Briefs: Money to fight aquatic invasive species in Washington County goes to six groups

Six organizations have received state grants to fight aquatic invasive species in Washington County.

A two-year allocation of $202,392 from the state Legislature was made available for prevention and education. Recipients are:

• Washington Conservation District, $76,950 for inspection, regulatory signage, geo-fencing and a marketing campaign;

• St. Croix River Association, $4,500 for preventing the introduction of new invasive species into the river, research to better understand the threat of the species, and control through a rapid-response protocol;

• Comfort Lake — Forest Lake Watershed District, $29,000 to add 1,500 hours of inspection at four boat launches in Forest Lake, in addition to 1,000 hours currently funded;

• Valley Branch Watershed, $9,660 for the treatment of Eurasian water milfoil in Olson, Long and Demontreville lakes, with the goal of reducing the invasive species by 50 percent;

• Big Marine Lake Association, $15,500 to treat Eurasian water milfoil in Big Marine Lake;

The $27,000 that remains from the legislative appropriation might pay for data collection and reviewing treatment success to guide future grant decisions, the county said.

The Washington County Board recently accepted a bid from Fitzgerald Excavating & Trucking Inc. to complete park improvements.

Improvements at Lake Elmo Park Reserve will be done at three group campsites that have no potable water in the camping area, and are served by portable toilets. Concrete vault toilets and water spigots will be added to each site.

At St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park, vault toilets will also be installed, and accessible trails will link camp sites with the shower building that was built in 2012. The project will also extend an existing paved trail from the park office through the campground.

Work at Lake Elmo Park Reserve will cost $182,412, and work at St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park will cost $164,072. A grant from the Metropolitan Council will pay for most of the project.

Confidential document shredding will be available.

This spring, Stantec Consulting Inc. will conduct controlled burns in Woodbury to encourage native vegetation growth and reduce nonnative and invasive species:

• Bielenberg Sports Center

• Valley Creek open space

• Ojibway Park

Burns will take place between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday. Parks will remain open to the public during burning. For more information, call the Public Works Department at 651-714-3720.

The Washington County Board has extended an agreement with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to help monitor for nitrate-N in private wells in Denmark Township and Cottage Grove.

Because of sensitive geology and traditional agricultural use, both areas have pockets of elevated nitrate levels, which are a public health concern, the county said.

The Agriculture Department will cover the costs of test kit mailings, lab analysis, site visits, and staff time for coordination, outreach, and education.

The county has contracted with the Washington Conservation District to carry out the project.

The Minnesota Department of Health will conduct a deer tick study in three Washington County parks after the County Board approved an agreement with the department April 7.

Eighty sites across Minnesota, considered ecologically conducive to ticks, will be studied.

St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park is listed as a primary study site, and Lake Elmo Park Reserve and Pine Point Park are potential backup sites if needed.

Sites will be visited at least twice by field study teams in June.

Ticks collected will be sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for pathogen testing, including for Lyme disease, viruses and several emerging tick-transmitted disease agents.