Letter of Support - Regional Conservation Partnership ProgramCopyright 2014
City of Dubuque ITEM# 14.
ITEM TITLE: Letter of Support - Regional Conservation Partnership Program
SUMMARY: City Manager recommending approval of a letter of support for the
Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Approve
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
❑ Regional Conservation Partnership Program Letter of Support -MVM
Memo City Manager Memo
❑ Staff Memo Staff Merro
❑ Letter of Support Supporting Documen
❑ Application Supporting Documen
n
n
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dubuque
2007 • 2012 • 2013
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Letter of Support
DATE: October 2, 2014
City Engineer Gus Psihoyos and Assistant City Manager Teri Goodmann are
recommending approval of a letter of support for the Regional Conservation Partnership
Program.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
11
Mic, al C. Van Milligen
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Gus Psihoyos, City Engineer
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen
FROM: Gus Psihoyos, City Engineer
SUBJECT: Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Letter of Support
DATE: October 2, 2014
'Dubuque
2C)07 • 2..0J • 2011
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memo is to present information regarding the letter of support for
the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
BACKGROUND
NRCS is the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) conservation agency working with
farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners nationwide to identify and address
natural resource objectives and implement conservation practices and activities to
deliver environmental benefits locally, regionally, and nationally. Through the new Farm
Bill, NRCS has been given the authority to enhance regional cooperation to more
effectively implement and maintain conservation activities, thereby promoting the
restoration and sustainable use of soil, water, wildlife, and related natural resources on
regional or watershed scales.
Through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), NRCS will co -invest
in mobilizing creative and workable solutions to agricultural production and resource
management challenges. These solutions will benefit not only individual farming,
ranching, and forest operations, but also local economies and the communities and
resource users in a watershed or other geographic area that depend on the quality of
the natural resources. Through RCPP, NRCS will increase the opportunity for partners
to bring innovative ideas and resources to accelerate conservation on private lands.
RCPP partners will have the opportunity to join in this mission by developing project
applications, as described in this notice, to address specific natural resource objectives
in a proposed area or region. Partners will commit to activities to promote, implement,
and evaluate the outcomes of conservation. RCPP combines the authorities of four
former conservation programs — the Agricultural Water Enhancement Program,
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Program, Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative
(CCPI), and Great Lakes Basin Program. Assistance is delivered in accordance with the
rules of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation
Stewardship Program (CSP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP),
and Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP), and in certain areas, the Watershed
Operations and Flood Prevention Program.
The purpose of this notice is to announce the availability of nearly $400 million in
funding for RCPP and to solicit applications from potential partners who seek to enter
into partnership agreements with NRCS under RCPP. Partners will work with producers
and landowners to promote the restoration and sustainable use of natural resources on
regional or watershed scales. Applications will be accepted from all 50 States, the
Caribbean Area (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands), and U.S. territories in the Pacific
Island Areas (Guam, American Samoa, Republic of Palau, Federated States of
Micronesia, Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands). CFDA number 10.930
DISCUSSION
The City of Dubuque will be working with multiple partners as part of a four State
Region to apply for a $20 million dollar grant which focuses on four HUC-8 watersheds
within the Driftless region. This would break down into $4 million dollars per year for 5
years with $1 million dollars going to each of the 4 priority watersheds within the
Driftless region. This is would provide water quality benefits through conservation
practices within the Apple Plum Watershed, which includes the Bee Branch and Caffish
Creek Watersheds. The pre -application for the grant is attached for your reference.
Letters of support will heighten the competitiveness of the application.
BUDGET IMPACT
Funding consists of the grant dollars awarded and in-kind matching. The City of
Dubuque has stated in the grant application that both administration time for Eric
Schmechel and Dean Mattoon will be used as an in-kind match, as well as dollars
allocated for the Bee Branch Watershed and its partnership project within Catfish Creek
as additional cost share dollars. There will be no other foreseeable budget impacts to
the City.
