Shell Rock River Watershed Habitat Restoration Program - Phase VI
The Phase VI Habitat Restoration Program included an Orr Property Acquisition, a Vandegrift Wetland Restoration, an IC&E Wetland Enhancement Project and a Headwaters Streambank Restoration Project. As a result, 296 acres of habitat and wetlands were protected, enhanced or restored.
With the Phase VI Habitat Restoration Program, the District completed one acquisition, along with a wetland restoration, a river restoration and a vegetation enhancement project.
For the land acquisition project, the District worked with a willing landowner and entered into an option agreement to purchase the property. Once the option was signed, the District completed a survey and an appraisal of the property. The District had to have an appraisal review being that it was over the $500,000 threshold. The District then negotiated with the landowner an acceptable offer, executed the purchase agreement, and completed final closing requirements. The District closed on the property in 2020. This property included 80 acres of row-crop farm ground that the District planted into natives. Upcoming work for this site includes wetland restoration work that will be funded in a later phase of the Habitat Restoration Program.
The restoration and enhancement projects in the Phase VI list include the IC&E Enhancement, the Headwaters Streambank Restoration and the Vandegrift Wetland Restoration. The IC&E Project partnered with the USFWS to seed fallow agricultural ground into native grasses and flowers. The District worked with the USFWS to source native origin seed and get the ground seeded prior to wetland restoration work. This project expands current restored parcels owned by the USFWS and will benefit pollinators, such as the rusty patched bumblebee, and songbirds.
The Vandegrift Wetland Restoration was completed on a property that was purchased in Phase 4 of the Habitat Restoration Program. The District, following procurement procedures, hired a contractor to implement a wetland restoration. This restoration reconnected a historic floodplain that was disconnected from Wedge Creek when the railroad came through. The District worked with the DNR and neighboring landowners to complete this restoration. Project benefits include increased use days for waterfowl, reduced competition for feeding and nesting sites as well as improved habitat for the threatened Marsh Wren.
The Headwaters Streambank was a project that the District partnered with the DNR to implement site specific habitat features in the Shell Rock River. Following procurement procedures, the District worked with DNR's engineers and river specialists to design and construct habitat features all along the Headwaters Aquatic Management Area. Tree revetments, rock crossings, and permeable pylons were all used to incorporate habitat back into the Shell Rock River.
$1,779,000 in the first year is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with the Shell Rock River Watershed District to acquire land in fee, restore, and enhance aquatic habitat in the Shell Rock River watershed. A list of proposed acquisitions, restorations, and enhancements must be provided as part of the required accomplishment plan.
Historically the Shell Rock River Watershed is a shallow lake system with diverse populations of fish, waterfowl and wildlife. An ongoing effort of modeling and monitoring has defined current impairments and invasive species populations. Implementing site specific habitat restoration projects are progressively improving populations of native fish, waterfowl and wildlife habitat. The Program included projects that are prioritized based on the significance of benefit to aquatic habitat, urgency of the work, availability of leverage funding, location of projects and agreement with relevant planning documents. Targeted species that benefited from this proposal outcomes included the Blanding's turtle, Sheepnose and Round Pigtoe Mussels from the River Restoration Project and the Marsh Wren and Blanding's turtle with the IC&E, Orr, and Vandegrift Wetland projects. Pollinators such as the rusty patch bumblebee have more habitat from the many acres of native prairies that were established.
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