In the Weeds: July 2010

A Heaping Helping of Habitat from "The Habitat Organization"

Habitat Tip of the Month

Weed Control in Your New Planting

In many cases, your grass and wildflower planting will not require significant weed control to become established. While the new planting will certainly contain weeds and may look unsightly at first, this is also some of the most productive wildlife habitat you'll have. By resisting the urge to mow or spray your new planting, you can provide great wildlife habitat while the stand becomes established and have a great looking stand after 2 to 4 years. In areas of the country with higher annual precipitation rates (>30" per year), competition from other grasses may require the need to mow or spray with chemicals during the year of establishment.

Stearns County Surpasses 20,000 Acre CRP Milestone

Thanks to a local effort led by Pheasants Forever and the Stearns Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), Minnesota's Stearns County has surpassed 20,000 acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) since starting the initiative in 2003.

Stearns County's conservation efforts are spearheaded by Pheasants Forever's Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist Jason Selvog and SWCD Technician Vince Manderfeld. They explain the benefits of the conservation programs, and provide the one-on-one technical assistance for program implementation. To reach this 20,000 acre milestone, this initiative involved more than 5,300 landowner contacts and approximately 13,000 hours working directly with landowners. Pheasants Forever's efforts are part of an overriding Minnesota Farm Bill Initiative that includes the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) and the Stearns County SWCD.

In 2004, the Stearns County SWCD further accelerated their promotion of CRP by partnering with several local groups to implement CRP within their respective areas of the county. With Pheasants Forever and USDA's help, partnerships were created between the Sauk River Watershed District, North Fork Crow River Watershed District, Clearwater Watershed District, Stearns County Chapter of Pheasants Forever, Rice Lake Association and the Koronis Lake Association. Efforts were concentrated on several CRP practices that focus on water quality and wildlife habitat.

"Ultimately, we have a common goal; we are trying to put more conservation on the ground to improve the quality of our environment with cleaner waters, protect vulnerable soils, and create more wildlife habitat in Stearns County. We can attribute the success of this initiative to the partnerships that were created. This gave us the opportunity to reach more people and implement more conservation," said Selvog.

Stearns County will now start working on the next 20,000 acre mark with help from the upcoming General CRP Sign-Up - the first since 2006.