ACTION TO BE TAKEN
No action is required; this memo is for informational purposes only in support of the
RCPP Project and the Driftless Area.
cc: Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Deron Muehring, Civil Engineer
Dean Mattoon, Engineering Technician
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Jeff Hastings
Trout Unlimited
1777 N. Kent Street
Suite 100
Arlington, VA 2209
21.107 4)1 ?MIA
Re: RCPP - Driftless Region Integrated Partnership
Dear Jeff:
Engineering Department
50 W. 13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
Office (563) 589-4270
Fax (563) 589-4205
engineer@eityofdubuque.org
www.cityofdubuque.org
September 29, 2014
The City of Dubuque is excited about the opportunity to partner with Trout
Unlimited and the Driftless Region Integrated Partnership (DRIP) Regional
Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) project.
The City of Dubuque has built a very successful partnership with the Catfish Creek
Watershed Authority Board (CCWMA), Dubuque County, and the Dubuque Soil and
Water Conservation District. Through these partnerships, watershed planning,
urban conservation, and implementing conservation practices throughout our
watersheds has and will remain a priority for the City of Dubuque.
The City of Dubuque has dedicated several different revenue streams to watershed
planning and projects. The Bee Branch Watershed project is focused on improving
water quality and flood protection throughout the community. The Bee Branch,
flows directly to the Mississippi River. The 12 -phase project will cost an estimated
$179 million with $63 million to be covered using local funding.
The Catfish Creek Watershed is the main watershed that flows the City of Dubuque.
The City of Dubuque has recently applied for a state sponsored project, totaling
more than 2.4 million dollars that would go towards conservation practices in the
Catfish Creek Watershed.
Additionally, through a 28e agreement with the Dubuque Soil and Water
Conservation District over $200,000 will be allocated to the District to implement
the Catfish Creek Watershed Plan and work with both urban and agricultural
producers throughout our county to install conservation practices on private
property.
Thank you for the consideration of this RCPP project and your support of the
Driftless Area.
Michael C. Van Milligen
City of Dubuque Manager
TROUT UNLIMITED
Proposal to NRCS — RCPP
Proposed Project Name: Maximizing Conservation in the Driftless Area of the Mississippi River Valley
July 14, 2014
1.2014 REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM APPLICATION
COVER
a. Project Title: Driftless Region Integrated Partnership - DRIP
b. Project Manager: Jeff Hastings, 608-606-4158, jhastintigs(a?tu.urz
c. Lead partner: Trout Unlimited, Inc.
d. D[ailing Address: 1777 North Kent Street, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22209
c. Collaborating partner(s): WI, MN, IL and IA Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Minnesota
Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR), Iowa Department of Ag and Land Stewardship, US Fish
and Wildlife Service, 17 Trout Unlimited Chapters, 42 County Soil & Water Conservation Districts/Land
Conservation Departments, 15 County Engineer Departments, NRCS Field Offices in four states,
Minnesota Pollution Control, county Farm Bureau offices in all four states, Iowa Soybean Association,
Universities in the Driftless region, IIHR, Iowa Flood Center, The McKnight Foundation, Northeast Iowa
RC&D, Southwest Badger RC&D, The Turkey River Watershed Management Authority, Catfish Creek
Watershed Management Authority, the Whitewater Watershed Joint Powers Board of Soil and Water
Conservation Districts and County Commissioners, National Mississippi River Museum, University of
Illinois Cooperative Extension, Chapters of the League of Women Voters from WI, MN, IL, and IA, Iowa
Water Improvement Resources Board, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Jo Daviess Conservation
Foundation, Driftless Area Land Conservancy, Minnesota Land Trust, Mississippi Valley Conservancy,
Valley Stewardship Network, City of Dubuque, US Geological Survey Bureau, Dubuque County
Conservation Board, Sierra Club chapters, IOWATER volunteers, Green Dubuque, Sustainable Dubuque
Network, Apple Canyon Lake Resort.
