The Isanti County Soil and Water Conservation District is able to add more to its plate as it continue to grow in size.
On July 20, Soil and Water Conservation District manager Tiffany Determan addressed the Isanti County Board of Commissioners, updating them on the new programs being taken over by the county.
Determan and her team have been able to take on more work as they have been able to add workers in recent years. Now they will be able to take on more programs that, according to Determan, “will bring additional workload in future years, as well as future grant monies.”
The purpose of the conservation district is to take care of the soil on the ground and ensure that it is of good quality. The district has historical roots in their mission, as the program was first started nationwide during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.
The first program being taken on by the county will be the Rum River Water Shed Restoration and Protection Strategy. This program started in 2013 to monitor the river. The project is expected to be completed by 2017, resulting in a management plan to protect the healthy waters and restore the unhealthy ones.
As Determan explained, it is this plan that makes the project so valuable.
“There will be specific strategies that are developed to restore this water,” she said. “We will use these findings to apply for grants as well.”
The first step in this process has already been taken, as the district plans to file for a joint grant with Milaca for “major Rum River projects.”
The second major program that will be absorbed by Isanti County will be their involvement in new buffer law enforcement. The buffer law was put into effect to help filter water around ditches, streams and rivers.
The conservation district has received $10,000 in grant money from the state in order to implement the law. The Isanti County Soil and Water Conservation District will assist landowners with compliance of the new law.
It is Determan’s hope that involvement in these new programs will help the conservation district grow. Being involved in more projects will lead to a greater workload, which in turn will generate more grant money and allow them to take on more employees.