Watershed Achievements Report
wq-cwp8-18
wq-cwp8-18
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Statewide <strong>Watershed</strong> <strong>Achievements</strong> <strong>Report</strong> 2015<br />
• The third goal of this project of building a network<br />
of individuals trained in the use of NTT is in process.<br />
The NTT tool has been shared with many natural<br />
resource professionals and has been received very<br />
well by those professionals for its functionality. The<br />
ease of use of the tool is being addressed in the core<br />
curriculum and training and is not completed at this<br />
time. However, the outputs of the program have been<br />
shared with these professionals and the ability of the<br />
tool to show the decreases or increases in nitrogen,<br />
phosphorus, and sediment has been well received.<br />
The team has created a heightened awareness of the<br />
NTT tool and this is reflected in the Natural Resource<br />
Conservation Service (NRCS) wanting to work with<br />
Minnesota in getting the tool calibrated. The team<br />
can see its use in farm planning, water quality<br />
conservation, and ecosystem services occurring.<br />
Lessons learned<br />
A valuable lesson learned in this project was to have<br />
a tool that was calibrated and ready for use within the<br />
project. This project objective experienced substantial<br />
delays and challenges surrounding NTT development<br />
complications occurring at the national level. Even<br />
though the model was originally promised to be<br />
calibrated and in service over a year ago, the NRCS and<br />
its contractors have run into budget delays that resulted<br />
in this complicating issues. One example causing NTT<br />
work delays has been the national level management<br />
and decision making process regarding the targeted<br />
audience and release of a full working version of the tool.<br />
Recently NRCS has concluded it will work only with the<br />
USDA Agricultural Research Services (ARS) and take back<br />
full control of NTT setup, calibration and documentation.<br />
The team is very excited that the tool will soon become<br />
calibrated in Minnesota but will await the day that will<br />
happen. We find value in this tool and really want to see<br />
this tool come to fruition. We would like to continue this<br />
project once there is a calibrated version.<br />
Financial information<br />
Funding type: Section 319<br />
Grant amount: $62,496<br />
Final in-kind: $98,417<br />
Contact information<br />
Shannon Fisher, Executive Director<br />
Minnesota River Board<br />
135 Trafton Science Center South<br />
Minnesota State University<br />
Mankato, MN 56001<br />
507-389-5492<br />
shannon.fisher@mnsu.edu<br />
MPCA Project Manager: Nick Gervino<br />
Farm field in southeastern Minnesota used to test reductions<br />
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency www.pca.state.mn.us 33