Throughout Minnesota, landowners are working with state, federal, and local conservation partners to improve and protect lakes, rivers, wetlands and drinking water sources. These stories highlight the resources and people behind the projects.

More stories are available through BWSR’s Story Library where you can search by keyword, county, major watershed basin, publication date, funding source, or publication type.

cattle drink from a round water tank

Trout stream protection, soil health stem from NRCS-backed rotational grazing plan

A Fillmore County cattle producer worked with a grazing specialist to convert expired CRP land into productive, blufftop pasture. Watershed-Based Implementation Funding from BWSR is also in play.

Fillmore County NRCS WBIF rotational grazing
Blue sky and clouds reflect in a lake with lily pads. Trees mark the distant horizon.

Clean Water Funds back work tied to 9 removals from impaired waters list

BWSR grants support conservation partners' projects that contribute to water-quality improvements in seven lakes, a river reach and a stream segment.
Three men stand amid corn stalks in a harvested field

Becker County farmers' erosion control benefits Wild Rice River water quality

Becker SWCD and NRCS’ Clean Water Fund-backed, EQIP-supported work with producers improves the efficiency of fieldwork while curbing sediment-loading to the Red River.
Lines of large rocks placed in a river reflecting blue sky

Fish species signal potential for delisting as Sand Hill River water quality improves

The return of redhorse to a 32-mile-long stretch of the Sand Hill River in Polk County reflects improving trends that could lead to removal from the state’s impaired waters list. Water-quality work has involved the Sand Hill River Watershed District, West Polk SWCD, BWSR, the DNR and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Two men stand in front of grazing sheep

Winona County sheep producer boosts productivity with rotational grazing

A Rushford area farmer draws from NRCS assistance and grazing specialists’ technical expertise to establish an intensively managed system that improves both animal health and soil health.
An aerial view of a boat crossing a lake

Maple Grove's popular Fish Lake poised for removal from impaired waters list

Three Rivers Park District, the Em Creek WMC, Fish Lake Area Residents Association and Hennepin County were among the partners in water-quality improvement work backed by Clean Water Funds.
Buildings and trees reflect in a lake ringed by cattails

Water-quality goals drive collaboration between McLeod SWCD, city of Winsted

The McLeod SWCD’s collaboration with the city of Winsted resulted in a constructed wetland that filters stormwater bound for Winsted Lake. Backed by a multipurpose drainage management Clean Water Fund grant, the work builds upon the SWCD’s erosion-control projects with farmers upstream.
Tan erosion control material lines a basin ringed by mulched shrubs and a paved trail

Duluth's Lincoln Park revamp incorporates stormwater treatment, aids trout…

One element of the $4.2 million revitalization, stormwater work supported by a BWSR Clean Water Fund grant addresses a temperature impairment in Miller Creek, a designated trout stream.
Blue sky reflects in a lake ringed by trees

What's next for Stillwater's Lily Lake? Partners consider post-delisting…

Water-quality improvement work didn’t stop once Lily Lake was removed from the state’s impaired waters list — an effort that took 20 years, involved the Middle St. Croix WMO and a host of partners, and tapped nearly $1 million in Clean Water Funds from BWSR.
four people stand in front of a grain bin

Neighboring farmers, neighboring SWCDs drive Pope, Swift county conservation

BWSR Clean Water Funds and NRCS assistance support water-quality work in the East Branch Chippewa River watershed, which spans Pope and Swift counties and eventually flows to the Minnesota River.
A backhoe excavates a stream channel. A bulldozer is in the background.

First 7 miles of Whiskey Creek restoration show effectiveness of NRCS-backed work

An NRCS National Water Quality Initiative award, MPCA pilot grant, Outdoor Heritage Funds and BWSR Clean Water Funds support the Wilkin SWCD and Buffalo-Red River Watershed District's work with landowners, which will benefit water quality, water quantity and wildlife habitat.
three people standing under a covered manure storage area

Sauk River Chain of Lakes water-quality solutions start with livestock producers

NRCS assistance and Clean Water Funds support new manure storage solutions that curb runoff and benefit water quality. Stearns County SWCD and NRCS staff led the $1.9 million endeavor.
Seven people stand in front of a tank

NRCS- Morrison SWCD partnerships focus on forested lands around Camp Ripley

NRCS’ $400,000 contribution agreement with Morrison SWCD and its $2.7 million Regional Conservation Partnership Program renewal focus on the Sentinel Landscape, where management can improve habitat and protect the National Guard’s mission.
Five people stand in a group with a creek and a large square culvert in the background

Bois de Sioux Watershed District builds on multi-partner, multi-benefit successes

With projects that combine water quality, flood reduction and wildlife habitat improvements, the watershed district at the headwaters of the Red River gained support from landowners and funding sources alike.
A small group of people stands at the edge of a field

In Meeker County, MN CREP outreach brings awareness, voluntary enrollments

“If we never make an ask, we never bring it up, and people are never going to know that it’s an option.” — Josh Pommier, Pheasants Forever Farm Bill biologist
Three people stand in a field where black dirt shows construction has recently taken place

Big Stone SWCD's work with farmers to fix gullies aids Marsh Lake water quality

Big Stone SWCD worked with West Central TSA engineers, landowners on BWSR Clean Water Fund-backed project in Five Mile Creek watershed
A green cover crop emerges from corn stubble

Faribault County SWCD's cover crop trials spark some permanent conversion

Most farmers who signed on to the three-year, incentivized trial supported by a Clean Water Fund demonstration grant have committed to continuing the soil health practice.
A Reinvest in Minnesota sign stands in a patch of grass

Rice County MN CREP enrollment restores wetland and uplands, preserves legacy

The 157-acre enrollment near Millersburg, which borders a creek that flows to the Cannon River, reduces the likelihood of downstream flooding.
Pumps and hoses are on the lakeshore where a man watches a barge with white plastic tanks being filled

Blue Lake alum treatment caps work by Isanti SWCD to protect water quality

Delivered in two parts, the final phase of Clean Water Fund-supported efforts targets in-lake phosphorus. Previous work within the watershed reduced upland phosphorus-loading.
In an aerial view, trenches appear as long dark lines in a field.

Stevens SWCD erosion fixes catching on in Pomme de Terre River watershed

Farmers are seeing the benefits of Clean Water Fund-backed conservation projects that mend gullies, slow runoff and reduce nutrient-loading to Perkins Lake. Federal assistance is also in play.
Small wetlands appear amid green and trees border a lake at left

Pickerel Lake focus, collaboration in the Shell Rock River Watershed District

Targeted Watershed Program Clean Water Fund grant-supported work includes 245-acre wetland restoration, partnerships involving U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Minnesota DNR and Pheasants Forever