- Mille Lacs Soil and Water Conservation District
- 1016 5th St. SE · Milaca, MN 56353
Telephone:(320) 983-2160 Office Hours: Monday -Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm
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Telephone:(320) 983-2160 Office Hours: Monday -Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm |
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12/18/09 |
Mille Lacs SWCD Chair to Serve as Board Member for MN Association of SWCDs
Kurt Beckstrom of Milaca, Minnesota, has recently begun his first term as a
Board Member for the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation
Districts (MASWCD). Beckstrom has served on the Board of Supervisors for the
Mille Lacs Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) since 1987, the last ten
years as Chairman.
"Kurt’s experience in conservation issues as a Supervisor for the Mille Lacs SWCD, and Co-Director for Northeast Area 3 gives him a real advantage as a board member for the Association," said LeAnn Buck, Executive Director of the MASWCD. "Kurt is also a graduate of the MASWCD Leadership Institute. With his leadership, the Association will continue to make significant contributions in the area of local resource management," she said.
| Kurt Beckstrom |
The
MASWCD is a not-for-profit Association that represents Soil and Water
Conservation Districts (SWCD) in Minnesota. SWCDs are local government units
that started forming in the 1930s when Congress responded to the large amounts
of topsoil being lost to wind and water erosion. SWCDs provide 100% coverage of
the state and involve landowners as well as local and state officials in
resource management protection. The Association is involved in helping to set
policy for various conservation programs including: the state Erosion Control
Cost-Share Program, Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) Reserve Program, the federal
Conservation Reserve Program and the state Wetland Conservation Act, to name a
few.
As the Northeast Area 3 Director, Beckstrom represents nine Soil and Water Conservation Districts in northeastern Minnesota. Active in his local conservation district, he will also continue to serve as a supervisor for the Mille Lacs Soil and Water Conservation District. Beckstrom says, "I am looking forward to representing Area III and Mille Lacs County at the statewide level."
Beckstrom recently attended the MASWCD Annual Convention in Duluth where he attended the MASWCD Annual Business Meeting and a series of educational seminars and awards events.
Click HERE for info on a self guided tour of area rain gardens and shoreline restorations.
Mille Lacs County Rain Gardens
On Saturday, May 15th Mille Lacs County Administrator Roxy Traxler, Mille Lacs Soil and Water Conservation District staff, Master Gardener intern Norm Anderson and a youth work crew planted the new rain gardens in front of the historic courthouse building. The rain gardens are there to collect polluted run off from the new parking lots. Rain water will run off the parking lots and head into the rain gardens where the native plants and shrubs will absorb and filter rain water before it has a chance to run down the storm sewer and into the Rum River. Native plants are used because they are hardy, have extensive root systems and can handle changing moisture levels.
These gardens will have a more formal look to them than most rain gardens because they are part of the landscaping of the Historic Courthouse building. Each garden has an American Highbush Cranberry as its center focal point. Red osier Dogwoods and Ninebark flank either side of the Cranberry and each end will visually taper down in height with Indian grass, Blazing star and Prairie dropseed. The plants are very small right now, but once they fill in they will provide color and interest during all four seasons. The shrubs will bloom with white blossoms in spring, the blazing star will be purple in summer , the grasses will be bronze in the fall, and the Redosier dogwood stems will be bright red in the winter.
Call Lynn Carter at 320-983-2160 for more information
Mille Lacs Soil and Water Conservation District is an Equal Opportunity Employer
This site was last updated 5/18/09