Minnesota Department Of Natural Resources

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), serving All DNR Divisions and Locations throughout Minnesota, is a state government entity responsible for managing the state's natural resources including wildlife, fisheries, forests, parks, and public waters. Registered in SAM.gov since April 2002, the organization delivers comprehensive natural resource management, conservation, and recreation services to federal partners and the state's residents. The DNR functions as both a direct service provider and grant administrator, leveraging federal funding to implement landscape-scale restoration projects, habitat management, wildlife monitoring, and outdoor recreation infrastructure improvements across Minnesota's diverse ecosystems.

Through its federal contract activities, the Minnesota DNR has demonstrated limited direct contracting engagement, with only one documented federal contract award on record. The DNR received a Purchase Order contract from the U.S. Department of the Interior (Region 9 - Eastern Region) in May 2023 for white spruce seedlings totaling $27,340, with completion in September 2023. This contract reflects the DNR's capacity to procure and deliver specialized forest management materials. Additionally, the DNR serves as a sub-recipient on federal disaster recovery grants, receiving allocations through the Minnesota Department of Public Safety for various disaster response activities including roads and bridges repair, parks and recreational facilities restoration, and management costs related to Emergency declarations (DR-4797, DR-4659).

The Minnesota DNR's primary federal engagement occurs through comprehensive grant programs spanning wildlife restoration, fisheries management, forest stewardship, coastal zone management, and outdoor recreation. The organization has received substantial formula and project grants from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service (CFDA 15.611, 15.605, 15.634, 15.685, 15.662) totaling tens of millions of dollars for wildlife habitat management, sport fish restoration, state wildlife grants, fish passage restoration, and aquatic invasive species control. Major forest-related grants from the USDA Forest Service (CFDA 10.664, 10.675, 10.680, 10.698, 10.731) support cooperative forestry assistance, urban community forestry, forest health protection, prescribed fire management, and landscape-scale restoration initiatives. The National Park Service has awarded the DNR substantial Land and Water Conservation Fund grants (CFDA 15.916) exceeding $40 million for outdoor recreation facility development and park improvements across Minnesota communities. The DNR also administers grants from the Environmental Protection Agency for stream restoration (Buckingham Creek project), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for coastal zone management and climate resilience, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for flood insurance program support and dam safety improvements. The organization frequently serves as a pass-through grantee, making subawards to municipalities, counties, watershed districts, tribal nations, universities, and conservation organizations to implement specific project components including park renovations, trail development, habitat restoration, fish barrier removal, and conservation easement acquisitions across Minnesota.