Watershed Outreach January 2009 A newsletter for Rathbun Land and Water Alliance Board members Volume 4 Issue 1

Contact Kathleen Chester at 641.774.5940

or by email at chester@sirisonline.com

A project exhibit was featured at the Conservation Districts of

Iowa Annual Meeting last fall. A mock up is pictured to the left.
A digital photo monitor has been purchased as a companion
Alliance Matters and Partner News 2009 ALLIANCE MEMBER AND
piece to enhance future exhibits. The photo monitor will fit on a
PARTNER SUPPORT
shelf previously used to hold brochures. The monitor will allow
more photos to be exhibited as well as videos of best Contact Marty Braster at 641.647.2416 Every year the Alliance asks its local members and
management practice construction or other water quality or by email at mbraster@rrwa.net partners to contribute $200 each to the organization.
protection activities. These funds enable the Alliance to carry out activities
which are essential for an effective volunteer-based, non-
Pictured to the left is profit organization such as the annual financial audit and annual meeting. Alliance member Rathbun Regional Water
Conservation Districts of Iowa Association (RRWA) matches dollar-for-dollar the contributions of other local Alliance members and partners. Invoice requests for
Executive Director, Deb Ryun calendar year 2009 contributions are being sent to local Alliance members and partners.
and Dr. Gerald Miller, Iowa
State University Associate PROTECT RATHBUN LAKE EFFORTS
Dean, College of Agriculture. EXPANDED
Thanks to continued strong support from Iowa
Five hundred static window The twenty-three Dep artm ent of Ag ricu ltu re and L an d
clings have been ordered landowners who have been Stewardship (IDALS) Div ision of Soil
and will be distributed as recognized as Rathbun Lake Conservation, Iowa Department of Natural
part of the Protect Rathbun Protectors have been Resources (IDNR), Iowa Wat ershed
Lake outreach. The 5 x 5 contacted and have agreed to Improvement Review Board (IWIRB), and Natural
inch clings will be placed on the installation of a field sign Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) , Protect
doors of agricultural busi- on their property—pictured Rathbun Lake project activities will expand into an
nesses in the Rathbun Lake to the left. The signs will additional targeted sub watershed in 2009.
Watershed and can be used help educate landowners in
on vehicles as well. the Rathbun Lake Watershed These Alliance partners have committed $700,000 to
about the Protect Rathbun assist landowners in the Chariton River #2 targeted
Lake activities as well as sub-watershed, located in Decatur and Wayne
recognize landowners who Counties, to apply best management practices for
have taken action to protect priority land. Rathbun Lake protection efforts will
Rathbun Lake through their
now be underway in 25 sub-watersheds.
conservation efforts.
RRWA WATERSHED SPECIALIST JOINS DSC TEAM
Based on the response from Rathbun Lake Watershed Velvet Buckingham, RRWA Watershed Specialist, has been selected by the IDALS Division of Soil Conservation as an
landowners who were surveyed at Alliance events such as the environmental specialist for the Protect Rathbun Lake project. In her new position, Velvet will continue to provide technical
annual meeting, workshop, and field days, a series of assistance to landowners in the Rathbun Lake Watershed and be responsible for many of the administrative tasks associated with the
quarterly interviews has been arranged with WHO Radio. Protect Rathbun Lake project. Velvet will also continue to work out of the Wayne SWCD office. RRWA plans to fill the
WHO Radio received the highest percentage of listenership Association’s watershed specialist position.
among surveyed landowners. Interviews will feature Rathbun
Lake Protectors on a quarterly basis for 2.5 years. As part of ALLIANCE REACHES WATERSHED OUTREACH MILESTONE
the arrangement with the station, the Alliance logo is The Alliance recently completed activities for the three-year watershed outreach grant that was awarded to the organization by the
featured on the Big Show page located on the WHO Radio NRCS. Matching funds for this grant were provided by the Farm Bureau, IDALS Division of Soil Conservation, and Iowa DNR. The
website at www.whoradio.com primary purpose of this grant and matching funds was to initiate the Rathbun Lake Protectors watershed outreach
program. Important accomplishments made possible with this support included the popular Protect Rathbun Lake annual meetings
Senator Tom Harkin Agricultural Aide, Tina May, accompanied by Conservation Districts of Iowa Executive Director, Deb and workshops, recognition of landowners as Rathbun Lake Protectors for their conservation efforts, Protect Rathbun Lake signage,
Ryun, toured the Rathbun Lake Watershed to view the best management practices which have resulted in the positive impact on and establishment of close working relationships with media sources. The grant also made it possible for the Alliance to contract
water quality. May says the actions of landowners to protect Rathbun Lake are remarkable. “On behalf of Senator Harkin, professional assistance of the organization’s watershed outreach specialist, Kathleen Chester.
I applaud the efforts of the local farmers for taking the initiative to improve their farming operations, land, lake, and future. The
efforts of the landowners helps put into practice the new conservation investments included in the new farm bill,” she said.
 Velvet’s View BMP Update In June 2008, I attended training at the Springbrook
Educational Center. We learned the basics of laying out and
Contact Velvet Buckingham at 641.872.1350 Contact Susania Ernst at 641.774.2512 designing terraces and large waterways draining over 100
or by email at Velvet.Buckingham@ia.nacdnet.net or by email at Susania.Ernst@ia.nacdnet.net acres. Joining us were 23 other technicians and
environmental specialists from across the state.

