Resource Conservation & Development Success Stories

RC&D Councils complete projects in the areas of land conservation, water management, community development, and land management. Recent projects include:

Virginia: Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail. The Old Dominion RC&D Council assisted in the development of the Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail,  the first historic trail dedicated to commemorating the civil rights in education struggles of African-Americans, American Indians, women and others from the 18th to the 20th century.  The 300-mile trail has 41 sites with markers describing an event, location or person that profoundly affected the civil rights in education movement.  The trail is Virginia’s newest historic tourism destination and will drive economic development in Virginia. It is managed by Virginia’s Retreat, a regional tourism marketing consortium of 12 counties (Amelia, Appomattox, Brunswick, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Prince Edward) and the City of Petersburg.

New Mexico, Utah, Colorado: Navajo Rugs.  Three RC&D Councils (Hub RC&D in NM, Castleland RC&D in UT, and San Juan RC&D in CO) assisted Crownpoint Woolgrowers launch a Navajo rug business.  Wool from five Navajo sheep sells for only $5; the same wool can yield $200 as a small woven traditional pattern rug.  Crownpoint Woolgrowers trained two local Navajo women to weave.  Area Navajo families raise and shear the sheep and sell the wool to the weavers who in turn, spin the wool into yarn and weave the handmade rugs. The rugs are sold through the San Juan RC&D website and at local auctions.

Kentucky: Appalacian Water Quality. Five Kentucky RC&D Councils in the Appalachia Mountains joined forces to implement the Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE) Homeowner’s Septic System RC&D Project. The RC&D Councils have received a $9 million grant from PRIDE and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. To date, the RC&D Councils have implemented over 650 septic systems at a cost of over 2.2 million dollars. Water pollution from human waste has been identified as the top concern in the region. The human waste problem was a result of 36,000 “straight pipes” and failing septic systems in the project area. Over 50 percent of the private drinking water wells in the Appalachian area of Kentucky are contaminated with disease carrying pathogens. By helping low-income homeowners install adequate septic systems or hook on to an existing sewage line, RC&D is drastically improving the water quality of the Appalachian Mountain area of Kentucky. This project is a successful mix of five diverse RC&D areas, councils, and coordinators who have improved the quality of life for non-traditional and underserved customers. The RC&D Councils involved are Cumberland Valley RC&D, Gateway RC&D, Kentucky Heritage RC&D, Kentucky River RC&D, and the Mammoth Cave RC&D Council.

Montana: Fire Recovery. The Bitter Root RC&D has been actively involved in fire recovery efforts in their area. The fires of 2000 burned more than 500,000 acres in our immediate area and more than 350,000 acres in or near Ravalli County. The RC&D coordinated volunteer evacuation and defensible space development during the fires. The RC&D staff coordi­nated and supervised more than 1,300 volunteers in recovery efforts after the fire and hired and supervised more than 230 employees of the area over a 2-year period following the fires. The RC&D worked with the USFS and the Department of Labor to acquire and manage more than $3 million dollars in grants to assist in the area’s recovery.  The RC&D is engaged in cooperative efforts to improve the forest based economy and mitigate potential future wildfires through improving small round wood utilization and a new comprehensive Community based fire risk mitigation plan. The RC&D is administer­ing more than $300,000 in grants to reduce hazardous fuels in green areas.

Alaska: Salmon Restoration. The Southeast Conference RC&D along with the Klawock Watershed Council has begun restoration of the  Klawock Watershed on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska.  Development within the watershed has generated sediment, which jeopardizes planned improvements to the municipal water supply and has contributed to the recent declines in the Sockeye salmon population.  The Council was successful in acquiring $740,000 from three sources to assess the watershed through field data collection, and to develop a plan for restoration.  Funds generated will finance the restoration work, including culvert and bridge replacement, vegetative and/or mechanical bank stabilization, revegetation of exposed soil, and large woody debris placement in streams to encourage spawning habitat enhancement.  This partnership resulted in the use $700,000 of Sustainable Salmon Funds to establish four additional Watershed Councils in Southeast Alaska. 

