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

Blue Thumb – Planting for Clean
Water TM workshops are coordinated by the Dakota
SWCD in suburban communities throughout the
county. This new program
is a collaborative effort,
created by the Rice Creek
Watershed District,
which allows partnering
organizations to join forces
and train homeowners how
to “plant for clean water.”
Blue Thumb makes it easy to plan, purchase, design,
and plant native gardens, rain gardens and stable shorelines.
The SWCD, in cooperation with Dakota County,
cities, and the Gun Club Lake WMO, held six Blue
Thumb trainings for homeowners in the spring of 2007.
Over 140 residents attended the introductory workshops
and 50 of these participants got more specifi c
training through a detailed design course.
These classes resulted in the creation of 36 new rain
gardens and seven native plant gardens. Because
these landscape features help lessen the harmful
affects of storm water runoff, the SWCD provides
cost-share funding for most of these projects through
the Community Cost Share Program. Helping large
groups rather than individual landowners is an effective
and effi cient way for the SWCD to concentrate
their technical assistance. This program also helps
to streamline the SWCD’s Community Cost Share
funding assistance program, getting the money “in the
ground” and making a difference!
A project to inventory and assess the
condition of wetlands and streams within the Vermillion and
Cannon River Watersheds was completed by the SWCD in
2006-2007. The project was initiated because existing databases
used to locate and evaluate the condition of these resources
was outdated and unsystematic. This project creates a new GIS
database for Dakota County, which can be continuously updated
as projects and fi eldwork occur. Ultimately, water quality data
will be integrated with the assessment in order to prioritize
future protection efforts and detect trends. This project was
funded through the Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers
Organization and the Metropolitan Council.
Top 5 Natural Resource Concerns
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Improving and protecting water quality in all
surface waters
Reducing agricultural runoff from cropland and
feedlots
Reducing stormwater runoff volumes in urban areas
Protecting and enhancing natural areas, buffers, and
greenway corridors
Promoting the use of effective standards and criteria
in watershed management
Future Projects
Dakota Soil & Water Conservation District
Rural Land Incentive Program - A Clean Water Legacy
grant helped fund a new program that will provide funding
for the installation of buffers and the creation of nutrient
management plans and total farm conservation plans.
Beginning in 2007 and continuing through June 2009, the
SWCD will work with individual landowners to plan for
better resource management and buffer installations, often
augmenting existing USDA NRCS funding programs and
providing further incentives for change.
Heritage Library Rain Garden - Through a cooperative
partnership with the City of Lakeville, Dakota County, and the
SWCD, a rain garden will be installed to capture stormwater
runoff from two parking lots. This project is part of the County’s
Stormwater Retrofi t Program, which is part of its MS4
Permit, coordinated by the SWCD. This project will receive
funding from the SWCD’s Community Cost Share program.
41