Table 1: SFY2009 summary of BMPs installed and load reductions achieved in the 24 targeted sub-watersheds In our part of the state we spend more time working on terraces, basins and ponds than waterways. Kudos to farmers with well shaped
waterways, their efforts saved hundreds of tons of sediment from entering Rathbun Lake this year alone. Some learning points for
waterways are still very applicable in our part of the state. If soil is cutting above your waterway, the waterway is too low, it should be
July 1, 2008 – Dec. 31, 2008 seeded and shaped higher on the hill.
Sediment
Gross Erosion Delivery Producers should be farming perpendicular to the waterway, guiding water into the grass, with their row patterns, protecting the water-
Units Reduction Reduction Phosphorus Delivery way by lifting the implement as it crosses over the waterway. Occasionally, we see a producer running rows up and down the hill right
Practice Installed Acres Benefited Tons/Yr. Tons/ yr. Reduction Lbs./Yr.
along with the waterway, or they plant end rows along the waterway. This practice makes it much harder for water to
Terraces 104,529 ft. 1038 1713 1581 7406
enter the grassed waterway as it should. It reduces the ability of the grass to capture the soil and hold it in the field; in other words, the
Water & Sediment Basins 9 no. 17 46 31 144
Grade Stabilization Structures 7 no. 367 59 468
sediment is more likely to make its way to Rathbun Lake.
1658
Sediment Basin 9 no. 1931 657 5146 17,042
Livestock Exclusion 0 ac. 0 0 0 As I have walked through fields this year, I have come across waterways with gullies that are not crossable with farm machinery - classic
0
Pasture & Hayland Seeding 0 ac. 0 0 0 0
gullies. One waterway had gullies on both sides, I stood in the gully and the field edge came between my knee and hip. A considerable
Grassed Waterways 2 ac. 15 0 7 35 amount of sediment is added to Rathbun Lake each year from a gully like this, not to mention possible damage to farm machinery.
CRP buffer / filter strips 0 0 0 0 0
Fence 0 I know economically we are facing uncertain times; for not a lot of money, a grassed waterway, critical area seeding or field
Heavy Use Protection Areas 0 border/turn strip can do a good job of holding soil in place. A waterway filled with sediment is a testament to how well it has done its
Pipeline 0 job. When you notice your waterway no longer has the recommended parabolic shape, it is time to pull the soil out, putting the soil back
Tanks 0 in the field to reshape and reseed the waterway. Shape a parabolic waterway so that the depth halfway to the center is three fourths of the
Brush Management 0 depth at the center. For example – if center depth is one foot, depth halfway to the center is .75 foot.
Nutrient Management 0
TOTALS 3368 ac. 2474 t/y 7233 t/y 26,286 lbs/y With all the rain we have had this year, many waterways will have quite a bit of sediment added to them. This may be time to think about
waterway maintenance; getting ready to do a bit of reshaping or reseeding. You can contact your local NRCS office for specification
