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Dakota County Home
Land Conservation
 
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Contact

Land Conservation Program
952-891-7018

  • Program History
  • Application Process
  • Conservation Easements
  • Maintenance and Monitoring
  • County Funding Partners
  • Partnerships
  • Lands ProtectedCurrently selected
    • Dodge Nature Center
    • Butler Land Trust
    • Oheyawahe/Pilot Knob
    • Poplar Grove
    • Katharine Ordway Natural History Field Station
    • Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund Projects
    • Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program/Agricultural Land Easement Program Projects
    • Outdoor Heritage Fund Projects
  • Land Conservation Plan

Lands Protected

Page Content

When the Farmland and Natural Areas Program began in 2003, the county's land protection goal was to protect 5,000 to 10,000 acres. To date, the county has protected over 12,000 acres. Several new projects are in varying stages of completion.  See the most recent Land Conservation Map Summary.

As of June 2024, the county completed 156 land protection projects, including :

  • 71 permanent agricultural conservation easements, totaling 7,812 acres
  • 55 permanent natural area conservation easements, totaling 1,970 acres
  • 30 fee acquisition projects with other public entities, totaling 2,264 acres 

The c​ounty has spent almost $23.6 million in county funds (26 percent), leveraged more than $38.7 million in non-county funds (44 percent) and received almost $26.4 million in landowner donations (30 percent) to protect these lands valued at more than $88.7 million​.

Federal source

  • Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program/Agricultural Land Easement Program

State sources

  • Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund 
  • Outdoor Heritage Fund

Other sources of non-county funding include the  Friends of the Mississippi River and significant landowner donations of easement value.

Examples of some of the completed natural area protection projects are:

  • Dodge Nature Center
  • Butler Trust
  • Oheyawahe/Pilot Knob
  • Poplar Grove
  • Katharine Ordway Natural History Area

 

Last updated: 6/26/2024 12:00 PM

Administration Center
  • 1590 Highway 55
  • Hastings, MN 55033
  • Ph: 651-437-3191
  • Toll free: 800-247-1056
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