Browsing by Subject "St. Louis County, Minnesota"

Now showing 1 - 16 of 16
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    Assessing Site Suitability for Land Application of Biosolids in St. Louis, Carlton, and Douglas Counties
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 1996) Host, George E; Polzer, Philip L.
    The effective implementation of a biosolids land application program requires a suitable base of potential sites within a reasonable transportation distance. The objective of this study was to determine the acreage of potential agricultural and forested sites within Carlton, Douglas, and selected areas of St. Louis County. Suitability was determined using land use information in conjunction with soils data in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. This study was done in cooperation with the St. Louis County Minnesota Extension Service.
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    Bird and Herpetofaunal Inventory on St. Louis County Lands
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 1998) Montgomery, Kent; Niemi, Gerald J
    Neotropical migrant birds have recently received much attention following reported declines in many species that breed in eastern North America. Probable causes for such declines include events such as habitat alteration, occurring on both breeding and wintering grounds. Changes in forest species composition and age structure, and the spatial arrangement of these forest components may influence bird communities in both regions. The consequences of these changes to birds and other wildlife in Minnesota are not well understood. Minnesota's forests harbor a greater diversity of songbirds than anywhere else in North America. Birds represent more than 70% of the more than 150 terrestrial vertebrate species in northern Minnesota forests. Development of forest management plans designed to sustain the diversity of these forests should address bird communities occupying them. To better understand the effects of forest management activities on bird communities in southern St. Louis County, bird census points were established in and around 24 sites which had been previously logged. Herpetofaunal sampling was also established on two of the 24 sites chosen for bird censuses. Results of these surveys were used to determine the use of recently harvested sites (and areas immediately surrounding them) by birds and herpetofauna and to establish baselines for continued monitoring of bird and herpetofaunal communities on these and additional sites. Objectives: The objectives of this initial year of surveying bird and herpetofaunal communities in regenerating habitats were to: (1) survey at least 20 recently-logged sites for breeding birds; (2) establish herpetofaunal sampling on two of these sites; and (3) establish a baseline for continued research on species associations in regenerating and other habitats in southern St. Louis County.
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    Community Profile - Iron Range, St. Louis County, Minnesota
    (2007-10) St. Louis County Planning Department
    This “Community Profile: Iron Range” report is a graphical and statistical portrait of St. Louis County Iron Range communities derived from various sources of federal, state, and county data. The report provides a beginning point for community discussion and more comprehensive community assessment. There are currently more than 20 large scale development and expansion projects at various stages of development across the Iron Range. These projects represent the highest concentration of large scale projects since the 1970s, with the potential investment of up to $5 billion. Successful projects will result in construction jobs, permanent jobs and the expansion of ancillary services.” This report contains a demographic snapshot of residents, along with key economic indicators (employment and wages, housing stock, education etc.). There is almost no reference in the document to environmental resources except in the section concerning “Vacant Land”: “The following maps are for illustrative purposes to show vacant land (parcels without structures) available for various types of development across communities on the Iron Range. These areas have potential for development if zoning and other regulations allow it. It should be noted that various parcels could have challenges such as wetlands, bluffs, and floodplains.”
