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Local gov'ts saving wetlands t~.rough wCA <br />Local governments once again <br />demonstrated their skill and <br />dedication by administering <br />the Wetland Conservation Act <br />(WCA) to successfully protect <br />or restore more than 4,000 <br />acres of wetlands statewide in <br />1996. <br />"These numbers show once <br />again that local governments <br />are making WCA work," said <br />Ron Harnack, executive <br />director of the Board of Water <br />and Soil Resources (BWSR), <br />which administers the act on a <br />statewide basis. "Their hard <br />work, combined with our <br />efforts, means that WCA is <br />continuing to save wetlands." <br />The numbers are part of a <br />soon-to-be-issued report on <br />Minnesota wetlands compiled <br />by the B`VSR, which obtained <br />information on wetland <br />activities from local govern- <br />ments implementing the <br />WCA. 1996 is the last year <br />for which complete informa- <br />tion is available. <br />drain or fill wetlands and ask <br />themselves if there is any way <br />to avoid those wetland areas," <br />Harnack said. "Often, they <br />find that the projects can be <br />re-designed to leave wetlands <br />intact without incurring any <br />great additional expense or <br />losing the original intent of <br />Another key finding contained <br />in the report is that landown- <br />ers followed the provisions of~ <br />the WCA xo successfully re- <br />work about 5,000 projects to <br />avoid wetlands entirely. As <br />originally proposed, those <br />5,000 projects would have <br />resulted in the loss of 3,547 <br />acres of wetland. <br />"Because of the Wetland <br />Conservation Act, people <br />must look at projects that <br />b b <br />the project." <br />The data contained in the <br />report also indicates that <br />several key numbers have <br />remained fairly consistent <br />since the WCA became fully <br />effective in 1994. The number <br />of proposed wetland projects <br />resulting in wetland avoidance <br />has hovered. near 4,000 or <br />5,000; approximately 200-400 <br />replacement plans have been <br />tt'CA contiraeed on p.' S <br />1997 AMC Annual <br />Conference <br />The Association of Minnesota <br />Counties (AMC) held its <br />annual conference in St. <br />Cloud from November 30 <br />through December 2,• 1997. <br />The theme of the conference <br />was "Building Communities: <br />Partners in Progress" <br />environmental policy, includ- <br />ing: providing additional <br />support for multi-county solid <br />waste management activities <br />and programs; support for <br />expanding the Landfill <br />Cleanup Program; support for <br />greater legislative scrutiny of <br />agency rules; support for <br />incentives to landowners to <br />establish water retention <br />areas; requiring the DNR to <br />stay current on ditch taxes; <br />and support for state financial <br />assistance to local govern- <br />ments for beaver control <br />programs. An additional <br />position was to support <br />" increasing state funding of <br />county local water planning <br />activities. <br />The AMC delegate assembly <br />adopted numerous significant <br />changes to existing AMC <br />~° ~~ ~ ~~ <br />- 7~ tF f ~ f E 11-. 1Y ~~ tt y l~ Y ~. 2 3 ~~ r"~ FkP . <br />F t ,~ ~ r k <br />(f i~, f,~„'~i~.. ~4`~- J~~s~~„~Tey~{2~"'+~~~ ~' ~f^.J-.',,l iti.k~ ~ -.i a'~ .S%av~ <br />fp!k { 3 Y r~ .,.r '~ tip. ~ ~ s t ~~ ~ ~.~~„ 1 <br />~ 3' ~ ~ ` ` / V ~ih ~ 1 / , ~ <br />a r,,. _ }.,~~ ~ x <br />i ~ x ^~~ ~ J ~~ '"~3? d~' ~ ' <br />rs _, ~~ jf r ~~ E.~ •~ <br />AMC delegates gather by coienry to vote on proposed amendments to the <br />legislative platform. <br />3 <br />