SWCD representatives attend legislative briefing
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Dave Ausen and Chris Dahl from the Freeborn County Soil and Water Conservation District attended a legislative briefing and meetings at the State Capitol Feb. 25 and 26.
They joined a group of other officials from the state&8217;s Soil and Water Conservation Districts who met in St. Paul to gather support for conservation districts&8217; programs and issues.
&8220;It is important for us to get the conservation message out to our elected officials in St. Paul,&8221; said Ausen, of Alden.
The 2008 Legislative Session will be critical to the future of conservation programs in the state, noted Dahl, of Albert Lea. &8220;This year legislators will address issues like the Reinvest in Minnesota reserve program. This is an important state program for working with landowners on wetland restorations and has the potential for leveraging millions of dollars in federal funding through the USDA&8217;s Wetland Reserve Program. With budget concerns being what they are at the state level, we have to work hard to make sure local soil and water conservation issues don&8217;t fall by the way-side.&8221;
During the trip, Ausen and Dahl met with Sen. Dan Sparks, Rep. Robin Brown and Rep. Joanne Poppe.
This event was sponsored by the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
SWCDs fill the crucial niche of providing land and water conservation services to owners of private lands. Minnesota has 91 Soil and Water Conservation Districts.