Watershed Outreach Rathbun Land and Water Alliance Annual December 2009 A newsletter for Rathbun Land and

December 2009 A newsletter for Rathbun Land and Water Alliance Board members Volume 4 Issue 4
Contact Kathleen Chester at 641.774.5940
Meeting
or by email at chester@sirisonline.com The Rathbun Land and Water Alliance held their 4th
Annual Meeting in Allerton on September 17th. The 2009
Rathbun Lake Protectors were recognized at this meeting
and are pictured below. Walt Hackney was the featured speaker and more than 150 attended the event.
Pictured L-R: Risk Management Specialist
and Market Analyst, Walt Hackney; Karen Alliance Matters and Partner News Request for 2010 Alliance Member and
Tisue, RLWA President and RRWA CEO, Partner Support
John Glenn, Daryl Tisue, Lyle Asell, Contact Marty Braster at 641.647.2416 The Alliance Board of Directors once again asks its
Dennis Smith, Connie Smith, Doyle Smith, or by email at mbraster@rrwa.net members and local partners to contribute $200 each to the
Judy Jenkins, and Norman Jenkins. Pictured organization in 2010. These funds are used to help the
in inset, Wayne County Rathbun Lake Alliance complete the organization’s financial audit and
Protector, Austin Bennett. conduct watershed outreach activities including our annual Protect Rathbun Lake meeting. The board believes that these activities are
essential for the Alliance to continue to be an effective, volunteer-based, non-profit organization. Alliance member RRWA matches
Rath bun Lake Protector dollar-for-dollar the contributions of other Alliance members and local partners. Invoice requests for calendar year 2010 contributions
Interviews are being sent by mail to each of the Alliance’s member and local partner organizations.
Ken Root, host of
WHO Radio’s Partner Support Grows: Protect Rathbun Lake Project Expands
The Big Show In recent months, Alliance partners have awarded more than $2.1 million to expand activities of the Protect Rathbun Lake Project. These
traveled to the Centerville area recently to interview Appanoose County landowner and Rathbun Lake commitments bring the total support from Alliance members and partners for efforts of the Protect Rathbun Lake Project to $15 million.
Protector Charles Argo and his farm operator brother, Rex Argo, about their role in protecting
Rathbun Lake. They are pictured in front of one of 27 total signs to be installed in the Rathbun lake The Alliance will now have the
Watershed identifying Rathbun Lake Watershed landowners who have been recognize as Rathbun Lake resources to assist landowners with the
Protectors by the Alliance. application of best management practices
(BMPs) for priority land in 30 targeted
Media sub-watersheds of the Rathbun Lake
Press releases were sent to media contacts about tours of the watershed and the Iowa Watershed Improvement Review Board watershed.
funding awarded to the Alliance.
These recent commitments of support
Iowa DNR and EPA tour for the Protect Rathbun Lake Project
included funds from IDALS DSC’s I-Jobs
Water Quality Program, the Iowa
Watershed Improvement Review Board,
NRCS’s Agricultural Water
Enhancement Program, and the Iowa
Senior Council for Senator DNR.
Harkin tour
The newly committed funds will be used
primarily to share the cost with
landowners of applying BMPs for close
Rathbun Land and Water Alliance Organizational Facts
to 6,000 acres which will reduce the
annual delivery of sediment and
The Alliance is organized as a nonprofit corporation under Iowa Code Chapter 504 and section 501(c)(3) of the US Internal Revenue
phosphorus to Rathbun Lake by an
Code. The Alliance was first organized in 1993 and incorporated in 1996.
estimated 9,000 tons and 30,000 pounds respectively.
Seven members of the board of directors are appointed for three-year terms by the Appanoose, Lucas, and Wayne Soil and Water
Conservation District Commissioners and Boards of Supervisors, and Rathbun Regional Water Association. These seven members of The Rathbun Lake Special Project is a partnership of the following individuals, agencies, and organizations: Participating landowners in the Rathbun Lake
Watershed; Iowa Depar tme nt of Agri cul ture and Land Ste war dship’s Divi sion of Soil Conse rvati on; Iowa Depar tme nt of Natural Resour ces ; Iowa S tate
the board of directors were last appointed by their organizations in the beginning of 2008. Their terms extend through the end of Uni ve rsi ty ; I owa W a ter sh e d Im prove me nt Re vie w B oar d; S outhe r n I owa De ve l opme nt a nd Conse rv a ti on Authori ty ; US Arm y C orps of E ngi nee rs ; US
2010. E nv i r onm e nta l P r ote cti on Ag e ncy ; US DA Fa r m S er v i ce Ag e ncy ; US DA Na tur a l Re s our ce s C ons e r va ti on S e r v i ce ; Appa noos e , C l a r k e , De ca tur , L uca s ,
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.
These seven members of the board of directors appoint the remaining four at-large board members. The four at-large board mem-
bers are appointed annually at the board of directors’ first meeting after the beginning of the calendar year. The board of directors
also elects its officers annually at their first meeting after the beginning of the calendar year.
 Velvet’s View Table 1 below is the SFY2010 summary of BMPs Table 2—Cumulative
installed and load reductions achieved in the 28 (FFY ‘04- Nov. 30, 2009)
Contact Velvet Buckingham at 641.872.1350 targeted sub-watersheds and Table 2 on opposite page Gross Sediment Phosphorus
or by email at Velvet.Buckingham@ia.nacdnet.net is the cumulative summary of BMPs installed and load Erosion Delivery Delivery
reductions achieved in the 28 targeted sub-watersheds. Units Acres Reduction Reduction Reduction
Practice Installed Benefited Tons/Yr. Tons/ yr. Lbs./Yr.
Terraces 769,530 ft. 7442 9072 12,291 56,354
Water & sediment basins 165 no. 509 610 1049 4996
Table 1—July 1, 2009 – Nov Grade stabilization structures 89 no. 2783 1697 4439 17684
30, 2009 Sediment basin 10 no. 2175 723 5746 19,682
Gross Sediment Phosphorus Livestock exclusion 8 ac. 8 84 32 158
Erosion Delivery Delivery Pasture & hayland seeding 717 ac. 717 2934 996 4453
Units Acres Reduction Reduction Reduction Grassed waterways 35.7ac. 546 458 452 2299
Practice Installed Benefited Tons/Yr. Tons/ yr. Lbs./Yr. CRP buffer / filter strips 92.7 ac. 110 591 192 1079
Terraces 56,910 ft. 496 760 744 3251 Fence 13,022 ft.
Water & sediment basins 18 no. 52 53 87 399 Heavy use protection areas 10 no.
Grade stabilization structures 10 no. 334 145 581 2153 Pipeline 3160 ft.
Sediment basin 0 no. 0 0 0 0 Tanks 7 no.
Livestock exclusion 0 ac. 0 0 0 0 Brush management 280 ac.
Pasture & hayland seeding 9 ac. 9 32 13 59 Nutrient management 159.7 ac.
Grassed waterways 0 ac. 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 14,290 ac. 16,169 t/y 25,197 t/y 106,705 lbs/y
CRP buffer / filter strips 0 0 0 0 0
Fence 0
Heavy use protection areas 0 Table 3: Summary of financial support for BMP application in targeted sub-watersheds
Pipeline 0 EPA IDNR
Tanks 0 IDALS-DSC IDALS-DSC Watershed Section
Total Cost NRCS EQIP WPF/WSPF IFIP Initiative WIRB 319 Landowners
Brush management 0
Nutrient management 0 Cumulative $1,068,959
TOTALS 891 ac. 990 t/y 1425 t/y 5862 lbs/y (FFY 04-09) $6,703,556 $1,833,879 $971,954 $38,495 $460,878 $287,584 $2,062,802

