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Funding will be provided through the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP), part of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), a Farm Bill conservation program. Through WREP, states, local units of governments, non-governmental organizations and American Indian tribes collaborate with NRCS through cooperative and partnership agreements. These partners work with tribal and private landowners who voluntarily enroll eligible land into easements to protect, restore and enhance wetlands on their properties.
Madison, Wis. - USDA is making available up to $40 million in technical and financial assistance to help eligible conservation partners voluntarily protect, restore and enhance critical wetlands on agricultural lands. Restored wetlands improve water quality downstream and improve wildlife habitat, while also providing flood prevention and recreational benefits to communities.
“These locally-led partnerships are instrumental in achieving greater wetland acreage and maximizing their benefits to farmers, ranchers and the local communities where wetlands exist,” said Matthew Lohr, chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “For example, we see this program as important to helping communities respond to natural disasters, such as the floods in the Midwest. These partnerships can help with addressing croplands that flood frequently and water storage.”
Proposals should be emailed to NRCS at SM.NRCS.WRE@wdc.usda.gov by June 14, 2019.
USDA is investing up to $25 million per year over the next five years to help support the adoption and evaluation of innovative conservation approaches on agricultural lands. USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service is accepting proposals through July 15, 2019, for On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials, a new sub-program created by the 2018 Farm Bill for the USDA's Conservation Innovation Grants program.
Through On-Farm Trials, NRCS and partners will collaborate to encourage the adoption of innovative practices and systems on agricultural lands. On-Farm Trials funding goes directly to partners, which in turn provide technical assistance and incentive payments to producers to implement innovative approaches on their lands. Producers receiving On-Farm Trials payments must be eligible to participate in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The maximum On-Farm Trials award for 2019 is $5 million. The minimum award is $250,000.
Take advantage of another amazing educational opportunity with the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin and learn how modern dairy farms work to reduce water use and protect water quality. Watter Matters tours are scheduled for June 25 and 26 in Fennimore and Eau Claire, Wis., respectively. Each one-day session will include tours to area dairies and conversations with herd managers and other experts regarding strategies and innovations they use to keep water safe and accessible.
Over lunch, leading water-quality researcher Dr. Mark Borchardt of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service will present updates in water quality. A 60-minute facilitated dialogue will follow, featuring herd owners and representatives from county land conservation, health departments and extension resources.
All attendees will travel by chartered bus. Buses will depart from pick-up sites 9 a.m. and return by 4 p.m. each day.
Made possible by a partnership between Professional Dairy Producers®, UW Discovery Farms®, Wisconsin Counties Association and Wisconsin Towns Association, the tours are open to the public - all community members, farmers, educators, media, local elected officials and citizens are encouraged to attend.
In Wisconsin, wet conditions this spring have farmers seeking information about planting dates, late planting and prevented planting. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, in partnership with the Risk Management Agency and Farm Service Agency, are here to assist you by providing some important resources.
Click READ MORE below to see final plant date maps for corn and soybeans, including late planting periods. Also, find out more information about prevented planting and see factsheets on Wisconsin corn, soybeans, and cover crops.
For further information, please contact your local USDA Service Center
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Washington and Waukesha Counties will hiring a total of 7 AIS interns this summer! Three of the interns will be working full-time alongside the AIS Coordinator. The remaining four interns will be working part-time primarily conducting boat inspections for lake groups that have been awarded Clean Boats, Clean Waters grants. In both Washington and Waukesha Counties, some interns are hired by the county through intergovernmental agreements (IGA) with lake groups. Through these IGAs, the County will hire and pay the intern throughout the summer; the lake group is predominately responsible for the management of the intern. At the end of the season when the lake groups are awarded their Clean Boats, Clean Waters grant funding, they reimburse the County!
Washington County
- AIS Intern with County - Damian Hardt
- IGA - Pike Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District - Kennedy Lawson
Waukesha County
- AIS Intern with County - Kayla Weiss
- AIS Intern with County - Michael Sadowski
- IGA - Silver Lake Management District - Ryan MacDonald
- IGA - Pretty Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District (split position with Pretty Lake and Hunters Lake) - Jacob Lee
- IGA - Lower Nemahbin Lake Association - Megan Ruemler
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June 15 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Join Clean Lakes Alliance for our annual Loop the Lake Bike Ride.
Ride your bike around Lake Monona with friends and family and support clean, healthy water! Loop the Lake is Clean Lakes Alliance’s annual bike ride that highlights our community’s lakes and lakeshore bike paths. Loop the Lake is a ride, not a race, so everyone is welcome to enjoy the fun! Event proceeds support our work to protect and improve our lakes in the Yahara Watershed.
Loop the Lake is not just a bike ride – it’s a community day to rally around our lakes!
REGISTER TODAY
Click here to learn more.
Learn about lawn care and your health with Adam Wigger, UW Extension, and Doug Soldat, Extension Turfgrass and Urban Soil Specialist, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension, in the college of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Topics in this podcast include:
- Keeping your lawn healthy after spring showers
- Damaged sections of your lawn
- Weed control
- Grass clippings – what to do with them
- Appropriate mowing frequencies
- Predictions for the season
For more information, contact Doug Soldat, (608) 263-3631
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The DNR has reissued Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) General Permit No. WI–S050075–3, effective May 1, 2019, which replaces previous coverage under expired WPDES MS4 General Permits No. WI–S050075–2 and WI–S050181–1.
The DNR’s response to comments, the final general permit, and related documents are available on the DNR’s website at https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/stormwater/municipal.
The MS4 permits require municipalities to reduce polluted storm water runoff by implementing storm water management programs with best management practices. The permit contains requirements for storm water management programs and covers a wide array of activities that occur within a municipality, such as the following:
- Public education and outreach
- Public involvement and participation
- Illicit discharge detection and elimination
- Construction site pollutant control
- Post-construction storm water management
- Pollution prevention practices for the municipality
- Total maximum daily load (TMDL) planning and implementation
The EPA Remand and eReporting Rules informed most of the new requirements in the reissued general permit.
Find storm water staff contact information here
The Storm Water Construction General Permit Application (WRAPP Form) has been improved with a number of updates, including:
- SharePoint 2016 Migration
- Updated mapping features
- New project tab (contains mapping features and attachment C checklist questions)
- Updated payment workflow with US Bank
An updated Step-by-Step help guide is available here.
As of May 1, 2019, all construction and Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) storm water permit termination requests must be submitted through the Department of Natural Resources’ online system for Notices of Termination (eNOT).
The eNOT system is available on our water permit applications web page, under the Storm Water and WisDOT pulldown menus.
For information about the eNOT system, access a recording of the March 18, 2019, eNOT informational webinar on our storm water practices presentations and information web page.
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Early-Bird registration for the 2019 Wisconsin Wastewater Operators Association is now available for members, exhibitors, and vendors, through August 1st, 2019.
A "certified operator" is an individual who has met the requirements of Chapter NR 114, Wisconsin Administrative Code [Exit DNR], and has been issued a certificate by the DNR to operate one or more of the classifications of wastewater treatment plants.
NR114 was revised on July 1, 2015 to reflect advancements in treatment technologies along with changes in educational training methods. Visit the NR 114 revisions web page for more information on these changes.
For more information on the following, visit the DNR Wastewater Operator Website;
- Certification Requirements
- Study Guides
- Continuing Education
- License Renewal
- Advanced Certification
- FAQs
- Newsletter
- Contacts
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