2026 Recommendations
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Minnesota Legislature
Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources
M.L. 2026 ENRTF Recommendations
2026 Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund Recommendations
As of July 18, 2025, the Legislative‐Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) has selected 109 proposals totaling approximately $103 million to recommend to the 2026 Minnesota Legislature for funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF). The amount available for appropriation from the ENRTF through the LCCMR process for FY 2027 is $103,326,000. In response to LCCMR’s 2026 Request for Proposal (RFP), 400 proposals requesting a total of approximately $359 million were received and considered through a competitive, multi‐stage evaluation. The following recommendations range from funding the full proposal and dollar amount requested to partial funding for specific proposal elements.
Check the LCCMR
schedule
for the most up-to-date information and important process dates.
Visit the
2026 Proposal & Funding Process Main Page
for additional information.
Print-ready PDF list
of 2026 proposals - listed by category with project summaries (16-pages).
Print-ready PDF list
of 2026 proposals - listed by category without project summaries (9-pages).
Summary and process
of the 2026 proposals recommended by the LCCMR.
Viewing Proposals
Click on the "Proposal ID" of the proposal to view the full proposal.
To find specific proposals within the table you can use your browser's page-search
function to search for a project by Project Manager 'Last Name', 'Project Title', or 'Organization'. In most browsers, the page-search function can be accessed under the browser's 'Edit' drop-down menu or by pressing 'Control+F' on a PC or 'Command+F' on a Mac.
Hyperlinks within the proposal to proposal attachments may not work for everyone. If you wish for a copy of a proposal attachment that is not already included in the PDF, please send a request to LCCMR staff.
Overall Topic Area
$ Recommended
Percentage of Total Recommended
Number Recommended
Percentage of Number Recommended
Resiliency
$10,641,000
10.30%
10
9.17%
Water
$17,014,000
16.47%
20
18.35%
Education and Outdoor Recreation
$37,806,000
36.60%
40
36.70%
Fish and Wildlife
$18,750,000
18.15%
19
17.43%
Energy
$773,000
0.75%
1.83%
Land
$17,964,000
17.39%
17
15.60%
Administration*
$340,000
0.33%
0.92%
Total
$103,288,000
100%
109
100%
*Includes commission buffer. The buffer is for mistakes made during the allocation process. If the buffer is not needed, the commission may either allocate it to another proposal or it will be allocated to the Emerging Issues Account later this year.
Fund Source
$ Amount
FY 2026 - Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF)
$103,288,000
Total $
$103,288,000
Draft Work Plan
Subd.
Proposal ID
Project Title
Recommended
Organization
Project Manager
Region*
Resiliency (10 Recommendations = $10,641,000)
03a
2026-085
Community Resiliency through AmeriCorps
$3,312,000
ServeMinnesota
Jessica Ayers-Bean
Statewide
03b
2026-155
Preparing Resilient Communities with Model Land Use Ordinances
$468,000
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Kristin Mroz Risse
Statewide
03c
2026-207
Resilient and Biodiverse Community Spaces
$612,000
Board of Water and Soil Resources
Dan Shaw
Statewide
03d
2026-218
Northwoods and Waters Community Resilience Collaborative
$1,220,000
Arrowhead Regional Development Commission
Joshua Bergstad
NE
03e
2026-282
Protect Community Forests for Community Resiliency
$2,603,000
MN DNR, Forestry Division
Valerie McClannahan
Statewide
03f
2026-298
Identifying Flooding Hazards on Mille Lacs Tribal Lands
$800,000
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
Charles Lippert
NE
03g