Illinois: Literacy and Natural Resources Education. Interstate Resource Conservation and Development Council and a group of local volunteers have a vision of reducing illiteracy and helping to educate young people in their area.  Interstate RC&D obtained a bus for educational purposes to travel to smaller rural communities in the counties of Henry, Mercer and Rock Island in Illinois and Muscatine and Scott Counties in Iowa.  More than 25 people donated between 400-500 hours of labor to this project.  The Sharp Minds Are Reading Thoroughly (S.M.A.R.T) bus concept allows the children to keep the books, promote child and adult learning through the use of reading material about the environment, ecology, natural resources, agriculture, etc., and information presentations.  The books are obtained through donations from public and private sources. The bus has made presentations to various groups, churches summer reading programs, Easter Seals Foundation, Boy and Girl Scout Troops, County Fairs and others on various environmental topics. Over 1,700 books and material were provided to the children during the summer of 2002.  Fifteen volunteers put in over 215 hours in driving, presenting and distributing the books at the scheduled stops.  The bus is an effective traveling billboard advertising the RC&D Program and Program Sponsors.  Funding for this project was made available by a grant from Lieutenant Governor Corrine Wood and the Illinois Association of RC&D Areas (IARC&DA) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Indiana: Mine Site Reclamation. The Sycamore Trails RC&D sponsors the “Partners for Reclamation Project” and works in partnership with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD).  They work together to find, identify, and reclaim old mine sites to improve water quality in the six county area.  The partnership is guided by a volunteer steering committee put together by the RC&D Council and made up of experts in all facets of natural resources.  Funding is made available on a competitive basis through the IDNR’s Division of Reclamation (DoR) for property owners to restore lands that have been adversely impacted by coal mining operations.  Once the project has been accepted by the county SWCD, DoR reviews the proposed project for compliance with all applicable regulations and funds up to 85% of the project cost through the RC&D.  The RC&D assists the property owner with contracting and other aspects of the project.  One landowner owned property about two acres in size that was part of an old coal mine site that had been left covered with coal refuse before laws were in place to prevent leaving behind pollution-causing materials.  After initial contact with the RC&D, the project was reviewed and approved by the committee and a plan was developed for reclamation of the site.  A nearby old pond site was used as barrow material for covering the coal waste with eighteen inches of soil that had been deposited into the pond over years of farming in the watershed.  Prior to using the soil, several tons of agricultural limestone were spread and incorporated to neutralize the coal waste.  Soil tests were then taken of the replaced soil material to determine fertilizer needs.  Years of farming above the pond made the soil removed so rich in nutrients that very little fertilizer was needed to establish a good stand of grass on the site.  The site was seeded with a variety of grasses and legumes with the objective of enhancing wildlife habitat.  The goal is to increase the quail population on and around this reclaimed area and improve the quality of water leaving the site.  An additional benefit from using soil from the old pond is a beautiful lake was brought back to life by removing years of silt deposits that inhibited the ability to support fish.

New York: Manure Management. The Seneca Trail RC&D Council assisted the Matlink Dairy Farm, located in Chautauqua County, obtain funding to install an anaerobic digester for manure management.  This project addressed odor control, nutrient planning and groundwater contamination, and ways to increase on farm revenue.  The farm has 675 milking cows and is the single largest dairy operation in the Clymer Valley.  The digester installed on this farm is a complete mix digester, which is a rectangular concrete tank buried in the ground. A flexible, impermeable cover on the digester traps the gas. The biogas flow from the digester has been approximately 76,440 ft³/day, which supports the production of 884,000 kWh/year.  This not only meets the electricity needs of the farm, but also provides a surplus to sell to the local power company. Since the installation of the anaerobic digester system on Matlink Dairy Farm, the odor from manure handling and spreading has been greatly reduced. The nutrients in manure are controlled and the pathogens are reduced.  The nutrient content of the valley’s ground water is being monitored to detect decreased levels of nitrates.  The Seneca Trail RC&D Council wrote both the pre-proposal and the final proposal for funding of the digester from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). In addition, the Council supplied NYSERDA with monthly reports on the progress of construction and operation.  As a result of the installation of the digester and the production of the biogas, a food drying company is installing a large-scale bio-drying facility at the dairy farm.  This facility will generate additional income for the dairy farm while utilizing the excess heat and gas that is produced by the digester system. Four other digesters are being constructed in western New York as a result of the success of the Matlink project.

Texas: Prairie Chicken Habitat. The Coastal Prairie Conservation Initiative Program, administrated by the Sam Houston RC&D, is working to restore the Attwater prairie chicken’s habitat on private lands.  The Attwater prairie chicken one of the most endangered species in North America.  A landowner applies for a “Safe Harbor” permit through the RC&D.  Once approved, the Fish and Wildlife Service provides a baseline survey on the land to determine the number of birds already present.  Once the survey is completed, the landowner develops a management plan for the property with the help of the USDA-NRCS and local conservation districts.  The work includes removing invasive brush to enhance land for cattle grazing and the prairie chicken habitat.  The landowner is allowed to continue with normal agricultural operations including habitat restoration without jeopardy to any future bird populations, which may occur on the property.  Private landowners make it possible to protect a once-abundant species from imminent extinction and restore its habitat so that it may once again flourish in the wild.   

Missouri: Wetland Development. The Green Hills RC&D Council’s Wetland Interpretive Center sponsors a wetland development site that has wide implications for tourism, education and healthy recreation.  The project started as a 240-acre wetland mitigation site with the Missouri Department of Conservation and has grown into a locally supported community project.  Earth moving of over 1 million cubic yards has been completed and the site is shaped to a designed wetland.  Planting of wetland trees and shrubs took place in the Fall of 2002.  Stage three will be the development of boardwalks, viewing platforms and recreation trails.  A local foundation has committed $250,000 for future development and the total project is estimated at $2.5 to 3 million.