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    Data for Discovery and Decision-Making: LakeSuperiorStreams.org
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 2010) Axler, Richard P; Will, Norman; Henneck, Jerald; Carlson, Todd; Ruzycki, Elaine; Host, George E; Sjerven, Gerald; Schomberg, Jesse; Kleist, Chris; Hagley, Cynthia
    An estimated 720 perennial and 127 intermittent streams flow into L. Superior, including 309 trout streams and their tributaries (>2100 miles) along the North Shore and St. Louis River Estuary alone. Bedrock escarpments create a high density of stream corridors in forested watersheds with steep gradients, thin erodible soils, typically low productivity, and “flashy” hydrology. These high-quality trout streams are sensitive to urbanization and rural development by factors raising water temperature and increasing water and sediment runoff, e.g. openings in riparian cover/canopy, impervious surfaces, road crossings, construction runoff, and the warming and increased frequency of severe storms predicted by climate change models (Wuebbles & Hayhoe 2003). Tributary streams are increasingly threatened by development as urbanization and rural development place increased pressure on the Lake Superior region’s coastal communities. Between 1992 and 2001, a 33% increase in low-intensity development occurred within the basin with an alarming transition from agricultural lands to urban/suburban sprawl (Wolter et al. 2007). In the early 1990s, over 50 new lodging establishments were constructed along the Superior North Shore, and from 1990-1996 Cook County, MN experienced a 24% population increase (MPCA 2000). Stream fish, amphibians, and the invertebrates that sustain them are being adversely impacted by increased temperature, excessive peak flows, turbidity and suspended solids, road salts, organic matter, and nutrients from increased development (Anderson et al. 2003). This conclusion is supported by the fact that 11 of 27 major Minnesota North Shore trout streams have been listed as Impaired (2010) since the 1990s and remain on the State 303(d) list - primarily for turbidity, temperature, and fish tissue-Hg. The integrity of these watersheds is also critical to the condition of the coastal and offshore waters of Lake Superior. The streams discharge directly into the nutrient and sediment sensitive coastal zone of ultra-oligotrophic L. Superior, or indirectly into the lake via the St. Louis River Estuary, itself an IJC designated Area of Concern and a zero discharge (of persistent organic pollutants (IJC 1999; MPCA 2000), in part because of its levels of phosphorus and suspended sediment. This is particularly important because the lake’s nearshore zone is the source of much of its biological productivity and recreational use, but is nutrient deficient and therefore, very sensitive to excess inputs of nutrients, suspended solids, turbidity and organic matter (e.g. Sterner et al. 2004; Rose and Axler 1998). Therefore, despite the fact that Lake Superior and its tributaries are among the most pristine waters in Minnesota and in the entire Great Lakes Basin, some of these resources are already stressed by increased urbanization and tourism. This creates the unusual challenge of how to inform the public, businesses, and local units of government (LGUs) that these resources need protection when few problems are obvious to the untrained eye. This project has built on the foundation established by the award-winning project www.LakeSuperiorStreams.org (LSS) that was created in 2002 via an EPA grant to a Partnership of the City of Duluth Stormwater Utility, the University of Minnesota –Duluth (Natural Resources Research Institute, Minnesota Sea Grant, and Department of Education), the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (Duluth Office), the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District, the Great Lakes Aquarium, and the Lake Superior Zoo (Axler et al. 2006, 2003; Lonsdale et al. 2006). The original partnership has remained substantially intact since 2002. The ultimate goal continues to be to improve environmental decision-making by: (1) Enhancing public understanding of the connections between weather, hydrology, land use and the condition of water resources in urban and rural watersheds, and (2) Providing easy access to tools for accomplishing the protection of un-impaired resource and cost-effective restoration of degraded sites.
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    Land-Use Annual Report 2005
    (2005) St. Louis County Planning Department
    This document summarizes actions taken by St. Louis County on a variety of land use issues in 2005. These include permits, variances, licenses, and Planning Commission decisions. The report observes an increase in shoreland actions and decisions relative to other activities for the year.
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    Land-Use Annual Report 2006
    (2006) St. Louis County Planning Department
    This report summarizes planning and zoning actions carried out in St. Louis County in 2006. Of the total approved permits in 2006, 49% were lakeshore related and 51% were non-lakeshore. In 2006, there were 512 approved lakeshore permits. From 1997-2005, St. Louis County averaged 5 approved lakeshore permits per year in county administered areas. Lake Vermilion had the most permit activity in 2006 with 65 approved permits, and the most permit activity from 1997-2006 with 696 approved permits. Burntside Lake had the second most permit activity in 2006 with 26 approved permits, and from 1998-2006 Island Lake Reservoir had the second most permit activity with 376 approved permits. The remaining lake permit activity in 2006 was Whiteface Reservoir (22), Island Lake Reservoir (23), Tributaries (23), Fish Lake Flowage (9) Pelican (14) Bear Island (18), Ely (20) Kabetogama (6) and Birch (3).
