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- Agency Profile - Natural Resources
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Natural Resources
Ecological and Water Resources Management
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/index.html
Statewide Outcomes
Ecological and Water Resources Management supports two firmly linked statewide outcomes:
A clean, healthy environment with sustainable uses of natural resources
A thriving economy that encourages business growth and employment opportunities
The program operates under the principle that economic prosperity depends on a healthy environment and sustainable use of natural resources.
Context
Ecological and water resources management is the job of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Ecological and Water Resources Division. The division promotes and delivers integrated land and water conservation to achieve healthy watersheds throughout Minnesota. The program provides critical information and regulatory oversight to state and local governments and landowners to foster natural resources stewardship. Customers include local governments, conservation organizations, businesses, and landowners and all Minnesotans benefited from healthy natural resources.
Funding sources include: general fund, natural resources fund, game and fish fund, legacy funds, environment and natural resource trust fund, and federal grants
(see http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/aboutdnr/budget/fy12-13/budget_spent.pdf pages 4-6).
Strategies
The work of Ecological and Water Resources Division is divided into three categories:
- Inventory, monitoring, and analysis � collecting and delivering information on ground and surface water, lake and stream habitat, and rare plants and animals. Quality information on natural resources is the key to sustainable use and maintaining Minnesota�s quality of life. State and local governments and the public depend on this information to make good decisions regarding development and natural resource protection.
- Conservation assistance and regulation � regulating water use, public water modifications, and dam safety, and providing regulatory oversight to local governments for shoreland, floodplain, and Wild and Scenic Rivers. Population growth and development pressure will result in depletion of ground and surface water without adequate regulatory controls. Dam safety oversight protects the public and natural resources. Environmental review identifies potential impacts of projects and helps permitting address those impacts.
- Ecosystem management and protection � managing and preventing the spread of aquatic and terrestrial invasive species, managing Minnesota�s Scientific and Natural Area and native prairie bank programs, managing nongame wildlife, and protecting threatened and endangered species. Invasive species threaten the state�s lakes, rivers, wetlands, forests, and prairies, including the economies that depend on them. Protecting rare species prevents extinctions within the state. Nongame wildlife species are important to the state�s ecosystems and recreational enjoyment of the outdoors.
Results
Ecological and Water Resources Division monitors a number performance measures to track progress in each of the strategic areas. Examples below indicate a performance measure under each strategy. Key factors that drive desired outcomes include:
� Water sustainability trends. With projected population growth and increased demand for domestic, industrial, and agricultural water, conflicts over water use, depletion of aquifers, and impacts on surface waters will increase if DNR and partners do not sustainably manage groundwater resources. To do this requires an understanding of groundwater geology and hydrology and work with water users towards conservation and water sustainability.
� Innovation and continuous improvement. Providing for wise use and protection of water resources requires a water permitting system that is user friendly and efficient. The division has had excellent success in meeting the 150-day goal established by the legislature and Governor�s Office. Nevertheless, increased demand for water and lakeshore development, as well as decreases in general fund support for permitting programs, present challenges to meeting this goal. To help meet the challenge, the division is developing an on-line permitting system and increasing use of general permits.
� Aquatic invasive species. The spread of aquatic invasive species is one of the state�s top conservation challenges. An increasingly mobile and global society has dramatically increased the number of new invasive species spreading to and within the state. Minnesota is particularly challenged because of the large number of lakes and rivers and corresponding public and private accesses. Also, climate change, habitat alterations, and other environmental disturbances create conditions favorable to invasive species over native species. Zebra mussels are a major concern because their rate of spread within the state has increased over the past five years. Regulation changes and increased emphasis on watercraft inspections and enforcement have been implemented to slow the rate of spread.
|
Performance Measures |
Previous |
Current |
Trend |
|
1. Number of groundwater monitoring wells |
735 |
848 |
Improving |
|
2. Percentage of water permits acted on within 150-day goal |
Not applicable |
99% |
Stable |
|
3. Rate of over land spread of zebra mussels to new waters |
3 newly confirmed waters |
3 newly confirmed waters |
Worsening |
Performance Measures Notes:
1. Comparing FY 2011 and FY 2012. While DNR is steadily increasing the number of monitoring wells, it is still short of reaching the target of 7,000 wells. The target of 7,000 wells was identified in a report to the LCCMR for a statewide groundwater monitoring network that may take 30 years to fully implement.
2. Determining the 150-day goal for most water related permits required significant database changes to better capture the dates that permit applications were considered complete, thus there is no way to look back at this data prior to FY 2012. Predicted stable trend based on being able to issue 99 percent of permits within 150 days of having a complete application.
3. Comparing FY 2010 to FY 2011. While zebra mussels are being confirmed in additional lakes and rivers every year, the rate of spread would likely be much higher without Minnesota�s increasing focus on invasive species legislation, education, and enforcement.
More information: Strategic Conservation Agenda: Performance and Accountability Report (http://www.mndnr.gov/conservation_agenda/performance)