Table 2: Cumulative summary of BMPs installed and load reductions achieved in the 24 targeted sub-watersheds sheets to determine the width and depth of well working waterway.
CUMULATIVE (FFY ‘04- Dec. 31,
2008)
Sediment
Gross Erosion Delivery CLARKE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL AGRONOMY STUDENTS LEARN
Units Reduction Reduction Phosphorus Delivery METHODS USED TO PROTECT RATHBUN LAKE
Practice Installed Acres Benefited Tons/Yr. Tons/ yr. Reduction Lbs./Yr. Susania Ernst and NRCS Clarke County District Conservationist, Dennis Schrodt
Terraces 628,742 ft. 6344 6973 10,267 46,409 traveled to the Clarke County farm of priority landowner Terry Bear to learn
Water & Sediment Basins 130 no. 431 535 913 4349 something that is difficult to find in a book – hands-on field experience. Ernst says the
Grade Stabilization Structures 77 no. 2321 1535 3658 14,279 students were shown where the three treatments, or conservation practices, are slated
Sediment Basin 10 no. 2175 723 5746 19,682 to be installed on Bear’s 23 acre field which is located in the Rathbun Lake Watershed.
Livestock Exclusion 8 ac. 8 84 32 158
Practices include a terrace, grade stabilization structure and two sediment basins.
Pasture & Hayland Seeding 690 ac. 690 2846 958 4299
Students were shown how to use the equipment the field technicians use to properly
Grassed Waterways 35.7ac. 531 458 445 2264
design the structures, which were built in locations through the Rathbun Lake
CRP buffer / filter strips 92.7 ac. 110 591 192 1079 Watershed identified using GIS technology. Ernst explained to the students that the
Fence 13,022 ft. GIS technology identifies the land which has been determined to have the greatest
Heavy Use Protection Areas 10 no. potential to deliver sediment and phosphorus to Rathbun Lake.
Pipeline 3160 ft.
Tanks 7 no.
Brush Management 280 ac. Table 3: Summary of financial support for BMP application in targeted sub-watersheds
Nutrient Management 159.7 ac.
EPA IDNR
TOTALS 12,618 ac. 13,745 t/y 22,220 t/y 92,557 lbs/y NRCS IDALS-DSC IDALS-DSC Watershed Section
The Rathbun Lake Special Project is a partnership of the following individuals, agencies, and organizations: Participating landowners in the Rathbun Lake Total Cost EQIP WPF/WSPF IFIP Initiative WIRB 319 Landowners
Watershed; Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Division of Soil Conservation; Iowa Department of Natural Resources; Iowa State
Unive rsity; Iowa Watershe d Impr oveme nt Re view Boar d; Southe rn Iowa Devel opme nt and Conser vati on Auth ori ty ; US Army Corps of Engineers ; US
Cumulative
E nvi r onm e nta l Pr otecti on Ag e ncy ; US DA Fa rm Se r vi ce Age ncy ; US DA Na tural Res our ce s C onse r va ti on Se rv ice ; Appa noos e , C la rk e, De ca tur , L uca s , (FFY 04-08) $5,406,778 $1,507,875 $868,127 $32,495 $460,878 $747,879 $218,225 $1,592,294
Monroe, and Wayne Soil and Water Conservation Districts; Appanoose, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Monroe, and Wayne Counties; Iowa Farm Bureau at the state and county levels; and Rathbun Regional Water
Association.
SFY 09 $1,239,668 $206,043 $89,111 $0 $0 $595,647 $43,578 $305,287