Landscape Restoration Program

The LRP is a program that provides education and technical assistance to eleven county metro area government units and residents in the areas of erosion control, water quality buffers, urban runoff reduction, backyard conservation, invasive species control and wildlife habitat development. The LRP grew out of an opportunity presented by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), wherein NRCS offered to provide funding to help the MCD implement conservation in the seven county metro area, which in 2008 changed to the eleven county metro area.  In response to this offer, MCD developed a program that provides site assessment, design and installation assistance for water quality, water quantity, and wildlife habitat management projects through shared employees. During the first two years of the program only one full time Landscape Restoration Specialist was employed. With grant funding from the Metropolitan Council, a full time technician was hired to provide assistance to the specialist for two years. Local financial support for the program grew sufficiently to enable the program to maintain two full time employees including the promotion of the technician position to that of specialist even after the Metropolitan Council funds had been expended. Until 2008 when NRCS funding was reduced, NRCS provided 50% of the funds needed for the program. In 2009 the NRCS funding was stopped completely due to federal cuts.  As part of legislative efforts in 2009, a proposal was put forth by the Anoka Conservation District to expand the LRP utilizing Clean Water Legacy funding to accelerate water quality improvement efforts by focusing efforts in high priority subwatersheds. . Legislature approved $400,000 the first year and $600,000 the second year to Anoka Conservation District for the Metro Landscape Restoration Program.  The LRP currently has two primary components that determine the nature and distribution of services provided. The first involves obligations to BWSR to access the funds allocated by the state for this program.  The second obligation is to the participating member districts to provide the minimum number of hours contracted by each district. Each participating district is responsible to manage the workload in their respective county to address local high priority conservation needs.

Clean Water Fund

The Clean Water Fund was established to implement part of the Article XI, Section 15, of the Minnesota Constitution , with the purpose of protecting, enhancing, and restoring water quality in lakes, rivers and streams in addition to protecting ground water and drinking water sources from degradation .  

As part of legislative efforts in 2009, a proposal was put forth by the Anoka Conservation District to expand their Landscape Restoration Program utilizing Clean Water Legacy funding to accelerate water quality improvement efforts by focusing efforts in high priority subwatersheds. Legislature approved $400,000 the first year and $600,000 the second year to Anoka Conservation District for the Metro Landscape Restoration Program.