MINNEHAHA CONSERVATION DISTRICT SUPERVISORS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
DATE – TIME – LOCATION
September 27, 2012 at Ten Pin Alley, Hartford, SD 12:00 pm
CALLED TO ORDER
The regular meeting of the Minnehaha Conservation District Supervisors was called to order by Chairman Oyen.
SUPERVISORS PRESENT
Jeff Oyen, Tom Wolles, Ronald Johnson, Reid Christopherson
SUPERVISORS ABSENT
Jim Pfeifer — attended tour
OTHERS PRESENT
Amy Van Dam, John Parker, Deron Reusch, Brian Top
AGENDA
The agenda was mailed out prior to the board meeting.
MOTION by Christopherson; seconded by Johnson to approve the agenda as printed along with the additional items. Four ayes.
MINUTES
The minutes of the regular August meeting were emailed or mailed out prior to the board meeting.
MOTION by Christopherson; seconded by Wolles to approve the minutes of the regular August board meeting. Four ayes.
TREASURER’S REPORT
MOTION by Wolles; seconded by Christopherson to accept the Treasurer’s Report as printed. Four ayes. The board requested that starting in October that the Treasurer’s Report show month end and also current bank balances.
JULY BILLS APPROVED
MOTION by Christopherson; seconded by Johnson to accept the bills as presented. Four ayes. The board wants to see a copy of the letter we send to customers with overdue bills.
ACTIVITIES REPORT
WETLANDS:
- To date, we have 269 outstanding requests for determinations on file.
- Crops are disappearing fast and field work is in full swing.
- Expect changes to come sometime after October 1, 2012.
CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM (CRP):
- FSA/NRCS have processed 105 CRP Emergency Haying/Grazing plans in August.
- FSA issued Notice CRP-724 on September 21, 2012. Effective October 1, 2012, FSA shall not a) Approve any CRP contracts for all signup types; b) Process offers for enrollment in CRP all signup types. However, we can work on prior year contracts.
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVE PROGRAM (EQIP):
- Minnehaha County (South Dakota) ranked #3 in the nation for the National Water Quality Initiative for FY-2012 total to 11 applications for $1,337,332.
- The Skunk Creek watershed will again be high priority for FY-2013.
- We are accepting new applications (continuous signup) and those that were not funded for FY-2012 will be receiving a deferral letter.
WILDLIFE HABITAT INCENTIVES PROGRAM (WHIP):
- Received some last second funding for WHIP — Drought Relief on September 20, 2012, and obligated three contracts on September 24, 2012 for 423.8 acres.
CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM (CSP):
- We are accepting new applications (continuous signup).
UPCOMING EVENTS:
- October 4, 2012: The Minnehaha Conservation District Board and District Staff are invited to an NRCS Wetland Compliance Separation Plan teleconference from 1:30 – 3:30 pm in the conference room at the Sioux Falls Ag Service Center.
- Happy New Fiscal Year! 🙂
OLD BUSINESS
5525 TRACTOR OFFER: We received an offer of $36,500 for the tractor with the loader. We denied the offer.
TOPSOIL STATUS: The board discussed the status and is ready to finalize the agreement.
STATE CONVENTION: John, Amy, Reid, and Tom attended the convention in Huron September 16 – 18. The topics included joint powers ageement, field office of the future, and building the technical capabilities of conservation district staff. As always, a great meal was served by USF&W with the help of Vermillion/Big Sioux area employees. John and Amy attended the Maga Ta-Hohpi tour. It serves as a hub for outdoor and environmental education programs for the Huron community.
GEVIK TOUR: The tour is today at 3:30.
LAND JUDGING: The regional land judging competition will be October 2 at Phil Kastens.
NEW BUSINESS
NRCS TRAINING: The meeting has been postponed until spring.
EMPLOYEE REVIEW: Reviews will be done at the October meeting.
MONTHLY MEETING DATE CHANGE: The meetings will be held every 3rd Monday at 9:30 am starting in October.
POLICY REVIEWS: The review will be done at the November meeting.
CONSERVATION PLAN APPROVALS
The meeting went into recess at 3:10 pm.
OTHER BUSINESS
The Gevik signs need to be installed on Highway 34.
MOTION by Pfeifer; seconded by Johnson to make three islands with the trees on the Gevik site slough. Five ayes.
ADJOURN MEETING
MOTION by Christopherson; seconded by Johnson to adjourn the meeting. Five ayes.
Amy Van Dam, Recording Secretary