e. Funding pool: x -- Name of CCA: Mississippi River Basin CTlational LEtate
f. Short general summary of project and description of resource issues to be addressed:
The primary resource concern for this project is Water Quality Degradation, specifically, the high
contributing excess nutrient and sediment sources in surface waters of the Mississippi River Basin's
Driftless Area watersheds, which are located in Northwest Illinois, Northeast Iowa, Southeast Minnesota
and Southwest Wisconsin. Secondary resource concern of Inadequate Habitat for Fish and Wildlife or
more specifically habitat degradation in and adjacent to the Driftless Area's streams and rivers will also
be addressed. Four HUC 8 watersheds will be prioritized within the Driftless Area including 1) the Apple -
Plum Watershed of Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, 2) the Kickapoo Watershed of Wisconsin, 3) the
Buffalo -Whitewater Watershed of Minnesota and Wisconsin and 4) the Turkey River Watershed in Iowa.
Each of these priority HUC 8 watersheds has been the focus of monitoring, outreach and education and
innovative, locally -led private/public collaboration and conservation delivery. Together they will integrate
and apply multiple conservation approaches to deliver comprehensive and measurable solutions across the
larger multi -state Driftless Area.
Trout Unlimited has recruited the most forward thinking partners to collaborate in a conservation
approach that will change the way municipalities, counties, states, nonprofits, corporations, producer
groups and producers interact with each other regarding watersheds and water quality, stream and river
ecosystems, watershed hydrology, stream function, policy development, program implementation and
practice delivery. The cash and in-kind match is provided by public and private partners with a strong
emphasis on local contributions and landowner engagement in the process. The majority of the funds
requested are for EQIP dollars to pay for conservation practices that recognize the inherent function of the
watershed system and the ability of specific conservation practices to slow water down and filter out
sediment, reduce nutrient loading and restore aquatic ecosystems. Some ACEP dollars are requested to
purchase easements that protect high priority rivers. All the priority watersheds have ongoing monitoring;
some have the most extensive monitoring in the midwest and the nation. Partners conduct biologic
surveys including fish and nongame surveys, monthly water quality sampling, have USGS gauging
stations and real-time river monitoring for nitrates, phosphorous and total dissolved solids. Some are
TU's
ion: To conserve, protect, and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Page 1 of 6
TROUT UNLIMITED
Proposed Project Name: Maximizing Conservation in the Driftless Area of the Mississippi River Valley
Proposal to NRCS — RCPP
July 14, 2014
working with producers and producer groups to establish extensive rainfall and soil moisture monitoring,
conduct tile -line monitoring and promote participation in NRCS programs. Priority watersheds have
surveyed producer attitudes, conducted land use and livestock assessment and have partnered with
regional, state and federal agencies and nonprofits to complete Rapid Watershed Assessments, TMDLs,
nutrient loss modeling and GIS modeling that establishes and documents existing conditions. These
efforts establish baselines and will allow us to measure change over time and gauge our success at the
watershed, state and regional project level.
g. Geographic focus:
The geographic focus of the project will be the Driftless Area of
the Mississippi River Basin. This includes all the area shown on
the USDA/NRCS 2002 Major Land Resource Area Map as Area
105 and portions of 104. Priority for project funding will be
given to four HUC 8 watersheds within this geographic region
including 1) the Apple -Plum Watershed of Illinois, Iowa and
Wisconsin - 07060005 2) the Kiekapoo Watershed of Wisconsin
- 07070006 3) the Buffalo -Whitewater of Minnesota and
Wisconsin 07040003 41 the Turkey River Watershed in Iowa
07060004.
h. Proposed start and end dates:
This is a five-year project that will start October 1st or as soon as
it is se ected in FY 2015 with final funds obligated by September
30 of FY 2019.
EQIP
CSP
ACEP
ttFRP
CCAS.
FA
t
FY 2015
TA
FA
TA
54 LE's,444
TA
SRESSM
FA
TA
FA.
TA
TSIs 51,70SZO
i. Total estimate of RCPP funding requested: $19,914,000
Total amounts provided by partner(s): $27,465.213
2. PROJECT SUMMARY
a. Project objectives and the natural resource concerns that will be addressed and how those
concerns were identified.
