Plan would partner with landowners to enroll up to 100,000 acres in water quality conservation efforts

ST. PAUL, MN – Continuing his work to improve water quality and wildlife habitat, Governor Mark Dayton today submitted a $795 million proposal to the United States Department of Agriculture for a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) for Minnesota. This federal, state and local partnership would work with farmers and other landowners across Minnesota to implement conservation practices on up to 100,000 acres of land to restore and protect water quality. Funding provided through CREP would provide additional financial support for farmers and landowners as Minnesota works to implement bipartisan buffer legislation enacted last session.

“This CREP funding would help tremendously, as Minnesotans work together to be even better stewards of our land and water,” said Governor Dayton. “We have begun to reverse the serious deterioration in the quality of water in parts of our state. But much more remains to be done. This is everyone’s challenge and everyone’s responsibility.”

The proposal submitted today focuses on prioritized and targeted acres that would provide the greatest water quality and habitat benefits. It would fund the implementation of buffer filter strips, wetland restoration projects, and wellhead protection efforts. The CREP proposal is  a five-agency effort, led by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) and including the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

“Minnesota has a plan to improve water quality and enhance habitat, backed by sound science and local Soil and Water Conservation District readiness,” BWSR Executive Director John Jaschke said.  “This CREP would get Minnesota closer to its natural resource goals.”

State support is already building for Minnesota’s CREP proposal. Bipartisan support at the Legislature yielded $35 million last session for conservation efforts, which will provide part of the required state contribution necessary to leverage federal CREP dollars. The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council has also recommended the Legislature approve $20 million in Outdoor Heritage Fund in the upcoming session. Additional state matching funds will be considered by the Legislature in the upcoming session.

About the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is an offshoot of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the country’s largest private-land conservation program. Administered by the USDA-Farm Service Agency (FSA), CREP targets high-priority conservation issues identified by local, state, or tribal governments or non-governmental organizations. The proposed federal, state and local partnership would voluntarily retire environmentally sensitive land using the nationally-recognized ReInvest in Minnesota (RIM) Reserve program. This is accomplished by establishing conservation practices via payments to farmers, ranchers, and agricultural land owners.

Download Postcard | The purpose of this meeting is to present the North Fork Crow River Watershed One Watershed One Plan (1W1P) process and to gather information on local water management priorities. The 1W1P will affect water management within 13 local units of government. A planning work-group consisting of affected local units of government was created in early 2015 to structure and initiate the planning process. Your organization has been identified as a “local stakeholder” for this planning process. The meeting will be held on Monday, November 2, 2015 at 4:30 PM at the Wright County Courthouse, 10 2nd St NW, Buffalo MN 55313. Please join us in-person and/or online for a public meeting and Q&A session.

Access the meeting via live web stream visit co.wright.mn.us/AgendaCenter.

Can’t make it the day of the meeting, a recording will be posted and questions can be sent within 21 days following the meeting date to diane.sander@mn.nacdnet.net . Additional details regarding the North Fork 1W1P can be found on the Crow River Organization of Water’s website: www.crowriver.org

Pope County landowners have an additional way to earn income off their land this spring by enrolling into the Walk In Access Program (WIA). The primary objective of the Walk In Access Program is to provide new hunting opportunities on private lands currently enrolled in conservation programs with quality wildlife habitat, such as the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM), and the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP). Other natural lands may also be eligible for enrollment if high-quality habitat exists.

In 2014, Minnesota had 20,708 acres enrolled into the Walk In Access Program and Pope County had 10 sites totaling 555 acres. Once enrolled, the land is open to public hunting access during any open hunting season, including spring turkey. The location of areas enrolled will be publicized in an annual book and posted on the DNR website. Bright yellow-green signs will be installed along WIA boundaries once land is enrolled. WIA land is for hunting only. There is no target practice, trapping, dog training, camping, horseback riding, driving, or fires allowed on the property. Landowners are protected from liability, unlike private leases. Trespassing and hunting violations will be dealt with by DNR Conservation Officers.

Eligible sites must meet the minimum size of 40 acres. Acreage smaller than 40 acres may enroll if the land is contiguous with a Wildlife Management Areas (WMA), Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA), or another WIA resulting in at least 40 contiguous acres open to public hunting. Landowners sign into a one year or multi-year contract, with the ability to cancel the contract at any time without penalty.

Payment rates for signing up with the WIA program include:

• $10/acre base payment
• $1/ac. incentive payment if area is more than 140 acres
• $1/ac. incentive payment if land is located within a half-mile of other public hunting (WMA/WPA)
• $1/ac. incentive payment for a multi-year agreement.

So if you have land in CRP, RIM, WRP, CREP, or any other conservation program and would be interested in earning extra money off of it please contact Britta Haseman with the Pope Soil & Water Conservation District. You can stop by our office at 1680 Franklin St N in Glenwood or call us at 320-634-5327. We would be happy to answer any questions and assist with enrollment of your land. For more information, you can also visit www.mndnr.gov/walkin. Deadline for enrollment is June 1st, 2015.