2018 - SWCD Local Capacity Services (Beltrami SWCD)
Provides grants to Soil and Water Conservation Districts that focuses on increasing capacity to address four resource concern areas?Soil Erosion, Riparian Zone Management, Water Storage and Treatment, and Excess Nutrients.
Annie Felix-Gerth
SWCD Local Capacity Services 2018 - [SWCD Local Capacity Services 2018] $11,000,000 the first year and $11,000,000 the second year are for payments to soil and water conservation districts for the purposes of Minnesota Statutes, sections 103C.321 and 103C.331. From this appropriation, each soil and water conservation district shall receive an increase in its base funding of $100,000 per year. Money remaining after the base increase is available for matching grants to soil and water conservation districts based on county allocations to soil and water conservation districts. The board and other agencies may reduce the amount of grants to a county by an amount equal to any reduction in the county's allocation to a soil and water conservation district from the county's previous year allocation when the board determines that the reduction was disproportionate.
The grant targets four resource concern areas - Soil Erosion, Riparian Zone Management, Water Storage and Treatment, and Excess Nutrients - and supports increased capacity by funding expenses in the following categories: Staffing, Cost Share/Incentives, Technology/Capital Equipment, and Operations.
Work was completed as per the approved work plan and included contracted services between SWCD and Ecological Site Description (ESD) and related to expanses of staff, training, and vehicle costs. Staff expenses were related to one of the following components:
Local water planning and working as part of the team for the Thief and Mississippi River Headwaters 1W1P.
Assisted 7 landowners in developing forest stewardship plans.
Promoted perpetual conservation easement programs to landowners, assisted with preparation of applications for landowners.
Submitted applications for grants, assisted landowners with clean water legacy project development and implementation.
Six plans were developed by applying for the forest stewardship incentive program this was developed to protect forest resources through individualized forest stewardship plans. This is the first step in accessing tax and incentive programs such as Sustainable Forest Incentive Act (SFIA) and 2c Managed Forest Land, cost-share programs, and other funding opportunities with other agencies.
The forest stewardship plan program is targeted toward parcels? potential to protect. This is based on Riparian, Adjacency, Quality Scoring Criteria (RAQ Scoring). With the help of the SWCD 7 landowners signed up for the program in 2020. One of the final uses of the grant funds was used to purchase lakeshore equipment, education equipment, laptop, and ArcGIS license.
LOCAL LEVERAGED FUNDS