2020 NAPPC Pollinator Roadside Management Award Winner

Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT)

Since the 1980s the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has been committed to environmental stewardship through reduced mowing practices and native seed use in roadside vegetation management. Over the past 20 years MnDOT has worked to protect pollinator species by using data from the state Natural Heritage Information System (NHIS) and other GIS databases to protect known locations of habitat and other adjacent lands during construction projects and routine maintenance. Additionally, MnDOT utilizes prescribed fire as a vegetation management tool to enhance native habitat and plant diversity while also controlling invasive species. MnDOT supports various research projects related to pollinator habitat to improve financial effectiveness and increase tax dollar spending efficiency.

Recently, MnDOT helped lead the development of the Monarch Butterfly Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA), which is the first nationwide voluntary agreement with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to support monarch butterfly conservation on energy and transportation lands. In addition to serving as the co-chair for the Transportation Sector Team throughout the development of the CCAA, MnDOT is also one of the first state DOTs to enroll in the agreement and commit to long-term management of monarch butterfly habitat on their roadsides.