Lands	MN DNR	$1,017,397
	150-G	Johnson	Mark	Lincoln Pipestone Rural Water Supply Protection Project	Lincoln Pipestone Rural Water System	$11,460,000
	151-G	Vandelinde	Aaron	Preserving Old-Growth Forests on School Lands	MN DNR	$2,029,536
H. Pass-thru Contract Management (RECEIVED: 1 proposals/subtotal = $135,000 )
X	152-H	Graeber	Amanda	Contract Management	MN DNR	$135,000

2015 Proposal & Funding Process Main Page