In 2020, Minnesota approved $1.918 million for the Shell Rock River Watershed Habitat Restoration Program – Phase IX. According to a 2025 final report from the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, the program ultimately protected, restored or enhanced 588 acres of habitat in the Shell Rock River watershed, exceeding its original goal of 483 acres.
A habitat program takes shape
The funding was provided under Minnesota Laws 2020, with the appropriation directed to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for an agreement with the Shell Rock River Watershed District. The funding was intended to support land acquisition as well as the restoration and enhancement of aquatic habitat within the watershed. The program focused on several types of conservation work, including acquiring properties, restoring wetlands and improving aquatic habitat. The projects were selected using conservation planning and monitoring intended to identify areas where habitat improvements could provide significant benefits.The Shell Rock River Watershed is a shallow-lake system that supports fish, waterfowl and other wildlife. According to the final report, restoration projects were targeted at addressing habitat degradation and improving conditions for native fish, waterfowl and wildlife.
Three properties protected
One part of Phase IX involved acquiring three properties: the Glenville Property, the Bancroft Property, and the Church Lake Property. The District closed on the Glenville Property in March 2021 and the Bancroft Property in September 2021. For the Church Lake Property, the District transferred the deed to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in December 2024 after acquiring and restoring the parcel.The final report says these acquisitions contributed to the program’s permanent protection of 218 acres. Another 370 acres of habitat and wetlands were enhanced or restored through the program. Together, those accomplishments contributed to the reported total of 588 acres protected, enhanced or restored.
Wetlands and prairie restored
The program included several restoration projects beyond property acquisition. The Bancroft Wetland Restoration was initiated in 2020, with construction beginning in June 2024 and largely completed by the fall of that year. Additional seeding work was completed in spring 2025. Another project focused on Panicum Prairie, where habitat enhancement work was carried out across 300 acres. The project involved native prairie vegetation and was substantially completed in February 2025, with final work completed in May.The program also supported the Fountain Lake In-Lake Habitat Project. Work included additional rock reefs and rock boulder clusters intended to improve fish habitat. The report notes that Phase IX funds were used to expand the scope of this work after the District determined additional funds were available. These projects addressed different parts of the watershed’s ecosystem, from wetlands and prairie habitat to aquatic areas. The broader aim was to improve habitat conditions while protecting areas that could provide long-term benefits for wildlife.
More acres than planned
The program’s original accomplishment plan called for 483 acres. By the end of the project, the final total had reached 588 acres, 105 acres more than initially planned. The report attributes the increase to the addition of the In-Lake Habitat Project and the Church Lake Property to Phase IX.According to the report, all grant funds were spent. The final grant expenditure remained $1.918 million, while the program’s final total including leverage was $1.9479 million.
A longer-term conservation effort
The work is intended to continue beyond the end of the grant. The Shell Rock River Watershed District relies on multiple funding sources, including a local option sales tax, local levy and public funding, to maintain conservation projects. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will also maintain the Church Lake Property, which it owns.The program’s results illustrate how a single state-funded conservation effort can combine land protection, wetland restoration, prairie enhancement and aquatic habitat improvements. Rather than focusing on one habitat type, Phase IX combined several projects across the Shell Rock River watershed. By 2025, the program had moved beyond its original target, with the final report recording 588 acres protected, enhanced or restored. The completed work represents a combination of permanent land protection and habitat improvements designed to support Minnesota’s fish, waterfowl and wildlife over the long term.