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    Land-Use Annual Report 2007
    (2007) St. Louis County Planning Department
    This report summarizes planning and zoning actions carried out in St. Louis County in 2007. Of the total approved permits in 2008, 57% were lakeshore-related and 43% were nonlakeshore. In 2008, there were 454 approved lakeshore permits. From 2006-2008, St. Louis County averaged 464 approved lakeshore permits per year in county administered areas. Lake Vermilion had the most permit activity in 2008 with 73 approved permits, and the most permit activity from 2006-2008 with 201 approved permits. Burntside Lake had the second most permit activity in 2008 with 26 approved permits, and the most permit activity from 2006-2008 with 78 approved permits. The remaining lake permit activity in 2008 was Island Lake Reservoir (25), Whiteface Reservoir (15), Ely (11), Pelican (9) Bear Island (5), Fish Lake Flowage (7), Kabetogama (6), Birch (5), Eagles Nest (14), White Iron (5), and Sturgeon (4).
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    Land-Use Annual Report 2008
    (2008) St. Louis County Planning Department
    This report summarizes planning and zoning actions carried out in St. Louis County in 2008. This document summarizes actions taken by St. Louis County on a variety of land use issues since 2005. These include permits, variances, licenses, and Planning Commission decisions. “In comprehensive land use planning provisions must be made for the protection of the quality and quantity of groundwater used for public water supplies, and the plan must address surface water (i.e., drainage, flooding, and storm water run-off).” The document lists the number of water-related variances, permits and other actions granted in 2007. Of the total approved permits in 2006, 49% were lakeshore related and 51% were non-lakeshore. In 2006, there were 512 approved lakeshore permits. From 1997-2005, St. Louis County averaged 5 approved lakeshore permits per year in county administered areas.
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    Land-Use Annual Report 2009
    (2009) St. Louis County Planning Department
    This report summarizes planning and zoning actions carried out in St. Louis County in 2009. Of the total approved permits in 2009, 51% were lakeshore-related and 49% were nonlakeshore. In 2009, there were 328 approved lakeshore permits. From 2007-2009, St. Louis County averaged 413 approved lakeshore permits per year in county administered areas. Lake Vermilion had the most permit activity in 2009 with 38 approved permits, and the most permit activity from 2007-2009 with 174 approved permits. Burntside Lake had the second most permit activity in 2009 with 12 approved permits, and the second most permit activity from 2007-2009 with 64 approved permits.
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    Land-Use Annual Report 2010
    (2010) St. Louis County Planning Department
    This report summarizes planning and zoning actions carried out in St. Louis County in 2009. Of the total approved permits in 2009, 51% were lakeshore-related and 49% were nonlakeshore. In 2009, there were 328 approved lakeshore permits. From 2007-2009, St. Louis County averaged 413 approved lakeshore permits per year in county administered areas. Lake Vermilion had the most permit activity in 2009 with 38 approved permits, and the most permit activity from 2007-2009 with 174 approved permits. Burntside Lake had the second most permit activity in 2009 with 12 approved permits, and the second most permit activity from 2007-2009 with 64 approved permits.
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    Land-Use Annual Report 2011
    (2011) St. Louis County Planning Department
    This report summarizes planning and zoning actions carried out in St. Louis County in 2010. Of the total approved permits in 2010, 53% were shoreland-related and 47% were non-shoreland. In 2010, there were 339 approved shoreland permits. From 2008-2010, St. Louis County averaged 373 approved shoreland permits per year in county administered areas. Recreational Development lakes had the most permit activity in 2010 with 190 approved permits, and the most permit activity from 2008-2010 with 612 approved permits. General Development lakes had the second most permit activity in 2010 with 75 approved permits, and the second most permit activity from 2008-2010 with 262 approved permits. Natural Environment lakes had 41 approved permits in 2010 and a 2008-2010 total of 103 approved permits.
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    Land-Use Annual Report 2013
    (2013) St. Louis County Planning Department
    This report summarizes planning and zoning actions carried out in St. Louis County in 2013. During that year (2013), 55% of permits were non-shoreland, and 45% were shoreland. Recreational development lakes had the most development activity at 504 permits; general development lakes had 245 permits, and natural environment lakes 111.
