What Programs are Available?

Reinvest in Minnesota Overview

Army Compatible Use Buffer Program

The ACUB easement program permanently protects private lands within a 3 mile radius around Camp Ripley from residential and commercial development.

Critical Shorelands: Rum River Conservation Easements

The Critical Shorelands: Rum River Conservation Easements Program protects sensitive shorelands on privately owned lands in Minnesota's Rum River watershed. This program is available in the following 10 counties: Aitkin, Anoka, Benton, Chisago, Crow Wing, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Sherburne.

Minnesota Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program

Landowner Information     SWCD Information 

Minnesota's CREP program focuses on 54 counties in southern and western Minnesota. The program is a federal, state, local partnership with the goal to enroll 60,000 acres of buffer strips, wetland restorations, and wellhead protection areas.

Mississippi Headwaters Habitat Corridor Easements

This Program offers private landowners along or near the first 400 miles of the Mississippi River, or on a major tributary or headwaters lake, an opportunity to protect critical fish and wildlife habitat by permanently protecting the natural resource value of their land.

Pine and Leech Watershed Shoreland Protection

Permanent easements protect undeveloped shoreland along the Lower, Middle & Upper Pine River.  The program focus is to protect water quality in the Pine River watershed, which has been identified as a priority in MN for source water protection.

RIM Grassland Reserve

Easements through this project will protect current grasslands and buffering native prairie that are within wildlife habitat complexes not covered by other conservation programs. The enrollment focus is within the Prairie and Forest/Prairie Transition Ecoregions.

RIM Groundwater (Wellhead) Protection Easements

The RIM Groundwater Easement program protects and restores areas where drinking water supply has been designated as highly vulnerable by the MN Department of Health.

RIM Reforestation

The purpose of the RIM Reforestation program is to target historically forested lands for permanent protection and reforestation. In the pilot phase three watersheds will be eligible: the Redeye, Long Prairie and Rum River watersheds. Landscape Stewardship Plans have been completed for all three watersheds. These plans have prioritized land that has the most potential for restoration and protection. As a result, the ecologically highest ranked parcels will be targeted for inclusion in this voluntary program. Landowners can receive payment for enrolling in a perpetual conservation easement, financial assistance towards the completion of a Forest Stewardship Plan, and cost share for tree planting and other management activities that improve the land. Ultimately this program will sequester carbon, protect water quality, and improve wildlife habitat. 

RIM Riparian and Floodplain Restoration

The Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) has received funding through the Outdoor Heritage Fund and Clean Water Fund to secure Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) easements along riparian areas that provide both improved wildlife habitat and water quality benefits. BWSR will utilize the RIM easement program in partnership with local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) to target, protect and restore high priority habitat complexes.

RIM Wetlands

Restoring the most productive wetland habitat in Minnesota will protect and restore previously drained wetlands and adjacent native grasslands on easements across the State. BWSR will utilize the Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) easement program in partnership with local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) to target, protect and restore high priority habitat complexes.

RIM Wild Rice Conservation Easement Program

RIM Wild Rice Conservation easements protect wild rice lakes on privately owned lands in Minnesota’s Northern Forest region. Permanent easements protect this important resource from the threat of future development.

RIM Working Lands

The purpose of the Working Lands RIM Easement pilot program is to protect and promote perennial vegetation land cover for the benefit of surface and groundwater through “working lands” easements.  For the pilot program, “working lands” is defined as lands that are used for haying or grazing. This program is focused on the Chippewa River, Crow Wing River, Long Prairie River, Mississippi River (Brainerd), Pine River, and Redeye River watersheds.

RIM Integrating Clean Water and Habitat (1W1P)

This program targets RIM projects in priority areas that contribute toward goals in Board approved and locally adopted Comprehensive Watershed Management Plans developed through the One Watershed, One Plan program. In the Twin Cities Metro Area, lands identified in a locally adopted watershed management plan, a county groundwater plan, or a soil and water conservation district comprehensive plan are also eligible.

Wetland Bank and Mitigation Easements

Click here for wetland banking easement program information.

*Schedule applies to programs that review and fund easements in batching periods.

*For each program above, batching periods close on the last day of the month marked in the table.