Baraboo River Watershed Project Selected for Funding

January 15, 2015   NEWS

Contact:  Melissa Keenan, 608-355-4838, mkeenan@co.sauk.wi.us

Baraboo River Watershed Project Selected for Funding

Baraboo, Wis… USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Wednesday that the Baraboo River Watershed project was selected for funding as one of 100 projects nationwide as part of the new Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

RCPP’s historic focus on public-private partnership enables private companies, local communities and other non-government partners a way to invest in efforts to keep our land resilient and water clean, and promote tremendous economic growth in agriculture, construction, tourism and outdoor recreation, and other industries.

“RCPP puts our partners in the driver’s seat,” said Jimmy Bramblett, USDA’S Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist in Wisconsin. “Projects are led locally, and demonstrate the value of strong public-private partnerships that deliver solutions to tough natural resource challenges.”

The Baraboo River Watershed is approximately 420,000 acres in size and includes portions of Richland, Vernon, Monroe, Juneau, Sauk, and Columbia Counties. USDA-NRCS along with partners will collaborate to provide technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to help implement conservation practices that improve soil health, water quality, restore wildlife habitat, and will also improve agricultural productivity. Common conservation practices include streambank stabilization, cover crops, nutrient management, and grassed waterways. The project will run 5 years in duration and will provide over $2 million in public-private conservation investments to the Baraboo River Watershed.     

“We are excited for the opportunity to partner with USDA-NRCS and other conservation partners to protect and improve our natural resources in the Baraboo River Watershed,” said Melissa Keenan, Resource Conservationist with Sauk County Conservation, Planning, and Zoning Department. “Sauk County has a long history of working closely with USDA-NRCS to implement conservation practices and we look forward to strengthening that relationship further as we begin a new path for getting conservation on the ground.”

A time period for producers to sign up for financial assistance is expected to be announced early this spring.

To learn more about the Baraboo River Watershed RCPP or technical and financial assistance available through Sauk County’s conservation programs, visit www.co.sauk.wi.us/cpz or call 608-355-3245.

For more information on RCPP visit the NRCS website at www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/farmbill/rcpp/ or contact your local NRCS Service Center.