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    Monitoring Bird Populations on Biophysical Inventory Plots: St. Louis County, 1994
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 1995) Montgomery, Kent; Niemi, Gerald J
    Neotropical migrant birds have recently received much attention following reported declines in many species that breed in eastern North America. Probable causes for such declines include events, such as habitat alteration, occurring on both breeding and wintering grounds. Changes in forest species composition and age structure, and the spatial arrangement of these forest components, may possibly influence bird communities in both regions. The consequences of these changes to birds and other wildlife in Minnesota are not well understood. Minnesota’s forests harbor a greater diversity of songbirds than anywhere else in North America. Birds represent more than 60% of the more than 150 vertebrate species in northern Minnesota forests. Development of forest management plans designed to sustain the diversity of these forests should address bird communities occupying them. To better understand the affect of forest management activities on bird communities in St. Louis County, a site-specific bird monitoring program was initiated on County Biophysical plots during June 1994. Census points were established on Biophysical plots and monitored for forest birds. Results of these censuses will be used to determine avian community composition within plots, refine species/habitat relationships for St. Louis County lands, establish baselines for continued monitoring of bird populations on selected plots, and explore landscape-level effects on avian communities.
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    Monitoring Bird Populations on Biophysical Inventory Plots: St. Louis County, 1994-1996
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 1997) Montgomery, Kent; Niemi, Gerald J
    Neotropical migrant birds have recently received much attention following reported declines in many species that breed in eastern North America. Probable causes for such declines include events such as habitat alteration, occurring on both breeding and wintering grounds. Changes in forest species composition and age structure, and the spatial arrangement of these forest components may influence bird communities in both regions. The consequences of these changes to birds and other wildlife in Minnesota are not well understood. Minnesota's forests harbor a greater diversity of songbirds than anywhere else in North America. Birds represent more than 70% of the more than 150 terrestrial vertebrate species in northern Minnesota forests. Development of forest management plans designed to sustain the diversity of these forests should address bird communities occupying them. To better understand the affect of forest management activities on bird communities in St. Louis County, a site-specific bird monitoring program was initiated on biophysical plots. Bird census points were established on biophysical plots and surveyed for forest birds during June of 1994, 1995, and 1996. Results of these surveys were used to determine avian community composition within plots, refine species/habitat relationships for St. Louis County, and establish baselines for continued monitoring of bird populations on selected plots.
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    Monitoring Bird Populations on Biophysical Inventory Plots: St. Louis County, 1995
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 1995) Montgomery, Kent; Niemi, Gerald J
    Neotropical migrant birds have recently received much attention following reported declines in many species that breed in eastern North America. Probable causes for such declines include events such as habitat alteration, occurring on both breeding and wintering grounds. Changes in forest species composition and age structure, and the spatial arrangement of these forest components may influence bird communities in both regions. The consequences of these changes to birds and other wildlife in Minnesota are not well understood. Minnesota's forests harbor a greater diversity of songbirds than anywhere else in North America. Birds represent more than 70% of the more than 150 terrestrial vertebrate species in northern Minnesota forests. Development of forest management plans designed to sustain the diversity of these forests should address bird communities occupying them. To better understand the affect of forest management activities on bird communities in St. Louis County, a site-specific bird monitoring program was initiated on biophysical plots. Bird census points were established on biophysical plots and surveyed for forest birds during June of 1994 and 1995. Results of these surveys were used to determine avian community composition within plots, refine species/habitat relationships for St. Louis County lands, identify changes in relative abundance of breeding birds between years, and establish baselines for continued monitoring of bird populations on selected plots.
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    Monitoring Herpetofauna on St. Louis County Biophysical Plots, 1996: Inventory Results and Preferred Sampling Methods
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 1997) Montgomery, Kent; Niemi, Gerald J
    Herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians) have been experiencing declines in populations worldwide. Explanations for these declines include increased ultraviolet radiation, decreased water quality, and habitat alterations. Although the causes of these losses are unknown, the point remains that this vertebrate group may be one of the most sensitive indicators of environmental health. Identifying habitat requirements of herpetofaunal communities and monitoring trends in their populations may enable forest managers to better understand the effect of forest management activities upon wildlife dependent on forested habitats. We initiated herpetofaunal inventories during 1996 on selected biophysical plots established within the Boulder Lake Management Area by St. Louis County Land Department personnel. Northern white cedar, eastern white pine, and early successional habitats were selected for inventory A variety of inventory techniques were used within each habitat, including drift fences, cover boards, and calling anuran (frogs and toads) surveys. The sampling efficiency, cost effectiveness, and durability of each technique were evaluated. Recommended protocols for herpetofaunal inventory on St. Louis County biophysical plots included in this report were created based upon these evaluations.