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The mission of the Mille Lacs Soil & Water Conservation District is to assist area people with soil and water resource management.

Frequently Used Acronyms: (AgBMP) Agricultural BMP Loan Programs (NRCS) Natural Resources Conservation Service (BMP) Best Management Practices (SCS) State Cost Share (BWSR) Board of Water & Soil Resources (SRWMB) Snake River Watershed Mgmt Board (CLWMP) County Local Water Mgmt Plan (SSTS) Subsurface Sewage Treatment System (CWF) Clean Water Fund Grant (BWSR) (SWCD) Soil & Water Conservation District (DWSMA) Drinking Water Supply Mgmt Area (TSA 3) Technical Service Area 3 (MASWCD) MN Assn. of Soil & Water Cons. Districts (TMDL) Total Maximum Daily Load (MLLWMG) Mille Lacs Lake Watershed Mgmt Group (WCA) Wetland Conservation Act (NPDES) Nat. Pollution Discharge Elimination System (WRAPS) Watershed Restoration & Protection Strategy (NRBG) Natural Resources Block Grant (1W1P) One Watershed, One Plan

MINUTES FROM THE MAY 13, 2020REGULAR MEETING The meeting of the Mille Lacs Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) Board was held in Conference Room D

Mille Lacs County Historic Courthouse, Milaca, Minnesota. Teleconference Meeting Due to Statewide Stay at Home Order

Members Present: Staff Present: Chair, Jake Janski, District 3 District Administrator, Susan Shaw Vice Chair, Kurt Beckstrom, District 2 Administrative Assistant, Maggie Kuchenbaker Treasurer, Robert Hoefert, District 5 Shoreland Technician, Lynn Gallice Secretary, Andre LaSalle, District 4 Watershed Coordinator, Harmony Maslowski Members Absent: Visitors: Member, Kathy Stoeckel, District 1 Commissioner Liaison, Genny Reynolds NRCS, Barb Zeroth Kanabec SWCD, Deanna Pomije

1. Call to Order Chair Janski called the meeting to order at 6:00pm

2. Conflict of Interest Disclosure – Verbal Hoefert – No Conflict Beckstrom – No Conflict LaSalle – No Conflict Janski – No Conflict

3. Motion by LaSalle to approve the amended agenda adding the SEH invoice in the amount of $6,053.87 to section 8; Hoefert second. Affirmative by Roll Call: Beckstrom, Hoefert, LaSalle. Opposed: none. The motion carried.

Historic Courthouse 635 2nd St SE, Milaca, MN 56353 320-983-2160 www.millelacsSWCD.org

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4. Motion by Beckstrom to approve the consent agenda as presented; LaSalle second. Affirmative by Roll

Call: Beckstrom, Hoefert, LaSalle. Opposed: none. The motion carried. a. Approve April 8, 2020 Regular Meeting Minutes b. Approve Monthly Financial Report

i. March Treasurer’s Report ii. Checks written #7520-7538 and electronic transfer’s #e20-027-e20-034 totaling $29,708.86.

c. Information Only: Partner Reports

5. Open Public Forum: No public comment.

6. Staff Reports/Presentations a. SWCD Staff Presentation – Shaw and Maslowski presented the Rum River 1W1P overview of goal

statement refinements. b. SWCD Staff Report – written

Shaw introduced the new format to highlight how the District does their work and new categories per the Mille Lacs County Water Plan.

c. Administrator’s Report – Shaw reported five updates: i. Shaw reported she attends the weekly Mille Lacs County Manager’s meetings and finds them

very valuable to learn what facilities are doing to keep staff and public safe. ii. Shaw reported that working arrangements were presented in the staff report. The goals are to

have individual plans for staff to address specific needs for hosting events, going on site visits and renting of the interseeders and tree planter.

iii. Shaw reported that she is working with the Rum River 1W1P partners to strengthen our forestry goals. Five thousand dollars has been informally committed by the DNR for coordination of private forest management activities. Rum partners are exploring taking on this role.

iv. Shaw reported she is working on diversifying the funds of the District. v. Shaw reported she will be on vacation next week, but will be checking emails and participating

in a few meetings.