Georgia: Clean Drinking Water. The Chestatee-Chattahoochee RC&D Council helped Bean Creek, GA, obtain clean potable drinking water through the loan of a National Guard Armory ‘water buffalo’ tank truck.  The town had been dependent on private wells contaminated with lead, e.coli, and coliform.  Partners in this project include White County Commissioners, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, and the White County Water Authority.  The tank truck was first time the community has ever had a centralized source of clean drinking water.  The community is seeking funding for a community water system.

California: Data Collection Center. The California South Coast Resource Conservation and Development Council has the cities of San Diego and Los Angeles within its boundaries.  The RC&D, in partnership with the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), San Diego State University Center for Earth Systems’ Analysis and Research (CESAR), and NRCS is establishing a geographic information system (GIS) data collection center and clearinghouse to assist stakeholder groups across a multi-county region (Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego) in developing non-point source pollution control programs.  The goals of this program are to:  (1) establish a GIS center and clearinghouse for use in watershed planning and management; (2) develop and provide a web-based tool for displaying watershed information and characteristics; (3) provide technical support to stakeholders in the watershed; and (4) use this information to assist stakeholders in complying with water quality regulations. 

Iowa: Energy from Switchgrass. The Chariton Valley Biomass Project, coordinated by the Chariton Valley RC&D in Centerville, Iowa, has been evaluating the potential of growing switchgrass on marginal land as an alternative energy crop to replace a portion of the coal burned for electricity.  To date the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has provided $11,584,268 in cash dollars along with $12,910,204 in cost-share contributed by project partners.  Sixty-three (63) jobs (biomass coordinator, engineers, harvesters, etc.) have been created through the project to date.  Twenty–five (25) additional jobs are anticipated to complete the upcoming long term burn scheduled for 2005/2006, which will be a 90-day, 24/7 burn. 

Illinois: Energy from Dairy Farms. The Blackhawk Hills RC&D in Rock Falls, Illinois, assisted Hunter Haven and Scheidairy Farms secure funding for a feasibility study and installation of anaerobic digesters for the two dairy farm operations sufficient to generate electricity to power 240 homes.  Funding obtained for the farmers included $10,000 from the State Department of Agriculture, $225,000 from the State Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, $246,000 from USDA RD section 9006 grant, and $546,000 from USDA NRCS EQIP.  Farmers provided $785,000 as local cost share. 

North Carolina: Energy from Methane. The Blue Ridge Resource Conservation & Development Council in North Carolina began the Blue Ridge Landfill Methane Initiative in 1997 to utilize methane gas generated by the decomposing garbage in the region’s seven landfills to meet local energy needs.  To date, over $2.3 million of grant money has been raised for this project.  Four landfill gas systems have been completed or are under construction.  Each of these methane recovery systems will provide gas for fueling an “Energy Park” located adjacent to the landfill.  The first landfill project resulted in the EnergyXchange Renewable Energy Center, which includes a business incubator for limited resource potters and glass blowers and a complex of greenhouses where native shrubbery seedlings are grown for local nurserymen.  The kilns, furnaces, and boilers for this site are all fueled by landfill methane gas. 

Pennsylvania: Solar Pump Systems. Seven Pennsylvania RC&D Councils, along with NRCS and local Conservation Districts, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and 27 landowners collaborated with solar component suppliers to demonstrate the use of photovoltaic (PV) solar technology on livestock farms.  Twenty-seven solar pump systems were installed on a variety of livestock operations. The primary objective was to advance the concept of intensive rotational grazing and reduce the need for mechanical harvesting and its inherent consumption of fossil fuels.  Solar arrays proved to be very durable and dependable for production of power to pump water.

Furthermore, RC&D’s have taken advantage of new grants offered through USDA to develop biomass energy and implement innovative approaches to conservation.  Specific examples include the following:

Using a $398,000 Biomass Utilization Grant from USDA--the WesMin RC&D area (MN) has partnered with the University of Minnesota and Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College to establish a market for pre-commercial thinning and brush harvest outputs from fields producing hybrid poplar.

Using a $462,000 EQIP Conservation Innovation Grant--the Alabama Mountains, Rivers and Valley RC&D is demonstrating low-cost alternatives from on-farm storage of poultry litter.

Using a $303,000 EQIP Conservation Innovation Grant--the Wy’East RC&D area (OR) is demonstrating the use of innovative irrigation scheduling technology that conserves irrigation water and allows the transfer of conserved water to in-stream use through market-based incentives in the arid West.

Additional Success Stories

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Conservation on the Ground: Your Town Workshops Offer Real Hope to Real Communities in Alabama
Conservation on the Ground: Children Learn the Value of Good Nutrition Cawaco RC&D, Alabama
Yomba Shoshone Tree Planting
Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas Watershed Groups
The Manatee Agricultural Reuse System (MARS) Farm Connection Grant Program

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