Steele County Soil and Water Conservation DistrictEducation
RIM 25TH ANNIVERSARY
St. Paul, MN,
September 21, 2011—The
Board of Soil and Water Resources (BWSR) and the Minnesota
Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (MASWCD), in
cooperation with numerous other conservation organizations and
agencies, are holding a Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) Reserve 25th
Anniversary event at the Straight River Marsh-East
Wetland Restoration Project.
This year marks the 25th
Anniversary of RIM Reserve. This event will provide an
opportunity for BWSR, MASWCD, and partner organizations to celebrate
the accomplishments of the RIM Reserve program and to announce
future goals. RIM has been a critical component of the state’s
effort to protect and restore wildlife habitat on private lands and
protect and improve our state’s water quality. Since 1996, the state
of Minnesota has appropriated nearly $170 million for conservation
easements and BWSR, along with local Soil and Water Conservation
Districts (SWCDs), has acquired over 6,400 easements totaling more
than 230,000 acres of wetlands and grasslands. These acres provide
multiple benefits for water quality, wildlife habitat, and flood
damage reduction. Since 1998, RIM Reserve has leveraged an
additional $260 million from the USDA through the Natural Resources
Conservation Service Wetlands Reserve Program and the Farm Service
Agency Conservation Reserve Program.
Please note, if you have further questions about this event, contact LeAnn Buck, MASWCD Executive Director, (651) 690-9028.
*Report Card - Coming on the Health of Lakes and Streams in Cannon River Watershed.
STEELE COUNTY LAND-USE MODEL
Above: The Steele County Land Use Model
Steele County Land Use Model
The Steele County Land Use
Model shows a wide variety of conservation practices that take place
here in Steele County. The model is based on Steele County townships
and the terrain in the area. The model is available for
educational purposes to any group wishing to use it. To request the
model please contact the SWCD office at 1-507-451-6730 Ext. 3.
Planting Trees at Lincoln School in
Owatonna
Left: Dan Arndt, District
Manager, shows how to properly plant trees with the 5th grade
students at Lincoln Elementary in Owatonna MN.
Right: Eric
Gulbransen, District Resource Conservationist, showing the method of
planting trees with plastic tubes to help protect new seedlings.
Envirothon
An Envirothon is an outdoor,
Hands-on Learning Experience for high school students. It centers
around five different learning stations (soils, wildlife, water
resources, forestry and current environmental issues) each of which
are staffed by professionals on that subject. The students also have
to make a ten minute oral presentation.
The Area 7 Envirothon is sponsored by the 11 county SE Minnesota
Soil and Water Conservation Districts (Freeborn, Mower, Fillmore,
Houston, Winona, Olmsted, Dodge, Rice, Wabasha, Goodhue and Steele).
The top three teams go on to compete at the state level and then the
top team at the state will compete at the national level.
Click here for a copy of the
2011
SE MN Brochure.
Contact your local SWCD for more information on joining us for the 2011 Area Envirothon. For Steele County, contact Sue at 507-451-6730 Ext. 3.
For more information on the Envirothon go to the Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources website.
2011
STEELE COUNTY SWCD TREE WINNERS
FOR 2012 SPRING PICK-UP
CONGRATULATIONS WINNERS
|
Jane |
Haffa |
| Larry D. | Kuchenbecker |
| Matt | Kath |
| Rose Ann | Kubicek |
| Lee | Loverink |
| Kelly | Newbauer |
| Maureen | Gleanson |
| Nyla | Rysavy |
| Sara | McDermott |
| Gary | Wobschall |
| Warren | Suchanek |
| Adam | Miller |