AmeriCorps crews improve trout streams, gain work experience via Root River SWCD
A Rochester-based Conservation Corps Minnesota and Iowa crew worked on an ongoing cedar revetment project in Riceford Creek. The crew included, from left: Lakota Kirst, 23, of Osage, Iowa; Cole Wentworth, 25, of Preston, Iowa; Alexis Schwanz, 18, of Polk City, Iowa; and Andrea Dormer, 19, of Owatonna. (Photo by Ann Wessel, BWSR)
Minnesota Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (MN CREP) Resumes enrollment
Starting June 3, landowners in 54 southern and western Minnesota counties can once again submit applications to enroll in the Minnesota Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (MN CREP), a voluntary program that pays landowners to retire marginal cropland to create permanent conservation easements to protect environmentally-sensitive land.
“Thanks to the dedication of local conservation staff who serve as the bridge between landowners and the state, MN CREP’s first enrollment period saw robust landowner interest and participation,” said BWSR Executive Director John Jaschke. “We look forward to seeing the benefits this next enrollment period will create for both agricultural producers and water quality.”
MN CREP is a state-federal program designed to improve water quality and conserve habitat. It aims to protect and restore up to 60,000 acres of marginal cropland using buffer strips, wetland restoration and drinking water wellhead area protection. Native plantings on those acres filter water, prevent erosion and provide critical habitat for grassland species including badgers, meadowlarks and monarch butterflies. Landowners have enrolled approximately 12,000 acres to date.
Enrollment was first available in May 2017. Enrollment was put on hold in late 2018 to await passage of the new federal farm bill and associated program development by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) and the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) oversee the program. Landowners simultaneously enroll land in a 14 to 15-year federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contract and a permanent Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) Reserve program conservation easement. Landowners receive payments to restore native vegetation on enrolled acres, which maximizes water quality and habitat benefits.
Landowners wanting to learn more about MN CREP can contact their local FSA/Natural Resources Conservation Service/SWCD office, 507-724-5261. To learn more, visit www.bwsr.state.mn.us/crep.
Earth Team Volunteer Recognized – Caledonia Field Office
Thurman Tucker, an Earth Team Volunteer (ETV) at the Caledonia Field Office, was presented with a Certificate of Recognition, signed by Minnesota State Conservationist Troy Daniell, and a roadside emergency kit at the Annual Quail Forever Banquet that was held on March 31,2019. Over 100 attendees clapped and cheered for Thurman as Gary Larson, District Conservationist, presented him with the award. To date, Thurman has donated 2,920 hours as an Earth Team Volunteer, he was also nominated for a National Earth Team Award in 2018.
Thurman has been a key player in promoting conservation programs, getting conservation on the ground, and ensuring additional habitat for bobwhite quail is established in southeastern Minnesota. In the last year he has contacted approximately 50 Houston County landowners promoting bobwhite quail habitat opportunities. Thurman’s efforts have directly led to over 30 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) habitat applications in 2018. Thurman promoted the CP-33 practice which resulted in almost 60 Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts in Houston County cumulatively. He was instrumental in working with the NRCS Biologist, and a plethora of others, in establishing the CP-33 opportunity with CRP in many Minnesota counties.
Thurman has been collecting data and tracking sightings of bobwhite quail in Minnesota for over 30 years. In addition to working to rebuild Minnesota’s quail population, Thurman also conducts Christmas bird counts with local students and gives educational lectures. He has assisted with conservation educational field trips with local high school students from Spring Grove, Houston, Caledonia, and La Crescent schools and has had many bird posters printed for a contest with students in the SE and Metro North High School regarding bird identification.
Minnesota NRCS extends our deepest gratitude to Thurman Tucker for his many hours of volunteer service and dedication to conserving Minnesota’s natural resources.
Above: Thurman receiving his award! Foreground from L to R, Gary Larson, USDA NRCS District Conservationist, Caledonia Field Office; Thurman Tucker, Quail Forever; Dave Walter, District Manager, Root River SW.
Living Soil: A Documentary for All of Us. Our soils support 95 percent of all food production, and by 2060, our soils will be asked to give us as much food as we have consumed in the last 500 years.