The Flood Damage Repair and Erosion Prevention Conservation Implementation Strategy (CIS) Project in the Lake Badger Watershed will soon be entering its final year in Kingsbury County, South Dakota. The project serves farmers, ranchers, and the community, by improving land and water quality. This three-year project was one of 16 selected in Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 and federally-funded through the conservation programs of the 2018 Farm Bill administered by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
The purpose of this project is to repair flood damage and will be carried out by the NRCS and the Kingsbury Conservation District in concert with landowners and operators within the project area who are eligible to apply for financial assistance. While applications are accepted year-round, landowners interested in joining the project must submit an application by May 15, 2023, for FY23 funding.
The NRCS’ conservation specialists and partners coordinate projects throughout the state. Through collectively focusing expertise and resources on the highest priority resource concerns in the highest priority areas, CIS projects can yield impressive returns. Collaborative funding and support from other agencies and groups create a coordinated community effort and focus on mutual issues of concern. The project partners with producers to directly benefit Lake Badger by reducing flooding and erosion in the watershed.
Project sponsors identified gully erosion as a resource concern and developed this CIS project to address the situation. “Implementation of practices through this CIS project will have positive impacts within the local watershed and within the larger watershed that includes Lake Albert and Lake Poinsett,” said Jim Finnegan District Conservationist, De Smet, South Dakota.
To apply to be a part of this project, find and contact your local NRCS Service Center, or contact Jim Finnegan at (605) 854-9123, Ext. 3. For more information on CIS in South Dakota, or if you have ideas for a project, visit the CIS webpage on the South Dakota NRCS website, or contact Jeff Vander Wilt, Assistant State Conservationist for Programs, at jeffrey.vanderwilt@usda.gov or (605) 352-1226.
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