The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has awarded grants to communities around the metro region to help them conserve and manage natural resources in the midst of urban pressures. Included are two local grants.

Among the six Community Conservation assistance grants awarded:

• $24,000 to Three Rivers Park District to assess the forest at Murphy-Hanrehan Park near Savage and develop a management plan that encourages the regeneration of oak trees.

• $11,000 to Scott County to facilitate immediate and long-term protection of a Minnesota River ecological corridor known as Blakeley Bluffs.

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The DNR’s Community Conservation assistance grants help local governments develop and apply tools for the conservation and management of natural areas in urban and developing areas. The grants are unique in that they provide communities with support in identifying and determining how to conserve natural resources during growth.

“More and more, communities are realizing it’s just as important to plan for natural resources as it is to plan roads and utilities,” said DNR community assistance specialist Marybeth Block. “These grants will help communities understand their ecological assets and identify the best ways to protect and manage them.”