Rice SWCD 2018 Annual Plan of Work

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1 Rice SWCD 2018 Annual Plan of Work Introduction The Rice Soil and Water Conservation District s Annual Plan is developed to provide guidance and direction to district staff and supervisors for the goals and objectives set forth by the Rice SWCD Board of Supervisors. It closely follows the goals and objectives of the Rice County Water Plan.

2 Mission Statement To assist land users in the management and conservation of our soil and water resources by means of educational, financial, and technical assistance. Vision Statement To have clean water, pure air, and productive soil SWCD Board of Supervisors Rice SWCD Staff Richard Cook Richard Peterson Tim Little Michael Ludwig Jim Purfeerst Chair Vice Chair Treasurer Secretary PR & I Steven Pahs, District Manager Sue Erpenbach, Administrative Assistant Justin Fuchs, Resource Specialist Travis Hirman, District Technician Emmie Peters, District Technician Teresa DeMars, Public Relations and Information Specialist th St. NW Faribault, MN

3 Objective 1: Water Quality and High Priority Erosion There is a direct link between what occurs on the land and what types of pollution enters our lakes and streams. Focusing on land management and encouraging the use of Best Management Practices (BMP s) will have a positive impact on these water bodies. The District is participating in the State of Minnesota s One Water, One Plan (1W1P) watershed planning efforts. It focuses on planning for a watershed, rather than the traditional county-based planning efforts. Presently, Rice SWCD is an active participant in the 1W1P development for the Cannon River Watershed, which makes up 81% of the land area in Rice County. The goal is to develop an implementation plan that is prioritized, targeted, and measurable and will guide efficient, effective project implementation. Provide input to the local work group that is developing the Cannon River Watershed Water Plan. Provide technical assistance to survey, design, and oversee the construction of conservation practices for producers and landowners through the state cost-share program and the Scott County WMO. Assist landowners with enrollment into the MN Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and the Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) program. Promote the Minnesota Water Quality Certification Program and assist landowners with applications. Promote the Agriculture Best Management Practices Loan Program to provide low interest loans for conservation practices, implements, well sealing, ag. Waste systems, and more. Promote soil health principles to cooperators through one on one assistance and field days. Offer incentives to producers who wish to try cover crops. Objective 2: Protection of Natural Resources A core mission of the Rice SWCD is to protect natural resources and work toward sustainability of our soil and water quality, both surface and groundwater. SWCD s are required by the state of Minnesota to perform some regulatory acts associated with protecting these resources. Identify riparian parcels that are non-compliant with the 2015 Buffer Initiative requiring 50 feet of perennial vegetation along public water streams and assist landowners with meeting compliance obligations. Update and maintain BuffCAT database for BWSR. Wetland Conservation Act (WCA): Respond to complaints of violations and work with landowners to correct violations. Work with NRCS to help landowners who apply for drainage activity to also have the District conduct a review for state WCA compliance. Soil Erosion: in 2015, the Minnesota legislature changed the statutes to require landowners to control soil erosion that is above the tolerable limit and has offsite

4 impacts. The District will follow up on soil erosion complaints and work with landowners to comply with the law. If necessary, the District will offer up to 75% cost-share for practices that correct soil erosion problems. Objective 3: Education Rice SWCD believes that education of the public is critical to adopting conservation principles. The District will provide conservation-based outreach and educational programming. Further, all Staff and Supervisors will continue their personal education and training as it relates to their positions and duties. Promote Soil Health principles to agricultural producers by providing individual consultation and field days. Assist with the Southeast MN regional Envirothon which focuses on environmental education for high school and middle school students. Promote environmental education by giving presentations to elementary students in the classroom. Promote education and outreach opportunities through the District website, Facebook, and other social media outlets. Promote the District s activities and accomplishments by providing a presentation to the Rice County Board of Commissioners annually. Promote conservation by creating a display at the Rice County Fair. Keep Rice County residents informed of current events through the monthly newsletter. Write articles on timely conservation topics and submit them to local newspapers. Participate in radio shows on KDHL radio to promote conservation. Educate and maintain employees knowledge and skills in conservation by encouraging them to attend relevant training opportunities. Provide SWCD Supervisors with opportunities to attend relevant training events. Objective 4: Develop Habitat for Wildlife in conjunction with erosion and water quality goals Providing habitat for pollinators, waterfowl, and native animals promotes healthy ecosystems and a better agricultural community. Rice SWCD will offer programs and practices that help restore and maintain these populations. CREP/RIM: Promote the current Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) which allows landowners to enroll in permanent conservation easements for wetland restoration. CRP: promote the conservation reserve program and assist with the application process to enroll land in temporary conservation easements. Tree sale: hold an annual tree sale where landowners can purchase conservation grade trees at a reasonable cost to promote wildlife habitat, and windbreaks for energy conservation.

5 Plant sale: hold a native plant sale to provide a low cost option for pollinator habitat and rain garden construction. Partner with the MN DNR Forestry staff to provide technical assistance on forest stewardship. Objective 5: Maintain existing programs that are beneficial to the county and seek new programs Programs that are still effective at providing conservation will be maintained, and we will explore ways to expand conservation. Utilize the BWSR State Cost-Share program to provide funding to landowners who install conservation practices on their farms to reduce soil erosion and sediment delivery to surface waters. Continue the Tree sale and Native plant sale. Provide nutrient management technical assistance to write nutrient and manure management plans. Coordinate the rain gauge monitoring network and forward the data to the State Climatology office. Select a landowner or organization to recognize as Rice County Outstanding Conservationist. Continue to partner with other governmental units including Northfield, Faribault, and Rice County to apply for grants that result in improvements in water quality and soil conservation. Provide technical assistance to producers through the USDA Resource Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The program targets feedlot operations of 500 animal units or less to reduce and eliminate pollution issues and improve manure management. Promote the enrollment of farms into the Minnesota Ag. Water Quality Certification Program. The program helps accelerate the voluntary adoption of agricultural practices that improve water quality and maintain a productive economy. Producers who qualify will receive protections from new regulations as well as more EQIP funding for implementing conservation practices on their farms.

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