2026-464
Advancing Dehydration Technologies for Resilient Minnesota Food Systems
$300,000
U of MN, College of Science and Engineering
Natasha Wright
Statewide
03h
2026-508
Climate-Smart Counties and Communities: Collaborative Resiliency Solutions
$827,000
U of MN, Institute on the Environment
Sabine Engel
Central, NE, NW, SE, SW
03i
2026-528
Mahnomen Emerald Ash Borer Preparation Project
$62,000
City of Mahnomen
Taylor Guenther
NW
03j
2026-544
Sustainable Food Security, Ecosystem Restoration, and Indigenous Empowerment
$437,000
U of MN, Duluth
Wenqing Zhang
Statewide
Subtotal
$10,641,000
Water (20 Recommendations = $17,014,000)
04a
2026-034
Statewide Ecological Risk Estimates for Contaminants of Emerging Concern
$175,000
University of St. Thomas
Dalma Martinovic-Weigelt
Statewide
04b
2026-055
Eliminating Phenolic Compounds from Water Using Enzyme Filter
$300,000
U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Hau Zhao
Statewide
04c
2026-070
Vadnais Lake: Nature-Based Recreation and Drinking Water Protection
$2,842,000
City of Vadnais Heights
Jim Hauth
Metro
04d
2026-088
Almanac's Statewide Environment and Natural Resources Desk
$632,000
Twin Cities Public Television
Kari Kennedy
Statewide
04e
2026-116
Studying Dam Removal Feasibility for the Mississippi Gorge
$923,000
Friends of the Mississippi River
Colleen O'Connor Toberman
Metro
04f
2026-124
Protecting Minnesota’s Waters from Plastic- and Rubber-Derived Chemicals
$418,000
U of MN, College of Science and Engineering
William Arnold
Statewide
04g
2026-164
Public Toolbox to Forecast Toxic Cyanobacteria Blooms - Phase I
$509,000
U of MN, Duluth - NRRI
Chan Lan Chun
Statewide
04h
2026-169
PFAS in Precipitation: Assessing a Critical Statewide Threat
$910,000
U of MN, Duluth - Sea Grant
Alexander Frie
Statewide
04i
2026-203
Assessment of Microplastic Pollution in Minnesota Karst Aquifers
$458,000
U of MN, College of Science and Engineering
Boya Xiong
Statewide
04j
2026-210
Ash Recovery and Recycling Center
$1,177,000
Otter Tail County
Chris McConn
Central, NW
04k
2026-248
PFAS and Microplastics: Potential Impacts of Environmental Co-Occurrence
$721,000
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
David Duffey
Statewide
04l
2026-331
Brookdale Park Shingle Creek Restoration and Access Improvements
$409,000
City of Brooklyn Park
Mitch Robinson
Metro
04m
2026-382
Determining Fracture Characteristics for Karst Groundwater Flow Modeling
$375,000
U of MN, College of Science and Engineering
Qizhi He
Statewide
04n
2026-424
Restoring Wild Rice Waters: Sulfate and Mercury Treatment
$727,000
White Iron Chain of Lakes Association
Dave Holt
NE
04o
2026-447
Cheap Portable Sensor to Detect PFAS in Water
$357,000
U of MN, College of Science and Engineering
Tianhong Cui
Statewide
04p
2026-473
Geologic Atlases for Water Resource Management
$1,275,000
U of MN, MN Geological Survey
Barbara Lusardi
Statewide
04q
2026-486
Mitigating Short-Chain Forever Chemicals Toward a PFAS-Free Minnesota
$299,000
U of MN, College of Science and Engineering
Peter Bruggeman
Statewide
04r
2026-542
Anoka Rum River Dam Reconstruction and Modification Project
$3,110,000
City of Anoka
Ben Nelson
Metro
04s
2026-552
Lake Superior River Watch
$404,000
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College
Courtney Kowalczak
NE
04t
2026-563
Red Lake Nation Long-Term Continuous Monitoring Buoys
$993,000
Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians
Mindy Phillips
NW
Subtotal
$17,014,000
Education and Outdoor Recreation (40 Recommendations = $37,806,000)
05a
2026-002
Greater Minnesota Children's Museum Coalition Nature Play Curriculum
$300,000
Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota
Crystal Olson
Statewide
05b
2026-010
Cultivate, Connect, and Train Minnesota's Young Conservation Scientists
$538,000