The Driftless Area is a unique region of the Mississippi River Valley that is affectionately referred to by
those who live in it as the "heart of the Mississippi River Valley." The distinctive, diverse, landscape of
TU's
ion: To conserve, protect, and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Page 2 of 6
Partner Provided RCPP Request
Total
Fin anacialAssistance
$ 20,108., 396 $ 13.,039, 0
33,1 7 306
Technical Assistance
$ 7,063,067 $ 1,325,0
8,83,167
Admin Costs
$ 233,750 $
2:Fs75fi
Total
$ 27,465, 1 a 14 rrr
2. PROJECT SUMMARY
a. Project objectives and the natural resource concerns that will be addressed and how those
concerns were identified.
The Driftless Area is a unique region of the Mississippi River Valley that is affectionately referred to by
those who live in it as the "heart of the Mississippi River Valley." The distinctive, diverse, landscape of
TU's
ion: To conserve, protect, and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Page 2 of 6
TROUT UNLIMITED
Proposed Project Name: Maximizing Conservation in the Driftless Area of the Mississippi River Valley
Proposal to NRCS — RCPP
July 14, 2014
the Driftless Area is characterized by craggy limestone, sandstone valleys, sinkholes, steep, highly -
erodible hillsides, hardwood forests, shallow, fragile soils and diverse land use. Although this region is a
holdout for dairy producers, local food producers and grass-fed beef producers, soybean and corn
production are particularly significant in the upper portions of the watersheds. The ancient terrain, which
was bypassed by the continental glaciers, has dozens of state and nationally recognized priority rivers and
higher concentrations of threatened and endangered species and ecosystems than anywhere else in the
Midwest. It is also blessed with one of the highest concentrations of limestone spring creeks in the world.
The spring water emerging from the limestone bedrock cascades down waterfalls and emerges from the
hills into forests, pastures and fields, providing a near constant flow of cold water to hundreds of trout
streams in this region. The limestone enriches the surface water with essential minerals for aquatic insects
and other creatures, which contributes to prime conditions for healthy populations of trout and other cold
water dependent species. More than 600 spring creeks (exceeding 4,000 river miles) cross this 24,000
square -mile landscape. The Driftless Area region's springs, creeks and rivers are extremely vulnerable to
degradation. In recent years, high commodity crop prices have resulted in the loss of thousands of acres of
CRP, wetland acres and perennial vegetation. Increased tiling and the loss of pasture and hay in crop
rotations has further reduced the storage capacity of the Driftless watersheds. Combined, these system-
wide changes have increased rainfall runoff, flash flows, nutrient loss and sedimentation. Today, many of
the streams in the Driftless Area have steep eroding banks, incised channels, and poor in -stream habitat.
Heavy rainfall events result in flash flows that accelerate erosion and nutrient loss from fields and stream
banks. In some cases, causing so much destruction that streambank erosion is responsible for as much as
85% of the total sediment load. The flash flows and resulting heavy sediment and nutrient loading also
destroys aquatic and terrestrial habitat.
The watersheds prioritized in this proposal are struggling with water quality and habitat loss. According
to the Iowa DNR, water quality monitoring conducted in 7 eastern Iowa rivers during the 2008 floods
revealed the Turkey River Watershed contributed the highest nitrogen and sediment yield%square mile of
watershed to the Mississippi River of all 7 rivers. The study compared the Turkey River to Mississippi
River watersheds outside the Driftless Area including the Maquoketa, Cedar, Iowa, Wapsipinicon, Skunk
and Des Moines Rivers. A more recent seven-year IDNR study of 26 streams and rivers found that the
Turkey River was the fourth highest contributor of sediment during normal flow. Several small
communities in the region have been devastated or completely wiped out by flooding including Elkader,
Volga, Littleport, Elkport and Garber. Millions of dollars in damage has occurred to private and public
infrastructure. Many streams in the Buffalo -Whitewater Watershed have nutrient levels exceeding state
standards. This scenario has been repeated throughout the Driftless Area. Flash flood waters, heavily
laden with nutrients and sediment, have caused millions of dollars in damage to streams, fields, farms,
communities and rural private and public infrastructure including county road and bridge infrastructure
and in -stream and near stream conservation practices.
