Wetland Conservation Page
Welcome to the Wetland Conservation Page! This is the place to learn all about wetlands and the regulations that go with them.
Perhaps the most comprehensive information about wetlands can be found at the Board of Water and Soil Resources website. Click on this link for more wetland information in Minnesota: BWSR Wetland Information
For a brief overview of wetlands, click here.
In Rice County, wetland issues are dealt with on a daily basis. Due to a current trend of rapid development and a county that has thousands of wetland acres, we are continually faced with drainage and filling impacts. Minnesota has a law referred to as the Wetland Conservation Act. The goal is to have a "no net loss" of wetlands in the state. To accomplish this, minimal impacts to existing wetlands are generally the rule. If a wetland must be altered or destroyed, wetland areas are usually replaced at a 2:1 ratio or more in many cases.
WETLAND RESTORATIONS
For many years, the Rice SWCD has worked with the Natural Resources Conservation Service(NRCS) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to restore wetlands. Often, cropland areas can be restored to wetlands by simply breaking tile drainage lines. Other sites require more involvement such as building a dike to contain water. If you would like to consider a wetland restoration on your farm, please give us a call. Financial and technical assistance may be available.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Want to dig a pond for wildlife? Check this site:DNR Excavated Ponds