U of MN, Landscape Arboretum
David Remucal
Statewide
05c
2026-013
Native Fish Exhibits Transforming Aquatic Education in Minnesota
$299,000
Headwaters Science Center
Lee Furuseth
NW
05d
2026-027
Inspiring and Connecting the Next Generations with Nature
$3,085,000
YMCA of the North
Sara Miller
Statewide
05e
2026-039
River Bend Nature Center's Inclusive Interpretive Plan Implementation
$293,000
River Bend Nature Center
Brad Bourn
SE
05f
2026-065
Fostering Environmental Stewardship through Art
$298,000
Watermark Art Center
Lori Forshee-Donnay
Central, NE, NW
05g
2026-080
Increasing Pollinator Conservation Action Through Education and Engagement
$501,000
U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Elaine Evans
Statewide
05h
2026-086
Flyway Fellows: Engaging Teachers in Bird Migration Education
$362,000
U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Robert Blair
Statewide
05i
2026-093
Minnesota Community Schoolyards
$1,343,000
The Trust for Public Land
Anna Callahan
Statewide
05j
2026-099
Bringing Environmental Education and Outdoor Recreation to K-12 Schools
$192,000
Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center
Bryan Wood
Statewide
05k
2026-102
Improving Trail Accessibility for Minnesotans at Osprey Wilds
$25,000
Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center
Bryan Wood
Statewide
05l
2026-115
Duluth Traverse Accessibility and Sustainability Improvements
$85,000
Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores
Ansel Schimpff
Statewide
05m
2026-141
Hardwood Creek Regional Trail Extension
$1,244,000
Washington County
Andrea Rehm
Metro
05n
2026-165
College-School Collaboration to Restore Campuses and Activate Stewardship
$199,000
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Kimberly Musser
SE, SW
05o
2026-177
Urban Farming Education to Increase Urban Environmental Stewardship
$300,000
East Phillips Neighborhood Institute
Daniel Schmidt
Metro
05p
2026-182
A State Trail System for 21st-Century Minnesota
$623,000
Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota
Dan Nemes
Statewide
05q
2026-221
Mississippi River Water Trail Access in Dayton
$464,000
Three Rivers Park District
Maggie Heurung
Metro
05r
2026-231
YES! Connects Students to Outdoors for Youth-Led Sustainability
$199,000
Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center
Kalley Pratt
Statewide
05s
2026-254
Sharing Minnesota's Greatest Environmental Investment - Phase II
$623,000
Science Museum of Minnesota
Joy Hobbs
Statewide
05t
2026-258
Diversifying Nature Education Access
$438,000
Ramsey County Parks and Recreation
Kristopher Lencowski
Statewide
05u
2026-260
Cultivating Conservation Leaders through Education and Wilderness Experiences
$1,252,000
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness
Alison Nyenhuis
Statewide
05v
2026-267
Lebanon Hills Regional Park Natural Resources Restoration and Sustainable Trails Improvements
$2,126,000
Dakota County
Tony Wotzka
Metro
05w
2026-287
Minnesota State Trails Development
$4,943,000
MN DNR, State Parks and Trails Division
Kent Skaar
Statewide
05x
2026-288
Tettegouche State Park Entrance Bridge Replacement
$3,674,000
MN DNR, State Parks and Trails Division
Kent Skaar
Statewide
05y
2026-293
Expanding Adaptive Outdoor Recreation Opportunities Around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
$996,000
Adaptive Wilderness Within Reach
Jill Leary
Statewide
05z
2026-302
Engaging Saint Paul Youth in Meaningful Restoration Work
$300,000
Urban Roots MN
David Woods
Metro
05aa
2026-304
Expanding and Enhancing Environmental Education through Partnerships
$550,000
Belwin Conservancy
Katie Bloome
Metro
05bb
2026-306
Greater Fountain Lake Aquatic and Trail Accessibility Enhancements
$1,162,000
Shell Rock River Watershed District
Courtney Phillips
SE
05cc
2026-313
