Julie Anderson, Planning & Development Director
Charles Seeger, County Conservationist

OPERATING AUTHORITY AND PURPOSE

The Land Conservation Division of the Planning and Development Department is responsible for planning, technical, engineering and educational assistance in the areas of soil erosion and water quality improvements.  Authority for the Division comes from Chapter 92 of the Wisconsin Statutes, Wisconsin Act 27 and the Administrative Rules set out in ATCP 50, NR120, 151, 153, 154, 216, and 243, which were enacted because the State Legislature has determined that the soil resources of this state are being depleted by wind and water erosion, which are polluting our state waters with non-point sources of pollution. 

This division assists landowners and land users in protecting and improving our natural resources by promoting and implementing conservation of the land.  Our office provides onsite technical engineering investigations relating to soil erosion, sedimentation, water quality and nutrient management to landowners or land users, Planning & Development, Code Administration and local municipalities. 

We administer the State Farmland Preservation Program, WI- DATCP cost share program, State mandated Land & Water Resource Management Program, WI-DNR Non-Point Pollution Abatement Program and the State and Federal Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. 

Our staff is also involved in protecting the County’s natural resources by working with landowners in developing conservation plans, surveying and designing engineering practices to reduce soil erosion on farmland.  We also conduct onsite reviews for soil erosion and sedimentation controls for single family residences covered under the county’s shoreland zoning ordinance. 

We provide state cost sharing to landowners who install conservation practices to reduce soil erosion from entering our lakes and streams through the Land & Water Resource Program and the Non-Point Pollution Abatement Watershed projects like the Root River, Muskego/Wind Lake and Sugar/Honey Creek watershed projects

EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Our first goal for 2003 was to reduce soil erosion to the allowable rates on cropland acres in Racine County.  Our annual transect survey helps us work towards that goal.  We will work with landowners or operators of areas that do not meet this goal to change crop rotations or other conservation measures to reduce the soil erosion to allowable rates.  Our second goal was to meet the goals for the Sugar/Honey Creek Watershed Program, and we are doing so three years before completion.  We have achieved 112% of our upland sediment or soil loss on cropland.  Our gully erosion goals are at 51%, and our streambank/shoreland erosion goal has been exceeded by 111%.  We have almost 2,500 acres of cropland under conservation plans with over 1,500 acres completely implemented.  Our third goal was to publish six newsletters for distribution to over 2,500 landowners, and we are meeting this goal with an average of 2,900 landowners per issue.  Our fourth goal was to provide 200 onsite investigations for the P&D and Code Administration for soil erosion control, and we are on schedule to exceed our goal by the end of the year.  Our fifth goal was to sell 45,000 trees and shrubs to landowners through our tree sales program.  This year we sold 54,400 trees and shrubs and 20.5 acres of prairie seed, 1.1 acres of wildflower seeds and 20 flats of wildflower plants.  Our sixth goal was to provide educational materials and/or booths to schools and fairs.  We held a conference for rural landowners providing speakers and information/educational materials to over 60 participants.  We had a booth at the county fair again this year to provide informational/educational materials about our office and activities.  Our seventh goal is to install conservation practices on lands that are eroding over the acceptable levels.  We have installed thousands of lineal feet of grass waterways and streambank rock rip rap protection and hundreds of acres altogether of wetland restoration, high residue management tillage and conservation buffers under the Conservation Reserve Program.  We also provided cost share payments to landowners to properly abandon 7 old wells to prevent ground water contamination.

2004 GOALS AND BUDGET STRATEGIES