DEPARTMENT: Parks
FILE TYPE: Consent Action
TITLE
title
Authorization To Accept Environment And Natural Resources Trust Fund Grant And Execute Grant Agreement For Lebanon Hills Regional Park Natural Resources Restoration And Sustainable Trails Improvements Project
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PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Authorize the acceptance of grant funds from the Environment and Natural Resource Trust Fund and the execution of a grant agreement for the Lebanon Hills Regional Park Natural Resources Restoration and Sustainable Trails Improvement project.
SUMMARY
State voters approved a 1988 constitutional amendment establishing the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF), in part, "for the public purpose of protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state's air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources." The Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) makes ENRTF funding recommendations to the Minnesota Legislature for special environmental and natural resource projects.
In 2024, state voters overwhelmingly approved reauthorizing the use of lottery-generated proceeds for the ENRTF until 2050. The 2026 LCCMR Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued on January 8, 2025, with approximately $103 million of ENRTF available from the lottery-generated proceeds for projects beginning July 1, 2026.
Following County Board approval by Resolution No. 25-107 (February 18, 2025), a proposal was submitted for the Lebanon Hills Regional Park Natural Resources Restoration and Sustainable Trails Improvements.
The LCCMR recommended the project to be awarded $2,126,000 through legislative approval.
On 05/15/2026, the Minnesota Legislature approved approximately $103 million of ENRTF be awarded to various 2026 LCCMR projects. The Lebanon Hills Regional Park Natural Resources Restoration and Sustainable Trails Improvements project from Dakota County's proposal was awarded. This funding will be allocated to conduct ecological restoration on...
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