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Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council

Oct 10, 2016

Breaking the Ice: Love of outdoors leads to heritage council

"You get a chunk of pork belly — it looks like piece of bacon on steroids. They hack that baby up and you eat the whole thing"

Sep 5, 2014

Rift festers on Outdoor Heritage Council

August's walkout by three board members exposes friction between members who favor hunting and fishing interests and those who prioritize other outdoor projects.

Apr 9, 2014

Senate panel okays $109 million Lessard-Sams package

The recommendations call for the acquisition of almost 2,000 acres of native prairie and would pay for restoration and enhancement projects on another 7,000 acres of such lands.

Sep 24, 2013

Lessard-Sams recommends $102 million in habitat projects for 2014

The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council last week wrapped up a hard-fought round of hearings on Legacy funding by making $102 million in recommendations for the 2014 Legislature. There are three items in particular that hung on to receive funding despite staunch opposition from some of the 12 members on the citizen/legislator panel.

Sep 11, 2013

Should Legacy fund invasives fight?

In crafting its recommendations to the 2014 Legislature, the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council is internally divided on more than $30 million in requests to combat aquatic invasive species in Minnesota waters.

Aug 3, 2012

Lessard-Sams hears the call of the prairie

The landscape is shifting for the 12-member citizen-legislator group that recommends conservation habitat land acquisitions to the state Legislature.

Jun 15, 2012

Lawmakers eye state-federal cost sharing for Mississippi makeover

After piling on to an old-style, double-decker excursion boat at Rosemount on Wednesday morning, scores of citizens, politicians and government agency employees listened as officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers outlined an ambitious plan to revitalize the most degraded stretch of the Mississippi River in Minnesota.

Mar 23, 2012

House, Senate differ on land parcel at heart of Lessard-Sams bill

The House and Senate appear to be heading for a conference committee battle over the marquee land-acquisition proposal in this year’s Legacy bill.

Apr 13, 2011

Legacy money for PILT?

By law, the $540 million in anticipated 2012-13 proceeds from Minnesota's so-called Legacy Amendment, passed in 2008, are dedicated to specific environmental and cultural purposes. But it's been clear since the start of the 2011 session that legislators would seek to dragoon some of those dollars into helping to solve the state's $5 billion budget deficit.

Mar 2, 2011

Landwehr embraces DNR balancing act

Tom Landwehr's appointment to head the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) represents a return to the place where he cut his teeth in wildlife management in the 1980s and '90s.

Feb 2, 2011

Lessard-Sams critic Hansen dropped from council

Rep. Rick Hansen, a persistent critic of decisions made by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, has been removed from the 12-member body.

Oct 20, 2010

Former Sen. Bob Lessard endorses Dayton

Former DFL turned Independence Party Sen. Bob Lessard endorsed DFL nominee Mark Dayton for governor Wednesday, coming about a week after Dayton released a seven-point plan spelling out his commitment to work with the hunting and fishing community.

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