A newsletter for Rathbun Land and Water Alliance Board members

March 2007 Board Briefs

Alliance Matters and Partner News Partner Support Grows

Contact Marty Braster at 641-647-2416
or by email at mbraster@rrwa.net
Alliance Matters and Partner News
Alliance Support Thanks
Alliance members and partners made 2007 annual contributions
of more than $3,000. These funds are used to help support the
Alliance’s public outreach activities and the organization’s admin-
istrative expenses. This support by local members and partners is
a strong indication of their appreciation for the Alliance’s efforts
to protect and enhance land, water, and economic resources in
the Rathbun Lake region.
Audit Update
The Alliance’s 2006 financial audit is near completion. Alliance
members’ staff will continue to work with the organization’s au-
dit firm in hopes of finalizing the audit in the coming weeks.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Iowa
State Technical Committee recently approved the Alliance’s
request for close to $300,000 in special project funds. This award
will provide the balance of funds needed to move forward on work
with landowners in five additional targeted sub-watersheds.
More than $1 million for this work has also been committed by
cooperating landowners, IDALS Division of Soil Conservation,
Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Watershed
Improvement Review Board, US Environmental Protection
Agency, Rathbun Regional water Association, and Soil and Water
Conservation Districts in the watershed.
This support will result in best management practices being applied
for 5,300 acres of land that will reduce the delivery of sediment
and phosphorus to Rathbun Lake by 7,650 tons and 30,700 pounds
per year respectively.

Special Report
Contact Mike Knox at 641.872.1350 or by
email at Michael.J.Knox@ia.nacdnet.net

Rathbun Lake Forage and Grazing Project

The Rathbun Lake Forage and Grazing Project will initiate the pasture and grazing study this spring. As our grazers will turn the
cattle out to pasture after calving, the 2007 grazing season will be in full swing. Dr. James Russell and his associates from the
Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University met at the Iowa State University Extension Office in Chariton on March
16, to discuss the research process involving our cattle producers in the Rathbun Watershed.

We discussed collaborators who cooperate with the project by placing GPS collars on cattle to track the grazing patterns of the
cattle. The grazing patterns will further be studied to determine the impact that cattle have on erosion on the streams as well as
the nutrient levels contributed by cattle waste. Additional possible eligible sites are needed to conduct a weather condition and
flow analysis on in the Rathbun Watershed. Weather monitoring stations will be set up near the grazed areas to study the
weather specifically wind speed and direction, temperature and rainfall amounts.

This information will help develop some answers to questions about cattle grazing in relationship to temperature. The study will
also fill in some answers about cattle grazing in the presence of no shade. The study’s emphasis will also help make some predic-
tions of whether cattle slow their grazing to accommodate body temperature during high peak temperatures.

The study will make some predictions about cattle selectively grazing certain grasses in preference to other grasses. The data that
we accumulate will be helpful in aiding the Rathbun Lake Forage and Grazing Project to help persuade landowners to seek better
management strategies for grazing and land use. If you have any one in mind that may be willing to participate with this research
please contact me so that we may put their name on the list as a potential cooperator.
 From Velvet’s View
Contact Velvet Buckingham at 641.872.1350
or by email at Vevet.Buckingham@ia.nacdnet.net

Rathbun Lake Special EQIP Application Approved

As mentioned in Alliance Matters and Partner News on page one, the nearly $300,000 awarded to the Rathbun Lake Special Project
will be used to install BMPs in the five new subwatersheds, which are shown below.
Field office staff are currently in the process of ranking their counties applications that are eligible for special EQIP funds, and
will be working to obligate those funds to producers in the coming month.
Lower Chariton Creek Chariton River #3 Upper Jordan Creek

Lower Ninemile Creek Lower Jordan Creek

WIRB Project Update Upcoming Events

The design of five structures is currently being completed by Des Moines, Area 4,
and Soap Creek Engineering Staff. The designs of these structures should be com- • McNay Trial—
pleted in May, so the projects can be let-for-bid and built this summer. A 6th supplementing distiller’s
structure is being designed as a WIRB/SIDCA project by the Wayne County De- grains to grazing cattle—
partment. They also plan for construction of this site this year. summer 2007

Lastly, a 7th structure has been identified but issues were found while • 2005—2006 demonstrations
conducting the geological investigation. Staff is presently discussing a new location will be summarized in the
of the structure. One additional site has been identified by staff to meet our eligi- coming months
bility criteria, and they are working towards the development of an easement be-
tween the two landowners before any survey or design work is completed. • A series of meetings—
economics of cow production
ICM Update with high priced corn and
Approximately 2500 acres have been soil sampled since the start of the project. An land – May 2007
additional 1400 acres have been identified and are left to
sample this spring. Tyler Jacobsen will use the results of the sampling to run the P • Custom grazing survey
Index.
 Aaron’s Update
Contact Aaron Pickens at 641.774.2512 or
by email AARON PICKENS

