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

Our mission: The Mission of Pope SWCD is to promote, guide,
and provide high quality technical assistance for Pope County
and for the enhancement and protection of land and water
resources through implementation that will lead toward
effective conservation of soil and water.
The 20th Anniversary of CRP saw huge
success. About 285 people attended the banquet for the
event. Other activities included a conservation tour, fi ve
seminars, 18 booths, a conservation forum, and a wonderful
locally grown meal. Pope County was the only location
to hold an event of this magnitude. This type of event says
a lot about this area. The day was sponsored by Pheasants
Forever, Inc.; Pope County Pheasant Restoration; Gobblers
of Glacial Ridge; Harrison Company; Agassiz Seed; Glacial
Ridge Cattleman’s Association; Arnie Gerzewski; and Lakeland
Foods, Inc. This event was coordinated by the Pope
SWCD in conjunction with USDA’s Farm Service Agency
and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
A portion of Judicial Ditch 4 (JD4) in the
Chippewa River Watershed was stabilized with rock rip rap.
JD4 is located near Lake Leven and is contributing sediment
from the erosion of the banks. Lake Leven is one of the lakes
in Pope County that is on the Pollution Control Agency’s
impaired waters list for excess nutrients. The project estimate
was $38,610. This project was a joint effort between the
Pope SWCD and Pope County Land and Resource Department.
Pope SWCD did the survey and assisted with the
implementation phase. Engineering was done by Minnesota
River Joint Powers Board out of Montevideo.
Top 5 Natural Resource Concerns
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To improve water quality in our lakes,
streams, and water bodies
Help reduce water, soil, and wind erosion to
improve water quality
Reduce non-point source pollution from
agricultural runoff
Reduce point source pollution from feedlots.
Continue to promote and educate the public on
conservation practices
Future Projects
Pope Soil & Water Conservation District
Water and sediment control basins
are the most used practice for controlling sedimentation and
erosion from water and wind action. The Pope SWCD works
with landowners to install these conservation practices to
prevent gully erosion. A total of 15 basins were completed
in 2007 in Pope County. These projects involved repairing
gullies ranging from 400 to 2,920 feet and at least one foot
deep and two feet wide. About 200 tons of soil loss each year
is prevented by these projects, which prevents hundreds of
pounds of phosphorous from entering surface water.
The Johnshoy grass waterway project will be done to
correct gully erosion. The erosion is moving sediment
into the outlet of outlet creek which eventually ends up
in Lake Emily. Lake Emily is currently on the MPCA’s
impaired waters list for excess nutrients. This project will
help clean up the waters by correcting the gully erosion.
Three ag waste management systems are being
planned. One system is for the Martin Jenniges farm.
The runoff from the operation runs into the Chippewa
River and into Lake Gilchrist causing nutrients including
phosphorus to end up in the lake. An ag waste management
system is also planned for the Roger & Jason
Mrnak farm, which will help with the nutrient runoff
that ends up in Lake Villard. Roger & Matt Mattson are
also working on a plan for an ag waste management system
that will help control runoff into Pike Lake, which
outlets into the west branch of the Chippewa River.
Many sediment and water control basins and other
projects will be completed by the Pope SWCD.
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