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Technical/
Financial Assistance >
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Technical/Financial Assistance
The South St. Louis SWCD provides
technical and financial assistance to land occupiers as incentives
to install best management practices that protect water quality. We
have several different sources of financial assistance available,
and the technical capabilities to support these programs.
Cost-share funding is provided for eligible practices. The Board of Supervisors approves all cost-share applications.
Partial list of practices:
• Critical Area Stabilization (Erosion Control)
• Riparian Buffer Strips
• Sediment Retention, Erosion or Water Control Structures
• Streambank, Shoreland and Roadside Protection Federal Cost-Share Programs
• Animal Waste Management
The United States Department of Agriculture has many cost-share programs
available for best management practice installation on agricultural
and non-agricultural land.
Staff contact: Danny Weber, NRCS District Conservationist.Agricultural Best Management Practices Low-Interest Loan Program
The Ag BMP Loan Program provides low-interest loans to help land occupiers install animal waste management systems, and to pay for waste handling equipment. Contact us to learn more about these programs.
Forest Stewardship
There are many resources available to the private forest landowner in Minnesota. The South St. Louis SWCD provides forestry assistance in our area. We employ a professional forester qualified to prepare Forest Stewardship Plans in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry.
Forest Stewardship plans are provided at no cost, and with no obligation to landowners with 20 or more acres of forested land. Sometimes there are cost-share funds available to help implement the activities outlined in the plan. If you contact our office for assistance, we will come out and conduct an inventory of your land, talk with you about the goals you have for your property. Such goals can include: tree planting, timber stand improvement, timber harvesting, improving wildlife habitat, or creating a low-impact hiking trail. Once we have completed an inventory and reviewed your intentions for the property, we prepare a detailed Forest Stewardship plan that you can use as a guide. These plans are also required for Minnesota's Tax incentive programs for woodland owners including SFIA and Class C property Tax Incentive Programs.
Sample Cost-Share Projects
Boulder Lake Shoreline Restoration On a cold, windy September morning, volunteers planted the shoreline along Boulder Lake with trees, flowering shrubs and native grasses/wildflowers. Our office assisted them with this project through our Cost-Share program. We paid for part of the plants, provided the fencing, a site plan and direction. MN Power contributed $1,000 to the effort and volunteers provided the labor.This project will serve as a demonstration for the many landowners who hold leases on land around all of MN Power's reservoirs, but especially those living on Boulder Lake. Leaving and restoring shoreline provides countless benefits for wildlife and water quality. People interested in learning how to be good stewards of their lakeshore property can come visit this site anytime. Signs will also be posted around the planting area describing what was done and how it will benefit local water quality.
Additional Resources
Learn more about Minnesota tax programs for forest landowners, including Rural Preserve, SFIA, and Class 2c.
Property Tax Relief for Forest Landowners
| © 2012 South St. Louis County Soil and Water Conservation District |
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