Soil & Water Conservation District Guidebook 2008 - Minnesota ...

Pictured: 319 Grazing Grant water quality monitoring site in
Pleasant Grove Township. Sites were selected in response to
fi ndings of the regional TMDL study identifying fecal coliform
impairments in area streams. Olmsted and Fillmore SWCD
have partnered with MDA to provide ongoing monitoring on
four sites in two counties.
A conservation plan was developed
for two young farmers in Marion Township that resulted
in many best management practices being installed. Two
brothers purchased a 200-acre farm that had been farmed
conventionally for decades. They approached the Olmsted
SWCD for assistance in developing a conservation plan that
would help rebuild the soil and place smart conservation
practices on the land. A plan was developed by SWCD and
NRCS staff to assist the landowners with the installation of
8,250 feet of terraces, 2,100 feet of grassed waterways and
a grade stabilization structure to reduce erosion, improve
soil condition and improve water quality.
The Conservation Reserve Enhancement
Program (CREP II) has created long-term wildlife habitat,
protected erosion-prone soils and improved water while
retiring about 73 acres of cropland. Olmsted SWCD is
working in conjunction with the southeast Minnesota
conservation districts, USDA Farm Service Agency, NRCS
and the Board of Water and Soil Resources to provide the
landowners of Olmsted County with an opportunity to enroll
their most marginal acreages into conservation easements. The
program offers landowners a 15-year USDA - CRP contract
with a 30 percent incentive on soil rental rates, as well as a
one-time easement payment from the state of Minnesota.
Olmsted SWCD has contracts with seven landowners enrolling
73.2 acres of land into long-term conservation easements.
Top 5 Natural Resource Concerns
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Water quality improvement
Reduce erosion and sediment delivery to streams
Stormwater management and urbanization
Conservation education to public
Work with feedlot owners to comply with MPCA
feedlot regulations
Future Projects
Olmsted Soil & Water Conservation District
Hundreds of acres of native prairie have
been restored by the SWCD in recent years. Olmsted SWCD
has assisted 117 landowners with planting 381 acres of native
prairie in the county since 2001. These plantings have been
completed using conservation program cost sharing as well
as private money and interest in restoring wildlife habitat for
personal enjoyment and aesthetics.
Zumbro Watershed Partnership: Bear Creek target
watershed –The SWCD is working with watershed residents
to install erosion control measures and improve water quality
as part of a targeted vision of the larger Zumbro Watershed
Partnership. Five volunteers are monitoring the stream as part
of the MPCA’s Citizen Stream Monitoring Program and will
help provide the baseline information needed for the turbidity
TMDL study to be completed June 2009.
319 Grant Grazing Project with MDA: Olmsted SWCD
has been working with a producer in Pleasant Grove
township in conjunction with Minnesota Department of
Agriculture and Fillmore SWCD to place a water quality
monitoring station on rotational pasture to monitor nutrient
discharge from the pastured site.
Quarry Hill Nature Center Rain Garden Project: Nature
center staff, City of Rochester, Zumbro Watershed Partnership,
Olmsted SWCD, a retired NRCS soil scientist and local
landscape architect are partnering to survey, design, construct
and plant a rain garden. This will collect water from part of
the nature center for treatment before it discharges into Silver
Creek. The rain garden will reduce basement fl ooding in the
nature center and provide educational opportunities to local
citizens who are interested in creating a rain garden. A “how to”
brochure on rain gardens will be created during the process.
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