Dakota County, Minnesota is one seven counties in the rapidly growing Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan Region.  The Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers form the northern and eastern boundaries and the Cannon River forms a portion of the southern boundary.  95% of the county's 379,000 residents live in the ten cities in the northern 1/3 of the county. Six small cities and 13 rural townships total nearly 230,000 acres in the south.  Over the last decade, the county's population has grown 29% and this trend is likely to continue with a projected population of 460,000 by 2020.   Determined to preserve their agricultural heritage and quality of life, county leaders established the Dakota County Farmland and Natural Areas Program (FNAP), an initiative to protect significant lands from development.

The program is funded by a $20 million county bond referendum passed by voters in 2002 and matched with funds from other sources (including USDA’s Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program). The program relies on property owners voluntarily applying to protect their land by selling and/or partially donating a permanent conservation easement or selling or partially donating fee title. A citizens advisory committee plays a significant role in the program. Recently, the county approved using some FNAP funds to acquire permanent easements and restore agricultural lands in conjunction with the Minnesota Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP II). Dakota County is included in the southeast component of Minnesota CREP II, along with about a dozen other counties.

Dakota County, Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Farm Service Agency, Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 1000 Friends of Minnesota, Dakota County Township Officers Association, Friends of the Mississippi River, Minnesota Farmers Union, Minnesota Land Trust, Trust for Public Land, University of Minnesota Extension Service – Dakota County.

Farmland: As of May 2005, the county has acquired six permanent agricultural easements totaling 637 acres at a total cost of $2.4 million. However, federal matching funds and landowner donation have reduced the county’s cost to $1 million. Nine additional farmland protection projects, totaling 1330 acres, are underway. 

The county has been allocated an additional $1,298,846 in federal 50 percent matching funds from the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service for farmland protection. A total of $3.6 million in federal matching funds have now been awarded to the program over the last three years.

Natural areas: Three natural area projects in the cities of Eagan and Rosemount totaling 95 acres have been completed. Ten additional natural area protection projects totaling nearly 850 acres are in varying stages of progress.