Conservation Districts

At the Time: Dust Storms raged from Texas to ND. Top soil buried houses, fences, cars. High rates of pneumonia Farmers lost everything Exodus out of the plains- 30% population Didn’t understand why this was happening… Or how to stop it.

Farming Practices Drought conditions w/farming practices caused dust storms Farmers plowed up EVERYTHING No tree lines or cover crops Cover crop – crop planed to stop soil erosion Markets crashed due to lack demand caused farmers to keep tilling up prairie grasses.

Why? This is Why

Created- Teddy Roosevelt’s lasting impact is his conservation movements. Worried that there would be not nature. 1933- Soil Scientist Hugh Hammond Bennett testified for soil and water conservation as a major dust storm blew into D.C. Considered father of conservation districts

2015- Speech Contest: “Why Manage Water for Conservation?”

Conservation- Preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment, natural ecosystems, vegetation, and wildlife.

Drought Economics 2002 Drought in SD is estimated to have economic impact of 1.8 Billion not including the $400 million in Federal Aid. Worse conditions than the1930s Rainfall was less- Diersel 2002

Water rights appropriated by the DENR, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, cannot exceed the recharge rate of the groundwater. Less than 3% of SD is irrigated According to Cropmetrics

Audience Analysis- Farmers Biologists Conservationists Forestry Department DNR You discuss why we must manage water for conservation.

Why does it matter? SD cow to person ratio is 1:5 SD Ag is #1 industry with $20.7 Billion 1.7 million acres of National Forests- Increase ag output by 50% in 2050 . Only 10% land available for crops US has the most fertile soil. 100 year for 1 inch of top soil. No water- leaves years of impact

W/O it Soil over exploited Streams and rivers polluted Wildlife gone due to overfishing and hunting and habitat loss. Habitat loss is #1 threat towards specie problems. (hunting is $66 billion) Over use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers have are found in drinking water.

Conservation Protects our natural environment! Des Moines Iowa just filed a $1 billion lawsuit against counties that drained land into the Des Moines River due to increase in Nitrates. Des Moines depends the water from the river for drinking and the nitrate level is too high. Trial starts in 2016

What do Conservation Districts do? Plant Tree lines Work as natural wind break preventing blowing snow, snow, and wildlife haven. Education- Proper farming techniques Proper fertilizer Pine beetle Research (US Forestry) Research into best farming practices No till farming Cover crops Conservation Reserve Program Taking marginal lands out of production and planting grass.

What are they doing? Ex- restoring wetlands Ex- Enrolling land in the Conservation Reserve Program Planting Buffer Strips Riparian buffers Wells for pastures Cleaning Lakes of sediments River management EVEN if it means losing some short term profit.

Roles Used to be just farm/rural based. Focused on Ag. Services Provided Shelter Belts Conservation Reserve Program Riparian Buffers Nutrient Barriers Pasture management Crop rotation Weed control Wetlands Watershed projects Solar powered wells

Also can include Game Fish and Parks- US Forestry Department Programs Invasive species Carb, zebra mussels, water fleas. US Forestry Department Programs NRCS SD Department of Ag Google SD Conservation Districts

DO YOUR RESEARCH! Take a stand point that water management is important for conservation. Our aquifers are strained- many places they face serious crisis- CA. NE faces chemicals in their water. Think Richmond Lake – it wasn’t always green Think our city supply.

Assignment- 4-5 min speech “Why Manage Water for Conservation?” Your thesis is why we must manage water. Intro- 45 seconds Needs 3 pts. Carry a THEME throughout that you set up in intro and preview. 4 sources. Go general to specific. We need to reverse the trend to drain every prairie pot hole. For example the S. Brown has….

Ex- Little Sally out farming. Today we will first drop the plow in to turn over ways water manage affects us all. Second, head into town for the local coffee hour to get an education on programs available. Finally, sow some ways why our actions will protect our state for future generations.

BRAIN STORM Research programs of the different departments. Keep it South Dakota- and farming. Some great stories you can tie in come from the Iowa. Example for 1.2 billion 60% of Iowa land could plant cover crops. Reducing the nutrient load significantly. The water treatment last winter was 545 million.