Summary of Completed BMP Practices in Targeted Sub-watersheds

10/1/03 – 2/28/07
Sediment Phosphorus
Gross Erosion Delivery Delivery
Units Acres Reduction Reduction Reduction Lbs./
Practice Installed Benefited Tons/Yr. Tons/ yr. Yr.
Terraces 373,722 ft. 3646 3937 5951 27082
Water & Sediment Basins 57 no. 243 273 532 2319
Grade Stabilization Structures 50 no. 1023 901 1822 7298
Livestock Exclusion 8.0 ac. 8.0 87 32 158
Pasture & Hayland Seeding 630.9 ac. 630 2802 916 4323
Grassed Waterways 29.5 ac. 464 441 409 2072
CRP buffer / filter strips 20.8 ac. 30 47 24 104
Fence (for improved livestock mgt.) 14,809 ft.
Heavy Use Protection Areas 10 no.
Pipeline 3,160 ft.
Tanks 6 no.
Brush Management 280.0 ac.
Nutrient Management 159.7 ac.

TOTALS 6,044 8,488 9,686 43,356

Summary of Cost Share Expended by Source and County

10/1/03 – 2/28/07
County Total Cost EQIP WPF/ IFIP Watershed IDNR 319 Producers
WSPF Initiative
Appanoose
$368,890 $120,634 $52,806 $7,500 $50,691 $26,050 $111,209
Clarke
$511,075 $161,624 $86,295 $2,973 $74,358 $18,386 $173,186
Decatur
$283,540 $30,425 $117,647 $5,355 $57,458 $0.00 $72,654
Lucas
$530,476 $131,167 $77,793 $10,591 $80,830 $79,536 $150,558
Monroe
$80,024 $37,640 $12,388 $0.00 $6,814 $0.00 $23,181
Wayne
$1,016,836 $387,895 $227,495 $6,076 $73,159 $13,944 $317,266

TOTALS $2,790,841 $869,385 $574,424 $32,495 $343,310 $137,916 $848,054

The Rathbun Lake Special Project is a partnership of the following individuals, agencies, and organizations: Participating landowners in the Rathbun Lake
Watershed; Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Division of Soil Conservation; Iowa Department of Natural Resources; Iowa State
University; Iowa Watershed Improvement Review Board; Southern Iowa Development and Conservation Authority; US Army Corps of Engineers; US
Environmental Protection Agency; USDA Farm Service Agency; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Appanoose, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas,
Monroe, and Wayne Soil and Water Conservation Districts; Appanoose, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Monroe, and Wayne Counties; Iowa Farm Bureau at the state and county levels; and Rathbun Regional
Water Association.
 Watershed Outreach
Contact Kathleen Chester by phone at 641.774.5940 or by email chester@sirisonline.com

Exhibits
Rathbun Land and Water Alliance information was displayed at the following conference events during the
winter months:
• January 11 and 12—Iowa Watersheds Conference held in Des Moines
• January 24th—Legislative Day at the Capital; one each for SIDCA and the Alliance
• March 15—Water Utility Day

Sign update
Twenty four project signs were delivered to the Rathbun Regional Water Association Shop from Prison Industries. Fourteen of these
signs will be installed at various locations around Rathbun Lake. The remaining ten—five secondary and five highway signs—will be
installed throughout the watershed. Identified landowners have been contacted regarding their willingness to have the signs installed
on their property. Look for these signs throughout the coming months.

Website
As the project signs are installed, the hope is that travelers will visit www.rlwa.org as encouraged by the message on the sign. In
preparation for the increased website traffic , information will be placed on the website to direct visitors to the various ways they can
protect Rathbun Lake.

Rathbun Lake Protectors

Plaques identifying the 2006 Rathbun
Lake Protectors will soon take their place
on the wall at each county field office.
Recently the plaque recognizing the Pro-
tectors from Lucas County—Mark
Batchelder, Mike Hunter, and Nick
Hunter—was presented to the Lucas
County Soil and Water Conservation Dis-
trict Commissioners at their March meet-
ing. It is planned for the remaining county
plaques to be presented by mid-April.

Aaron Pickens (right) presents the Rathbun Lake Protectors plaque of recognition to the Lucas County
SWCD Commissioners at their March 19 meeting. Pictured left to right: District Commissioner, Jeff
Mathias, Kevin Luedtke, Roger Pierce, and Arnold Schneider.