7. District Policy, Planning, Activities, Projects, & Grants a. District Work Plan Check In – Shaw reported even given the current public health emergency staff

are able to implement operations as usual with some strategic adaptation. Maslowski will be resuming water sampling of the Rum River, but strategies are being reviewed to accomplish this efficiently from her remote office location. Sha went on to describe how civic standards are used to evaluate the effectiveness of work plan projects and agave an example using the upcoming opportunity to host well water testing clinics for nitrates. Hoefert inquired if arsenic in groundwater was identified as a local concern and if the SWCD would have a role in addressing the health risk.

b. Tree Sale – Kuchenbaker reported the tree sale was a success this year. Sold out of all varieties and people were timely in picking up their trees. She has created a project summary that will be in the June board packet.

c. Comprehensive Watershed Planning (1W1P) i. Rum River – Shaw reported the planning team will meet on May 18 to plan next steps for

watershed based implementation funding (WBIF) partnership agreements. More information will be provided at the June meeting.

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ii. Snake River – Motion by Beckstrom to authorize Shaw to sign and execute the contract with Wenck Associates, Inc. and Freshwater Society for consulting services for the Snake River 1W1P project, per the recommendation of the Snake River 1W1P Policy Committee, not to exceed $169,710.00; second by Hoefert. Affirmative by Roll Call: Beckstrom, Hoefert, LaSalle. Opposed: none. The motion carried.

iii. Mississippi St. Cloud/Sartell – no planning activity at this time d. Contracts

i. Motion by Hoefert to approve cost-share application for a shoreland project for Stacie Blaskowski in an amount not to exceed $1,223.50 of 50% of the estimated cost of $2,447.00 to be paid from CWF-FY17 Coordinator Grant C17-9721, second by LaSalle. Affirmative by Roll Call: Beckstrom, Hoefert, LaSalle. Opposed: none. The motion carried.

e. Mille Lacs SWCD Resolution for Area 3: i. Establishment of a Civilian Conservation Grazing Corp Resolution – Discussion. Shaw and

Beckstrom will work together to amend the current resolution and will present it at the June meeting.

f. Coronavirus Response Plan – Shaw reported that the plan is recommended to have in place, but is not mandatory for government agency. Shaw reported that Mille Lacs County is working on a similar plan and she will work with Mille Lacs County staff to mirror their plan. The new plan will be presented at the June meeting.

g. NRCS Memorandum of Agreement – Motion by Hoefert to approve signature of the Chair on the agreement after Troy Daniell, NRCS State Conservationist signs; second LaSalle. Affirmative by Roll Call: Beckstrom, Hoefert, LaSalle. Opposed: none. The motion carried.

h. Board Self Evaluation – this will be presented at the June meeting.

8. Financials a. Stoeckel approved the statement audit verbally before the meeting. b. Motion to approve SEH invoice in the amount of $6,053.87; second Hoefert. Affirmative by Roll Call:

Beckstrom, Hoefert, LaSalle. Opposed: none. The motion carried.

9. Informational Updates a. Watershed, Workgroups

i. 1W1P Snake River Policy Committee Meeting (Beckstrom) – Beckstrom reported it was a Zoom meeting and the committee interviewed two contractors and voted to approve Wenck as the contractor.

ii. County Local Water Management Plan Advisory Committee (Stoeckel) – Kuchenbaker reported the meeting was a virtual round table discussion where everyone reported their individual progress on the water plan goals.

10. Meetings & Events

a. 1W1P Rum River Policy Committee Meeting .......................................... May 28 @ 5:00, teleconference Janski attending b. Mille Lacs Lake Watershed Management Group .................................. May 18 @ 10:00, teleconference

Janski attending c. SWCD Forestry ........................................................................................ May 21 @ 10:00, teleconference

LaSalle attending d. Other Planned Committee Meetings

i. Finance Committee ........................................................................................................................ TBD

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Motion by Hoefert to approve meetings, Beckstrom second. Affirmative by Roll Call: Beckstrom, Hoefert, LaSalle. Opposed: none. The motion carried.

11. Supervisor Updates – Hoefert reported he hopes that next month the Board can meet in person.

12. Evalute the Meeting: None

13. Next Regular Meeting – Wednesday, June 10, 2020, 6:00 pm, Historic Courthouse, Conference Room D.

14. Chair Janski adjourned the meeting at 7:46 pm

__________________________________________ _____________________ Andre LaSalle, Mille Lacs SWCD Secretary Date Jake Janski, Alternate

June 2020 SWCD Board Report MAWQCP Area Certification Specialist - Ryan Clark

Continue to prepare the interseeder rental program for an early June start date. This equipment will be available

to farmers within 60 miles of Carlton. I hope to gain many more MAWQCP applications from administering the

rental program. Met with farmers in Aitkin, Mille Lacs, North St. Louis, Chisago, and Carlton. Most of these

visits were for planning conservation practices funded through MAWQCP grant program. Finished up a new

certification in Chisago with the assistance of the SWCD Technician. Through this certification we were able to

get a commitment for cover crops on all acres cultivated for annual crop production. Assisted NRCS

Engineering Tech with a survey at a beef farm in Moose Lake, where we are planning an ag waste practice to

move a feedlot away from a creek. All my other farm visits were for planning grazing practices to be designed

and funded through MAWQCP.

