Mississippi Headwaters Board Land Protection Process Mississippi River Protection Through Partnership

Purpose To protect the natural values of the Mississippi River. Habitat Clean Water Priority areas will be the Mississippi River, Headwaters Lakes and Reservoirs, and Connecting Corridors and Tributaries. Highest ranking points will be allocated to parcels that are: Closest in proximity to priority areas Adjacent to other protected land Provide their own access and/or access to other public land

Background MHB applied in 2012 for a Clean Water Fund grant to prioritize the first 400 miles of the Miss. River The MHB applied for in June of 2015 for a Outdoor Heritage grant. MHB counties supported the application. Recommended for funding in July of 2016 Consist of an acquisition and easement program For acquisitions, Counties have input and approval at beginning and end of the process.

Easements Protects the land by enrolling willing landowners into a permanent conservation easement. Soil & Water Conservation Districts work with willing landowners to protect the River. Willing landowner retains possession of land. Ability to restrict or allow hunting and fishing. Must pay taxes on land.

Fee Title Acquisition Willing landowner agrees to sell his land to permanently protect the land. Owner- County or Dept. of Natural Resources. County taxes are replaced by PILT payment.

MHB Values No Surprises Local Control- County notification at the beginning and decision making authority at the end.

Partner Involvement Appraisal and Title search completed. Sale negotiated with seller. Landowner acceptance. Technical Review Meeting held with county land commissioner for evaluation of parcel to be determined if it should be moved forward and who should likely be the owner. Potential acquisition list is generated and ranked by Technical Committee. County Board Approval Parcel is brought back to home county for final full board vote for acquisition approval. DNR or county authorizes acceptance of parcel. Comment Review Eligibility list sent to MHB Board, DNR, Land Commissioners, County Commissioners, and Township boards by MHB Executive Director. County Commissioners provide comment at board meeting and approval on moving forward with parcels on eligibility list, and direct staff to review over list for ownership opportunities. Pre-notification Stage Potential Acquisition List Stage LSOHC application Used for LSOHC application. Eligibility list created at this time and approved by MHB Board. Fee Title Example

Map of Potential Acquisition Parcels