Driftless Area watershed public and private entities have responded by collaborating to evaluate, plan and
implement watershed initiatives across political and social boundaries. Each agreeing to work within their
jurisdiction, and collaborate outside their authority in larger watersheds, to understand the issues, plan for
change, adopt new county and community policies, implement new techniques and work with producers
and producer groups to put conservation practices on the ground in a systematic way. These partners are
just as dedicated to tracking, predicting and measuring their success. Seven SWCDs, 5 county hoards and
23 communities formed one of Iowa's first Watershed Management Authorities (WMA), the Turkey
River WMA. The five counties in the Turkey River WMA have developed new policy that allows them to
help landowners construct grade stabilization structures and water and sediment control basins. Through
this project, they are sharing this policy with county engineers in the other priority watersheds. In the
Apple Plum Watershed, the City of Dubuque has not only pal Wered with the county, their SWCD and
TU's
ion: To conserve, protect, and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Page 3 of 6
TROUT UNLIMITED
Proposed Project Name: Maximizing Conservation in the Driftless Area of the Mississippi River Valley
Proposal to NRCS — RCPP
July 14, 2014
others to form a WMA, they also agreed to provide millions of dollars for rural and urban conservation
practices and habitat restoration in a subwatershed of the Apple Plum Watershed, Catfish Creek. Similar
collaborations in the Buffalo -Whitewater Watershed and the Kickapoo Watershed have expanded to
involve dozens of partners. The same underlying issues drove each of these locally led initiatives; poor
water quality, habitat loss, destructive flash flows and a determination to share responsibility and
systematically implement conservation practices. It is through these initiatives and partnerships that this
project was born.
Trout Unlimited brought together local leaders from the most innovative initiatives in each of the four
Driftless Area states. These partners worked with us to develop this application to address the following
Natural Resource Concerns: Priority - Water Quality Degradation - Excess nutrients and sediment in
surface waters. Secondary - Inadequate Habitat for Fish and Wildlife - Habitat degradation. If this
proposal is advanced, they have agreed to work independently and collectively on the following
Objectives.
Objective 1: Educate, engage and include producers, producer groups and citizens in all aspects of the
project including outreach, implementation and monitoring. Including an annual Driftless symposium
and partners meeting to discuss and showcase results.
Objective 2: Hold soil and nutrients on the land. Implement conservation practices that stop or slow
rainwater where it falls or increase rainwater infiltration so that stormwater runoff and the transport of
nutrients and sediment into aquatic systems is reduced.
Objective 3: Slow down rainwater runoff and reduce the frequency and intensity of heavy flash flows
that carry nutrient and sediment laden water into streams and rivers, thereby protecting aquatic and
riparian habitat, streambanks, stream and river substrate, conservation practices and private and public
infrastructure.
Objective 4: Restore aquatic and wildlife habitat and in -stream and near stream ecosystems.
Objective 5: Permanently protect and enhance highly sensitive, priority properties adjacent to streams
and rivers in the Driftless.
