BWSR Board heads to southwestern Minnesota for annual tour

For release: Aug. 17, 2012       Contact: Jennifer Maleitzke, 651-215-9008 (office); 651-315-5082 (cell)

BWSR Board heads to southwestern Minnesota for annual tour

Marshall, Minn.— Flood control, road retention projects and wetland restoration sites are just a few of the stops along the way for a public tour in southwestern Minnesota next week.

Members of the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) Board will embark on its annual tour next week in Lyon and Lincoln counties, which will highlight the installation of conservation practices through dynamic partnerships between private landowners and federal, state and local governments. The Area II Minnesota River Basin and the Lincoln and Lyon Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) are the local hosts.

Kerry Netzke, Area II Executive Director, said she’s excited to be one of the hosts of this year’s tour and is looking forward to showcasing the important work underway in Lyon and Lincoln counties. “We are working hard with landowners in our area to implement conservation practices to protect our soil and water resources,” Netzke said. “This tour is an opportunity to show off this good work to policy makers and to let them know we are dedicated to protecting and improving the environment in southwestern Minnesota.”

The Board will begin its tour at 8:00 a.m. on Wed., Aug. 22, at the Ramada Inn, 1500 East College Drive in Marshall. Some stops along the way include:

• Black Rush Lake Wetland Restoration / Wetland Bank: This 357-acre wetland was restored after being drained nearly 70 years earlier by tiling. Total cost of the restoration was $284,408 and was funded by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Lyon County, Ducks Unlimited, BWSR Cost-Share through Area II, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and local sportsmen’s clubs.
• Coot Wildlife Management Area: The 823-acre wildlife management complex includes five wetland restorations that were made possible through four willing landowners and four partners – BWSR, DNR, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
• Alta Vista 36 Road Retention Project: Constructed in 2006, this $658,603.34 project has been put to the test by the state’s variable weather conditions. By raising the intersection of two dangerous highways and replacing the bridge with a smaller concrete culvert, flood flows have been reduced by nearly 52 percent.The project, as designed for a 100-year storm event, will temporarily hold back 562 acre-feet of floodwaters over 44.8 acres and release the flow over a period of 75 hours.
• Medary Creek Protection Project: This project involves a series of water and sediment control basins stair-stepped down an agricultural field. This project's success is not only in its own merits, but that it served as an advertising campaign for neighboring lands. There are nearly 50 water and sediment control basins working to project the area’s waters.

For a full itinerary of the BWSR Board tour and the agenda for the regularly-scheduled BWSR Board meeting on Thurs., Aug. 23, visit the BWSR website at: www.bwsr.state.mn.us.

The BWSR Board consists of 20 members, state agencies, and citizens, including local government representatives that deliver BWSR programs. The board sets a policy agenda designed to enhance service delivery through the use of local government. Board members, including the board chair, are appointed by the governor to four-year terms.

Broadcast version

Members of the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) Board will embark on its annual tour next week in Lyon and Lincoln counties, which will highlight the installation of conservation practices through dynamic partnerships between private landowners and federal, state and local governments. The Area II Minnesota River Basin and the Lincoln and Lyon Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) are the local hosts.

The Board will begin its tour at 8:00 a.m. on Wed., Aug. 22, at the Ramada Inn, 1500 East College Drive in Marshall. A full itinerary of the tour and the agenda for the regularly-scheduled BWSR Board meeting on Thurs., Aug. 23, can be found on the BWSR website at: www.bwsr.state.mn.us. 

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