County Applications Completed MDA FA Grant Aitkin 12 9 3

Carlton 22 15 7

Chisago 16 8

Cook 0 0

Isanti 11 9 2

Itasca 5 2

Kanabec 9 4 2

Lake 4 3

Mille Lacs 13 7 4

Pine 9 7 1

South St. Louis 7 3 2

North St. Louis 2 1

NE Area

Certifications to-date: 65

Statewide Stats:

883 producers 610,714 acres 1,840 new practices 37,625 tons of sediment per year 105,255 tons of soil per year 46,599 lbs of P per year

Interseeder and brillion rental equipment.

Carlton County farm where we are planning an ag waste practice.

Large pasture in North St. Louis County.

Winter rye cover crop planted last fall in

Mille Lacs County with MAWQCP

funding.

NRCS Report Barb Zeroth, SC

June 3, 2020 Conservation District Representative

• I have been assigned the responsibility of lead District Representative for the Mille Lacs Soil and Water Conservation District. I will serve as the primary contact with the Conservation District, attend Conservation District board meetings, assist in long range and annual business plans, assist the Conservation District Board with locally led and conservation work group meetings and support outreach meetings with Conservation Districts and partners.

COVID-19 • Leaders within NRCS continue to provide us with the most up-to-date information. We

have been given a 3-Phase approach, Reopening Playbook as a framework that will enable us to gradually, effectively and safely return to onsite functions.

Memorandum of Agreement • They are in the process of being signed and returned to the DC’s to then be sent to the

District. Deadlines and Applications:

• EQIP – Environmental Quality Incentives Program o Applications

14 eligible applications in Mille Lacs County 1 RCPP application in Mille Lacs

o Approval Deadline – July 2nd o Obligation Deadline – August 14th

• CSP – Conservation Stewardship Program

o Applications – Our 4 applications ranked Low and will not be completed in Conservation Desktop/Assessment/Ranking until instructed to do so.

Customer Service Team Lead

• Interviews were held, a selection was made and waiting on their acceptance. We will not know who was selected until they accept.

ML SWCD Assistance

• Casey completed 3 livestock pipeline designs, 2 grazing plans and fencing implementation guide sheets for this EQIP.

• Asked Casey to join me on a new grazing site visit happening in June. • I will have some project completion check-outs happening soon, if this is

something the ML SWCD would like Casey to attend, if his schedule allows. Especially on the ones he planned, to see the project through. He can do the check out and I would approve what he checked, to then submit for JAA.

• I will be following up with John Crellin on the JAA process, to submit the above items for Casey.

Outreach and New Contacts

• Potential Pit Closure, dug well closure, 2 new grazing • Milaca Farmer’s Market – located near NRCS Office.

Mille Lacs SWCD 2020 Mille Lacs SWCD is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Project Summary:

Total number of native trees and shrubs ordered: 8,900

Over 70 new customers requested to be on the tree mailing list via the website.

We had more than 130 customers this year and nearly 50 were new customers!

The Facebook page continues to be a great resource for advertising the tree program.

Pick up date postcards were sent out asking customers to answer three questions:

Why are you planting trees/shrubs? Some of the responses were: wind breaks, wildlife and pollinator habitat, increase variety on property/forest diversification, reforestation, abused pasture. What species did you choose and why?

What species would you like to see available in the future? Norway Spruce, Tamarack, Mountain Ash, Crabapple, Edibles: fruit and nuts, White Oak, Plum, Chokecherry, Walnut, Cedar Chestnut, Red Oak, American Chestnut, Hazelnuts, Apple, Black Spruce, Red Oak, Nannyberry, Paper Birch.

Gross Profit: $3,900.00

Species Sold: American Hazelnut

Chokecherry Highbush Cranberry

False Indigo RedOsier Dogwood Black Chokeberry American Plum

Hackberry Red Maple

Sugar Maple Black Walnut

Bur Oak Paper Birch Tamarack Balsam Fir

White Cedar White Spruce

White Pine Red Pine

Trees Vendors:

Wolcyn Tree Farm

Resource Concern: Restore and Maintain Forests Erosion Control on Shorelines

Windbreaks Diversification

2020 Conservation Tree Sale

White Spruce and White Pine

bare-root transplants at the Tree Barn

at the Mille Lacs County Public Works

Building.