2. b. Evaluating Outcomes
Working with our state DNR partners we will continue to monitor pre- and post -restoration target fish
population survey measures including: 1) Changes in population density (total number of individuals per
mile 41mile) 2) Changes in size structure (size distribution by catch per unit effort) 3) Changes in number
of young of the year per mile 4) Change in larger quality size fish, based on individual stream
management objectives. We will continue to work with Winona State and others on our nongame project
sites including: Pre inventory of nongame species prior to the start of project, recommendations for
nongame practices, and post project evaluation of nongame practices. We are also planning to do an
economic analysis of cold water angling in the Driftless Area and relationship to stream restoration
projects, and pre and post estimates of sediment loss on bank erosion projects. Our collaborating partners
will also be helping us measure the success of this project in other ways. We will select the most useful
and consistent data from the following monitoring methods being paid for by partner organizations in our
priority watersheds. These include chemical and biological monitoring, GIS, TMDL, RLCM nutrient
assessment and modeling in priority watersheds as follows:
• Turkey River Watershed 1) Monthly grab samples at 50 sites (Nitrates, Phosphates, pH, E. Coli,
Dissolved Oxygen, Chloride, Ammonia, Temperature, Transparency) by SWCD's, Iowa DNR
and RC&D. 2) Real-time nitrate monitoring combined with 7 gauging stations and l3 stream
level bridge sensors to measure nitrate concentrations and quantify changes in nutrient loading by
IIHR, Iowa Flood Center and USGS. 3) Rainfall and soil moisture probes at 20 sites in the
watershed to allow extrapolation of watershed wide variances in rainfall and the impact of those
variances on nutrient and sediment loading by RC&D, McKnight Foundation, Iowa Flood Center,
TU's
ion: To conserve, protect, and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Page 4 of 6
TROUT UNLIMITED
Proposed Project Name: Maximizing Conservation in the Driftless Area of the Mississippi River Valley
Proposal to NRCS — RCPP
July 14, 2014
IIHR. 4) Nutrient reduction modeling (pending 2014 national CIG application by EEC and local
partners) 5) GIS analysis of land cover changes using Rapid Land Cover Mapper 1RLCM) Tool
(pending 2014 state CIG application submitted by RC&D) 6) Rapid Watershed Assessment
completed by Iowa NRCS.
• Apple -Plum Watershed 1) Monthly grab samples at 22 sites (Total Suspended Solids, Nitrogen,
Phosphonts, and Ecoli). 2) Annual complete index of biotic integrity for benthic
macroinvertebrates in 7 locations by City of Dubuque, Catfish Creek Watershed Management
Authority Board and Illinois League of Women Voters. 3) One real-time nitrate monitor and 3
USGS gauging stations measuring flow. 4) Annual biological monitoring in 8 streams, University
of Illinois Cooperative Extension 5) Annual RASCAL monitoring in select subwatersheds 6)
Intensive Basin Survey at 20 locations every 5 -years conducted by IEPA. 7) 100 sites tested by
50 IOWATER volunteers for Nitrate, Nitrite, pH, Phosphate, Dissolved Oxygen, Temp,
Transparency, eColi and benthics.
• Kickapoo Watershed 1) Monitoring at over 60 sites in the watershed for temperature, core,
nutrients, tnacroinvertebrate, bacteriological and chemical analysis by Valley Stewardship
Network including: Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite, Phosphorus turbidity, conductivity, stream
flow, temperature, dissolved oxygen 2) GIS analysis of the watershed.
• Buffalo -Whitewater Watershed 1) Monitoring of biological and physical conditions including
flow and load monitoring and chemical monitoring at 38 sites in the watershed by Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and Whitewaters Joint Powers Board. Permanent flow and
chemistry monitoring station, MPCA, Minnesota DNR, and USGS. Sediment/turbidity TMDL
completed by MPCA in 2011.
Reporting
Trout Unlimited will be responsible for writing interim reports every fall and a final report following the
last construction season. Reports will include the level of participation by producers, conservation
objectives achieved (description of practices installed and associated unit), the dollars spent and in-kind
contributions made by each partner, and final report will include monitoring results from each of the four
states.
2. c. Project Activities
Objective 1: Educate, engage and include producers, producer groups and citizens in al!
aspects of the project including outreach, implementation and monitoring.
Activities: Local partners will immediately be contributing their assistance to conduct outreach and
education and engaging producers including chapters of the League of Women Voters, county farm
bureaus, producer groups, SWCDs and RC&Ds. Part of this engagement will include involving the
producers and producer groups in monitoring rainfall and soil moisture and monitoring water quality in
streams and in -field tile lines. Producers have also agreed to work with partners to demonstrate and
promote conservation practices. These activities will be ongoing through the life of the project.
Objective 2: Hold soil and nutrients on the land. Implement conservation practices that stop or
slow rainwater where it falls or increase rainwater infiltration so that stormwater runoff is reduced and
the transport of nutrients and sediment into aquatic systems is reduced.
