Pine SWCD applied for and received a grant focusing on Soil Health.  Through this grant, the SWCD office has purchased a No-Till Drill.  This drill will be rented out to farmers to use for planting, rather than plowing, which reduces soil erosion.  Farmers will need to go into the SWCD office to fill out the forms to rent the drill, and answer some questions about field location in relation to water bodies, what the field was last year and what it will be this year, and if they will be doing any cover crops. 
The local Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) office is a partner in the grant. They will be doing seeding plans for farmers wanting to do cover crops. 

For information on the drill, please contact Heather at 320-216-4247.

Forms must be filled out before using the drill.  Please print off the rental forms, fill them out and mail/bring them into our office with a check for 1/2 the estimated acreage planned to seed.

 

---

 
FORESTRY
Pine SWCD was also awarded a grant to start a forestry program.  The program is now well established and the current forester, Eddie Johnson, works with landowners on their forestry issues. Eddie is certified by the MN DNR to write forest stewardship plans.  He will also work with landowners on renewing stewardship plans that will soon be expiring, and to implement the recommended projects in the stewardship plans.

 

If you are interested in talking with Eddie about a stewardship plan for your property, please contact him at 320-216-4245.
 

---

   
PINE SWCD RECEIVES 2 CLEAN WATER FUND GRANTS IN 2013
 
One grant is for $35,000.  Part of those funds will be used for the City of Sandstone at Robinson Park to:
    1. Install new buffer adjacent to the existing buffer along the Kettle River,
    2. Enhance the existing buffer by spot spraying and interplanting,
    3. Fix bench area with soil wraps, and
    4. install signs to educate the public on shoreline buffer planting. 
The remaining funds will be used for the City of Askov to install a rain garden and install signage to educate the public about rain gardens and low impact development practices.  A design and planting workshop will also be held.  

 

The second grant is for $115,000.  The money will be used to cost share on sealing abandoned wells in the City of Sturgeon Lake.  They have a large number of abandoned wells since the city installed municipal water a few years ago.

 In 2015, this well sealing grant was amended in order to seal wells throughout all of Pine County.  Most wells will be sealed at a 50% cost-sharing rate.  Large wells may be sealed at a 75% cost-sharing rate.