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

Pictured: A shoreline restoration project on the Lake Bemidji
campus of Bemidji State University. Aggressive ice and wave
action resulted in up to six feet of shoreline loss in 2000.
Bio-engineering re-vegetation techniques and traditional rock
toe protection resulted in project that prevents erosion and
provides wildlife habitat and an opportunity for education.
Lake Bemidji has been a priority water body since
the late 1970s, when water testing suggested lake water
quality was deteriorating. In 1992, an EPA 319 Clean Water
Partnership Grant was received through the Beltrami SWCD
to conduct a watershed-based assessment of water quality indicators,
and to compile a listing of potential sources of water
quality degradation. The Lake Bemidji Watershed Clean Water
Partnership has concluded its nine-year effort to study water
quality issues within the watershed and to implement priority
strategies to improve the water quality entering Lake Bemidji.
This project received the prestigious “Technical Excellence
Award” in 1996 from the North American Lake Management
Society, and was voted the Minnesota Local Water Planning
“Outstanding Surface Water Project” in Minnesota in 1997.
A property management handbook for
lakeshore owners and a Shoreline Buffer Restoration Guide
were written and published by the SWCD in 2006. The publications
provide clear information on implementing stewardship-based
management on the lakeshore. Over 2,000 copies
of each publication have been distributed.
The stewardship forestry program encompasses
a number of initiatives. Approximately 40 species
of low-cost trees and shrubs are available each spring for use
in windbreaks, shelterbelts, wildlife habitat plantations or
other conservation practices. Many of these species are potentially
high-value for wildlife, and they are non-invasive,
and they have acclimated seed sources and well-established
root systems. The SWCD has provided more than 1 million
trees during the life of the tree program.
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Beltrami Soil & Water Conservation District
A native seed mix for shoreline restoration
efforts was developed by the SWCD. This perennial mix
contains 19 species of native forbs and fi ve species of native
grasses selected for their erosion control and wildlife
habitat characteristics. The mix has species that will do
well in a variety of site conditions, including part sun to
full sun, and sandy to organic soils.
Over 15,000 acres of jack pine forest
was defoliated by budworm in Beltrami County in 2003. In
2004, the outbreak area expanded into neighboring counties,
affecting an additional 43,500 acres. The defoliation
killed the already stressed trees, leaving thousands of acres
of standing dead jack pine and a potentially serious fi re
hazard. The seriousness of the fi re hazard is compounded
because people have made their homes within the jack pine
dominated landscape. Of the 1,600 homes assessed, 23%
ranked as high risk. The SWCD identifi ed problem areas,
recommended ways to reduce the risk, provided assistance
in fi xing the problems, and helped shoulder the costs.
Top 5 Natural Resource Concerns
Water Quality and Quantity Management
Erosion Control
Forage Management
Forest Management
Wildlife Habitat Management
Future Projects
A surface water assessment program was initiated
in 2007 to help citizens collect water quality data
on 36 lakes to help MPCA to assess these lakes for
impairments. This successful program completed the
fi rst year of its 2-year timeline. Interest has also been
sparked among lake samplers to consider establishing
lake associations on their respective lakes.
An initiative to address the Mississippi River
Headwaters dissolved oxygen impairment is underway.
Certain areas of the Mississippi River contain
dissolved oxygen levels too low to support life, and
are subsequently listed as impaired for fi sheries. The
SWCD is aggressively seeking funding to determine
the effects of this impairment to the health and vitality
of downstream lakes Irving and Bemidji.
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