BWSR Community Conservation
At the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources, Community Conservation is defined as efforts to protect natural resources, and increase the resiliency of landscapes through collaboration with community groups and individual residents through project planning and management.
BWSR Community Conservation Brochure
BWSR programs with a focus on community conservation:
Lawns to Legumes Individual Support Gants
Lawns to Legumes Pollinator Pathways
Habitat Enhancement Landscape Program (HELP)
Resiliency Project Funding Opportunity:
BWSR is seeking project concepts for an LCCMR funded project called "Biodiverse and Resilient Spaces". This project is focused on building climate resiliency and biodiversity at community parks, schools and green spaces through increased guidance, technical resources, case studies, and training. Four case studies at community spaces with different site conditions and climate challenges can be funded through the project. Partners with potential case study projects should provide the following information about their projects with a two-page double spaced limit.
1) Provide an aerial image and information describing the site, past planning and/or implementation work that will be built upon, partners, and any other helpful information about the project. 2)Describe work that will be conducted to increase biodiversity and resiliency at the site. 3)Provide information about estimated cost for the project. 4)Describe equity benefits of the project. 5) Describe the site’s vulnerability to climate change. 6) Summarize potential cash or in-king match (a 25% match is required). The maximum request amount is $150,000 and the minimum is $40,000. Send project information to the following email address: dan.shaw@state.mn.us by October 30th, 2026.
The BWSR Community Conservation Brochure and Pollinator Pathways StoryMap, below, were developed in collaboration with the University Minnesota Landscape Architecture Department and were developed by Research Assistant Leisl Buchholz. The StoryMap showcases past and current Pollinator Pathway projects that are innovative community conservation efforts.