Local Parks, Trails, and Natural Areas Grant Programs
$3,833,000
MN DNR, State Parks and Trails Division
Jenni Bubke
Statewide
05dd
2026-348
Lake Marion Greenway: Ritter Farm Park to Dodd Blvd
$1,797,000
City of Lakeville
Joe Masiarchin
Metro
05ee
2026-355
Restored Bluff and Trail at Owámniyómni
$2,385,000
Owámniyomni Okhódayapi
Kjersti Monson
Statewide
05ff
2026-367
Minnesota Water Education for Grades K-5
$295,000
Science Museum of Minnesota
Andy Chambers
Statewide
05gg
2026-436
Outdoor Learning Center and Trails
$250,000
Cook County Schools ISD 166
Chris Lindholm
NE
05hh
2026-450
Facility Outdoor Improvements
$180,000
Veterans on the Lake
Eric Mayranen
Statewide
05ii
2026-519
Classrooms to Careers: Expanding Environmental STEM Pathways
$763,000
Science Museum of Minnesota
Kelsey Boeff
Statewide
05jj
2026-520
Outdoor Learning Professional Development for Educators and Administrators
$323,000
Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center
Peter Smerud
Statewide
05kk
2026-559
Emerging Conservation Leaders: Expanding the Network
$786,000
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust Inc
Neal Feeken
Metro
05ll
2026-571
Lakewood Elementary School Trail Renewal and Community Engagement
$288,000
Duluth School District #709 - Lakewood Elementary
Darren Sheldon
NE
05mm
2026-578
Explore Minnesota with COPAL
$392,000
Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Accion Latina
Geanella Ochoa
Statewide
05nn
2026-584
Expanding Community Boat Building and Outdoor Experiences
$100,000
Urban Boatbuilders
Marc Hosmer
Metro
Subtotal
$37,806,000
Fish and Wildlife (19 Recommendations = $18,750,000)
06a
2026-049
Which Cisco are Strongest? Identifying Healthy Populations
$674,000
U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Kenneth Zillig
Statewide
06b
2026-074
Mapping Leech Lake Vegetation: A Closer Look
$478,000
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Raining White
Statewide
06c
2026-089
Salvaged Wildlife to Inform Environmental Health, Ecology, and Education - Phase 2
$673,000
U of MN, Bell Museum
Keith Barker
Statewide
06d
2026-113
Partnership for Resilient Landscapes
$2,638,000
Pheasants Forever Inc
Josh Pommier
Statewide
06e
2026-271
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza's Impacts on Minnesota Raptors
$298,000
U of MN, Raptor Center
Dana Franzen-Klein
Statewide
06f
2026-318
United in Responding to CWD in Minnesota
$2,200,000
U of MN, College of Veterinary Medicine
Tiffany Wolf
Statewide
06g
2026-332
Survival and Movement of Deer in Minnesota's Prairie and Transition Zones
$1,000,000
MN DNR, Fish and Wildlife Division
Tyler Obermoller
Statewide
06h
2026-357
Uniting Minnesota’s Insect Record
$932,000
U of MN, Bell Museum
George Weiblen
Statewide
06i
2026-373
Lake Sturgeon Restoration at Great Lakes Aquarium
$500,000
Lake Superior Authority
Jay Walker
NE
06j
2026-399
Wolf Monitoring on the Leech Lake Reservation
$295,000
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Tanya Roerick
Central
06k
2026-405
Phase II Erosion Investigation of Pine and Curry Island SNA
$539,000
Lake of the Woods County
Anthony Pirkl
Statewide
06l
2026-457
Building a Future for Minnesota's At-Risk Butterflies
$294,000
Minnesota Zoological Board
Erik Runquist
Statewide
06m
2026-498
Advancing Bison Recovery and Stewardship through Statewide Partnership
$658,000
Minnesota Zoological Board
Seth Stapleton
Statewide
06n
2026-499
Identifying Climate-Resilient Fisheries to Guide Minnesota Lake Management
$643,000
U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Gretchen Hansen
Statewide
06o
2026-500
Supporting Implementation of Large-Scale Moose Habitat Management
$1,054,000
MN DNR, Fish and Wildlife Division
Lindsey Shartell
Statewide
06p
2026-501
Evaluating Forward-Facing Sonar Impacts on Minnesota Fish
$676,000
