Sugarloaf and partners receive $400,000 grant

Sugarloaf Cove has been awarded a $400,000 Conservation Partners Legacy (CPL) grant from the Lessard- Sams Outdoor Heritage Council for reforestation work on the North Shore of Lake Superior.

The funds will be used for forest restoration on Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the USDA Forest Service – Superior National Forest (SNF) lands in the Spruce Creek and Cascade River watersheds and at Sugarloaf Cove, all in Cook County.

All three organizations participating in the project are members of the North Shore Forest Collaborative (NSFC), a coordinated effort between local, state, tribal, and federal land management agencies, private and nonprofit organizations and individuals to revitalize and maintain a healthy forest environment on the North Shore by restoring and maintaining native trees and associated forest communities.

Collaborative members work together to identify locations where restoration is needed, develop projects, and pursue funding for doing the work. “We’re very excited about the opportunity to work with partners on projects to restore a healthy forest at multiple locations on the North Shore,” said Molly Thompson, executive director of Sugarloaf.

Work at the 34-acre Sugarloaf Cove natural area near Schroeder will focus on invasive plant removal and replanting of native species. Plans for DNR and SNF sites include planting trees in the forest understory, site preparation, seedling protection, and invasive plant control in and around Spruce Creek and Cascade River watersheds. “This project demonstrates how effective the NSFC can be in bringing together like-minded groups working on the North Shore to tackle the need for restoration work on all types of properties, regardless of ownership,” said Dave Ingebrigtsen, DNR assistant area wildlife manager.

Funding for the CPL grants comes from the state of Minnesota through the Outdoor Heritage Fund, which is supported by sales tax revenue generated by the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment passed by Minnesota voters in 2008.