riparian buffer

Through federal and local funding, the Big Sioux River Watershed Project is striving
to restore riparian buffer areas along the Big Sioux River and tributaries between
Watertown and Brandon. A riparian buffer is an area of land adjacent to a stream bank
which is vegetated with grasses and or trees/shrubs. The purpose of the riparian
buffer is to filter runoff from the surrounding landscape. The main goal of the riparian
buffer programs is to enhance grasses within the buffer areas, thereby eliminating
livestock grazing and row cropping from these areas. More information on the
programs available to landowners is described below.

BIG SIOUX RIVER CONSERVATION EASEMENT PROGRAM

The Big Sioux River Conservation Easement Program (BSRCEP) is designed to provide
a financial incentive to landowners to restrict cattle grazing and row cropping along
stream banks. EDWDD has partnered with Northern Prairies Land Trust (NPLT) to make
the BSRCEP available to landowners. The goal of the BSRCEP is to reduce sediment
and fecal coliform bacteria loading into the Big Sioux River Watershed by 1) removing
activities which are conducive to pollutant loadings and 2) restoring grasses within
the buffer area to provide a filter area for runoff. Terms of the conservation
easement can be either 30-year or perpetual. A conservation management plan will be
provided to provide information to the landowner regarding maintaining the riparian
buffer. The land maybe used in any manner consistent with the conservation
managment plan. Buffer widths range between 75 and 150 feet depending on many
factors. Payment for the conservation easement will be determined by the adjusted
assessed land value (AALV). The AALV is determined by multiplying the assessed
valuation per acre by a county wide factor to reflect true market value. A pay
schedule has been developed to prorate the percentage of the AALV offered
depending on the term of the conservation easement and the presence or absence of
any underlying contracts. Contact Roger Strom with EDWDD or Pat Anderson with
Northern Prairies Land Trust for more information.

RIPARIAN AREA MANAGEMENT

The Riparian Area Management (RAM) program is designed to: (A) accompany an
existing USDA buffer management program or (B) accommodate those areas not
qualifying for a USDA buffer management program because of canopy cover. A
landowner enrolling acreage along a stream bank into a USDA program such as CP-30
may apply for the RAM program to help square up areas along the stream. If for any
reasons the land under application for a USDA program does not qualify for that
program, a landowner can apply for the RAM program to enroll a riparian buffer along
an impaired stream. The annual rental rate for the RAM is the Farm Service Agency
county rental rate for CP-30. The local conservation district office will administer the
yearly rental rate to the landowner. Contract terms for the RAM program are 20 years.
Contact your local conservation district office or Jay Gilbertson for more information.

FENCING AND ALTERNATE WATERING SOURCES

Fencing materials for the BSRCEP and RAM programs are available at 100% of the
material cost. Alternate water sources can be cost shared at 75% grant and 25%
landowner.

ROCK CROSSINGS

For situations where a landowner owns property on both side of a stream and has
enrolled land into a riparian buffer program, the landowner can apply for assistance
installing rock crossings. The purpose of a rock crossing is to provide a path for cattle
to cross the stream from pasture to pasture with minimal damage to the stream bank.
The landowner may be eligible to receive a 75% cost share for a rock crossing.