U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Gretchen Hansen
Statewide
06q
2026-506
Incidence of Avian Influenza in Minnesota Forest Birds
$234,000
U of MN, Duluth
Mark Clark
Statewide
06r
2026-532
Regarding Native Fish: Outreach, Engagement, and Citizen Science
$270,000
U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Solomon David
Statewide
06s
2026-590
Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center - Phase 8
$4,694,000
U of MN, MITPPC
Robert Venette
Statewide
Subtotal
$18,750,000
Energy (2 Recommendations = $773,000)
07a
2026-529
Minnesota Chiller Energy Efficiency and Onsite Energy Generation
$298,000
U of MN, School of Public Health
Kelsey Klucas
Statewide
07b
2026-540
Novel Piezoelectric Energy Converters for Minnesota Waters
$475,000
U of MN, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory
Lian Shen
Statewide
Subtotal
$773,000
Land (17 Recommendations = $17,964,000)
08a
2026-035
Lake Minnewashta Regional Park Restoration
$392,000
Carver County
Martin Walsh
Metro
08b
2026-043
Adopt a Flyway: Enhancing Minnesota's Migratory Bird Pitstops
$840,000
Audubon Upper Mississippi River
Sarah Hewitt
Statewide
08c
2026-078
Utilizing Wood Waste and Biochar for Mineland Reclamation - Phase I
$358,000
U of MN, Duluth - NRRI
Matthew Aro
Statewide
08d
2026-143
Certified Prescribed Burn Manager Curriculum Development and Pilot
$454,000
U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Eli Sagor
Statewide
08e
2026-166
Updating Land Cover Maps for Enhanced Natural Systems
$298,000
U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Bryan Runck
Statewide
08f
2026-190
Pollinator Central V: Habitat Improvement with Public Engagement
$750,000
Great River Greening
Rebecca Tucker
Central, Metro, SE
08g
2026-200
Evaluating Soil Health Benefits of Controlled Agricultural Drainage
$249,000
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Mark Bowen
Statewide
08h
2026-223
Oak Savanna Restoration for Living Landscapes
$1,944,000
Board of Water and Soil Resources
Dan Shaw
Central, Metro, NW, SE
08i
2026-235
Metropolitan Regional Parks System Land Acquisition - Phase 9
$2,414,000
Metropolitan Council
Jessica Lee
Metro
08j
2026-276
SNA Habitat Enhancement, Public Engagement and Biodiversity Protection
$3,996,000
MN DNR, Ecological and Water Resources Division
Judy Elbert
Statewide
08k
2026-292
Lake Brophy Park Trail Armoring and Trail Improvements
$70,000
Douglas County
Brad Bonk
Statewide
08l
2026-300
Sustainable Land Use with Robotic Technology on Small-Farms
$524,000
U of MN, College of Design
Ji Youn Shin
Statewide
08m
2026-307
Managing Minnesota’s Forests for Carbon: Tradeoffs and Synergies
$300,000
U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Irene De Pellegrin Llorente
Statewide
08n
2026-339
Native Prairie Bank-Private Native Prairie Conservation and Outreach
$1,758,000
MN DNR, Ecological and Water Resources Division
Heidi Wolf
Statewide
08o
2026-384
Alleviating PFAS Impacts of Biosolids on Agricultural Lands
$300,000
U of MN, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Jiwei Zhang
Central, Metro
08p
2026-396
Southeast Minnesota Groundwater Protection and Soil Health Initiative
$2,817,000
Olmsted County
Skip Langer
SE
08q
2026-581
Living with Fire in Minnesota Forests
$500,000
The Nature Conservancy
Robert Bale
Central, NE
Subtotal
$17,964,000
Administration (1 Recommendation = $340,000)
09a
2026-497
2026 Contract Agreement Reimbursement
$340,000
MN DNR, Grants Unit
Katherine Sherman-Hoehn
Statewide
Subtotal
$340,000
Total
$103,288,000
*NOTE: Region designated in the State include Statewide, Central, Metro, NE, NW, SE, SW. Metro region includes the 11 counties of Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Washington, and Wright.
2026 Proposal & Funding Process Main Page
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