Shoreland Health Project
The Shoreland Health Project type is being introduced in 2025 as a pilot effort. The goal is help lakeshore residents improve their shoreland health scores by increasing the amount of native vegetation on their shoreland.
Who May Apply?
- Owners or residential lots with shorelines on these lakes: Ann, Duck, Lotus, Lucy, Mitchell, Red Rock, Riley, Silver, and Susan.
- Owners of deeded residential lake access lots (e.g. lot that provides lake access to residents in adjacent neighborhood) on these lakes: Ann, Duck, Lotus, Lucy, Mitchell, Red Rock, Riley, Silver, and Susan.
Maximum Grant Award
Up to 75% of cost up to $1,500 in a single year. (Minimum project cost must be $200.)
Location Requirements
- The project must occur within the shoreland zone. For the purposes of the grant, the shoreland zone is the area located within 50 feet of the lake water line.
- Only residential or deeded residential-access properties located on shorelines of major lakes are eligible. Major lakes with residential lots are: Ann, Duck, Lotus, Lucy, Mitchell, Red Rock, Riley, Silver, and Susan.
Approved Uses of Funds
In general, the purpose of the Stewardship Grant for Shoreland Health is to improve the amount of native vegetation within shoreland of residential properties. This aligns with the goal of our Shoreland Health Program.
The watershed district will award a grant of up to 75% of cost not to exceed $1,500 per property owner for a Shoreland Health Project. Qualifying costs include planting a native shade tree and planting native groundcover (shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, sedges, etc.).
For your project, you can simply choose to plant a tree (or hire someone plant it for you), or you can choose to plant only groundcover, or some combination of both! See the table below for project ideas.
| Project idea | Award | Eligible costs | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant one or more native shade trees | 75% of cost up to $1,500. Maximum allowable cost for a tree (not including associated costs) is $500. | Purchase of tree(s); installation/labor cost; wood mulch (non-dyed); tree staking and protection | Tree species must be native to Minnesota and a not a cultivar. (See native plant requirements below for more information.) |
| Plant native groundcover such as wildflowers, shrubs, and grasses | 75% of cost up to $1,500. See maximum allowable costs for native plants. | Purchase of native plants; installation/labor cost; erosion control materials including wood mulch (non-dyed); protective fencing from herbivores | No required minimum on native plant species diversity, bloom time, or quantity. However, please consider selecting multiple plant species with a variety of bloom times to provide habitat diversity. |
| Do a project that's a combination of groundcover plants and trees | 75% of cost up to $1,500. Maximum allowable cost for a tree (not including associated costs) is $500. | See above. | See above. |
Maximum Allowable Costs
To maximize value per dollar but still allow flexibility for grantees in materials selection, maximum allowable cost has been set.
Download the 2025 Maximum Allowable Costs information
Are you interested in a full shoreline restoration with a much larger grant award? Check out Shoreline Restoration Project.
Project Requirements
To encourage participation in this new initiative, the native plant requirements for a Shoreland Health Project or lower than those of other types of native plant projects.
Download the Shoreland Health Project handoutWhat qualifies as a native plant?
For the Stewardship Grant Program, a native plant is one that is native to and grown within the southern half of Minnesota, the northern half of Iowa, and/or the western half of Wisconsin.
What are the other plant requirements for a Shoreland Health Project?
- The minimum project cost is $200. Also, there are maximum allowable costs for native plants and other materials.
- The project must improve the existing condition of the project area. This means improving the vegetation type (e.g. replace turf grass), adding plants to an eroded area, or replacing an impervious (hard) surface.
- The planting area must be at least 100 square feet. This area does not have to be contiguous, meaning that you can have multiple planting areas that add up to 100 or more square feet.
- Choose only native plants: The wildflowers, grasses, sedges, shrubs and other plants you select must be native and in their natural form. No cultivars (cultivated varieties) are allowed. If you buy from a vendor that specializes in native plants, you should be good to go.
- Choose the right native tree: If your project includes a tree, it must be native to Minnesota per the DNR. Due to Emerald Ash Borer, ash trees are not eligible for grant funds. The only native tree cultivar allowed is a native elm species resistent to Dutch Elm Disease.
- There is no required minimum on native plant species diversity, bloom time, or quantity. However, please consider selecting multiple plant species with a variety of bloom times to provide pollinator habitat. Staff are happy to help you pick out plants, and check out our favorite native plants organized by bloom time.
- Select a trusted native plant supplier: You must tell us the name of the supplier(s) from whom you plan to purchase native plants. We may have questions if it's a supplier we haven't heard of. Check out these collected lists of native plant suppliers: Wild Ones list of native plant nurseries and contractors ⬈ and DNR List of native plant suppliers, landscapers, and restoration consultants ⬈
- In-kind labor may be part of project costs if planned in advance, but post-installation professional maintenance funds are not available for this project type.
You'll need to provide a plant list with your application. Your plant selection will be reviewed by the grant committee to make sure your selection is appropriate for site conditions (e.g. sun exposure, soil moisture).
