Stearns county shoreline streambank habitat restoration project phase 2 will continue to build on the strong habitat restoration and protection effort on glacial lakes in stearns county

The Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District (Stearns County SWCD) was awarded a $161,400 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 3 under the National Fish Habitat Partnership (CFDA 15.686) program. This grant will fund the Stearns County Shoreline Streambank Habitat Restoration Project Phase 2, which aims to continue the district's efforts to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitats along glacial lakes in Stearns County, Minnesota.

The project will use natural restoration techniques, including native grasses, wildflowers, trees, shrubs, and bio-engineering methods, to expand and enhance nearshore fish and wildlife habitats that have been impacted by residential development. By restoring a minimum of 75% of the shoreline length at each site, with no more than 25 feet of traffic area, the project will help to cool the water and support priority species like cisco. The Stearns County SWCD will oversee the implementation process and ensure the restoration plans are executed as designed, with permanent deed restrictions to maintain the native vegetation. This project will leverage an additional $51,400 in private and state funds and provide educational opportunities for several hundred individuals.

Stearns county has many lakes that have been impacted by increased residential development with disturbance to the emergent zones along shorelines. This results in habitat loss in the near shore zones, loss of fish and wildlife populations, as well as water quality degradation. The stearns county soil and water conservation district (SWCD) has a dedicated riparian resources specialist to work with lakeshore owners on habitat projects that restore and protect fish and wildlife communities. Landowners for each project proposed are committed to completing a shoreline restoration. Each of these projects will use natural techniques (native grasses, wildflowers, trees, shrubs, vines and various BIO-engineering techniques that use wood and footer rock above and below the ordinary high water (OHW) level) to expand and protect fish and wildlife habitat. With the restoration or protection of natural shorelines many native fish species will enjoy additional and improved habitat. The stearns county SWCD has a policy that projects must include a minimum of 75% of the shoreline length, with a maximum traffic area of no more than 25 feet. In addition, projects shall extend at least 25 feet landward of the OHW level of the lake or to the top of the nearest slope (12% steepness or more) whichever is greater. Since lakes that support cisco have been identified as a priority species by the minnesota department of natural resources, a focus will be to design projects that can cool the water and support the species. As the sites are restored the SWCD will oversee the process to ensure the plans are implemented as planned. Once completed, a deed restriction will be recorded to keep the project in place permanently. This requires the current and future owners to keep the project in place and maintain the native vegetation. In addition, there are ongoing operation and maintenance requirements as part of the contracting process, and the landowner may be liable for up to 150% of the project cost for failure to adhere to those requirements.funding for this project will at least five sites to be restored and will leverage $51,400 of private and state funds for implementation. The project will also allow educational opportunities for several hundred additional individuals.