2002-01-31_AgendaPacket - Laserfiche WebLink

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Changing Prairie Landscapes -- 2001 Summer Tour (continued from page t) The OOWD stop at Lake Bella, the primary water intake site for the City of Worthington - a community with a 10,000 population -exemplified the need for the water quality and quantity projects within the district. Lake Bella was created in 1971 by constructing a 1300 foot long, PL 566 funded dam. The multipurpose structure was built to establish a reservoir for Worthington, reduce flooding along the Ocheyedan River in Iowa, and provide recreational facilities. The lake is about 182 acres and stores 2270 acre feet of runoff. The OOWD owns about 450 acres surrounding the lake and manages it for wildlife habitat. The land is also open for public recreation. To protect Worthington's aquifer from pollution, the OOWD has concentrated on removing land from agricul- ture production upstream of Lake Bella. Through land purchases, filter strip incentive payments and partnerships with the DNR, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Pheas- ants Forever, the aquifer's recharge area is well protected by public and privately owned grassland buffers. After lunch at the Prairie Expo, the Tour moved into the Heron Lake WD. The HLWD is currently implementing a Clean Water Partnership grant/loan program to guide the overall efforts of water quality improvement, increase the diversity and. number of plants and animals, improved wildlife habitat, and reduce flooding. HLWD also implement an EPA 319 grant far an erosion control and water quality improvement project in the Elk Creek sub watershed. The objectives of this project are to install waterways, critical area plantings, terraces, wetland restorations, and shallow-water areas for wildlife. The Tour stop Friday afternoon in the HLWD provided an excellent example of what the RIM program in Minnesota can offer. The 180 acre Sue and Dale Aden property in Okabena has recently been restored to native prairie and wetlands. In addition, the Adens have enrolled acres into the CRP. A five-row field windbreak planted along the north property line will protect the remaining crop ground against erosion and provide additional wildlife benefits. Classes from the Southwest Star Concept School, Oka- bena, have used the site for environmentally based classes and have helped with planting trees. Educational activities are being considered for future classes and grant applica- tions have been submitted for funding a full day of activi- ties for large groups of students. The evening banquet speaker was Bill Bodlin, a native of Slayton, MN, and retired American History teacher. Bill worked as a Park Naturalist at Lake Shetek State Park and gave a presentation on the Sioux Uprising of 1862 and the Lake Shetek community. The Tour concluded on Saturday morning with two seminars dealing with the Lewis & Clark Rural Water, System Project, and Precision Ag. 4 Mike McCarvel, Chair of the Heron Lake WD introducing the host managers at the Summer Tour Banquet. Pam Bonrud, Executive Director for the Lewis & Clark Rural Water System presenting a seminar Saturday morning on the Lewis & Clark Rural Water System. at the Summer Tour.