SFY 2010 $653,725 $193,692 $46,286 $0 $0 $114,597 $52,641 $246,506

Clarke Agronomy Students Attend Field Day

BMP Update Five students from Brandi Boyd’s current agronomy class and two students from last year’s class recently
visited and re-visited the Terry and Lori Bear farm in Southeast Clarke County. Students were shown the process
Contact Susania Ernst at 641.774.2512
followed while designing and building a terrace construction project near the Chariton Creek.
or by email at Susania.Ernst@ia.nacdnet.net
District Conservationist Dennis Schrodt, of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Clarke
County, discussed the SWAPA+H process of conservation planning. SWAPA+H is an acronym for soil,
water, air, plants, animals and human considerations in conservation planning. Terry Bear discussed his concerns about loosing soil from his farm. He would like to keep as much soil
as he can in the field. Terry discussed the cost share assistance from the Rathbun Land and Water Alliance and how that helped the improvements he is making to their farm feasible.
Terry also gave the students a hay ride tour of the terraces, sediment basins and ponds that he and his son, David, were able to build with the
assistance of the Protect Rathbun Lake Project sponsored by the Rathbun Land and Water Alliance.

Terry discussed the process that they followed as they were constructing the structures. During the visit Terry was presented with Earth Team shirts from Environmental Specialist
Susania D. Ernst. Susania is the Area 4 representative to the Earth Team Committee. She recognized Terry for his willingness to promote the Protect Rathbun Lake Project with his
Students from Brandi Boyd’s Clarke High School Agronomy class tour the
neighbors and landlords, for assisting in the layout of his terraces and basins, and for hosting school programs on his farm.
Terry and Lori Bear farm in Southeast Clarke County to view BMPS installed
as part of the Alliance’s Protect Rathbun Lake Project.