Activities: SWCDs and technical service providers contracted through this project will provide assistance
to producers from the priority watersheds to implement conservation practices that hold soil and nutrients
on the land, especially in the upper portions of the watershed above grade stabilization, sediment basins
and water sediment and control structures. This activity will begin immediately but ramp up after the first
year when we know more about the exact locations for sediment control basins and grade stabilization
structures so that they can be protected by these practices.
CORE Practices: Cover Crop 340, Contour Buffer Strip 332, Grassed Warenvav 411, Strip Cropping
585, Tenvces 600, Tree and Shrub Establishment 580
TU's
ion: To conserve, protect, and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Page 5 of 6
TROUT UNLIMITED
Proposed Project Name: Maximizing Conservation in the Driftless Area of the Mississippi River Valley
Proposal to NRCS — RCPP
July 14, 2014
Objective 3: Slow down rainwater runoff and reduce the frequency and intensity of heavy flash
flows that carry nutrient and sediment laden Nater into streams and rivers, thereby protecting aquatic
and riparian habitat, streambanks, stream and river substrate, conservation practices and private and
public infrastructure.
Activities: Communities and counties in the priority watersheds are investing in their own conservation
infrastructure as well as contributing to private lands conservation in their priority watersheds. This
project is innovative because of these partnerships and the fact that several counties have proposed new
policy that allows them to provide matching funds for grade stabilization, sediment basins, and water and
sediment control basins on private lands in the upper portions of their watersheds. These structures are
proposed above flowing water, where they can successfully intercept and slow rainwater run off without
impacting stream water temperature or intercepting stream flow. The counties are incentivizing producer
participation in these practices in small drainage areas of approximately 50 to 250 acres, particularly
where those drainages intercept with roads. Because landowner interest is high, Technical Assistance
from TSPs will be needed to provide engineering for these structures in the counties that are contributing
the most to these practices during this five-year project Utilizing small dams to control pollution was
recently documented in a research study conducted in agricultural Wisconsin by the University of Notre
Dame.
CORE Practices: Grade Stabilization 410, Sediment Basin 350, Water and Sediment Control Basin 638,
Wetland Creation 658, Wetland Restoration 657
Objective 4: Restore aquatic and wildlife habitat especially in -stream and near stream
ecosystems.
Activities: As water and sediment are held on the land and destructive flash flows are reduced by small
retention structures, we will work with producers to stabilize and restore stream banks, riparian areas,
construct in -stream and near stream habitat and enhance near stream vegetation.
CORE Practices: Filter Strips 393, Access Control 472, Hear}' Use Protection 561, Restoration and
Management of Declining Habitat 643, Riparian Forest Buffer 391, Stream Crossing 578, Stream Habitat
Improvement & Management, Stream shoreline Protection 580, Upland Wildlife Habitat Management
645, Wetland Wildlife Habitat 644. SUPPORTING Practices: Fencing 382, Livestock Pipeline 516,
Tree/Shrub Site Preparation 490, Watering Facilit}' 614, Water Well 642.
Objective 5: Permanently protect and enhance highly sensitive, priority properties adjacent to
streams and rivers in the Driftless Area.
Activities: Land trusts from 4 states, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, JoDaviess Conservation
Foundation, Driftless Area Land Conservancy and Minnesota Land Trust, have agreed to lead permanent
protection efforts and secure matching dollars for Agricultural Conservation Easements that protect and
improve conservation practices on approximately 1,500 to 2,000 acres of working lands in the project
area.
Assisting Producers in Meeting/Avoiding the Need for Natural Resource Regulatory Requirements:
Yes, streambank stabilization projects will help producers in Minnesota and Wisconsin meet performance
standards associated with erosion potential in the riparian corridor.
Any Requested Adjustment of Terms: This project does not request adjustments in the terms of
programs.
Alternative Funding Arrangements: The project does not have alternative funding arrangements.
TU's
ion: To conserve, protect, and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Page 6 of 6