Profile for Interstate RC&D
Mission:
A highly recognized locally driven catalyst for innovative solutions to resource conservation and development challenges.
Background:
Interstate RC&D represents the only multi-state RC&D area in Illinois and Iowa. Representatives from 5 County Boards and 5 Soil and Water Conservation Districts in the two-state area formed the RC&D was federally authorized March 17, 1998.
Current Projects and Activities:
Illinois-Iowa Two-State Annual Meeting
Interstate RC&D hosted the first ever two-state Iowa League of RC&D’s and Illinois Association of RC&D’s Annual Meeting and Summer Conference. The meeting and Conference was held at the Holiday Inn, Davenport, Iowa on September 12 & 13, 2000. There were approximately 125 people in attendance from both Illinois and Iowa, and Reggie Skains, President, National Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils also attended the meeting.
Interstate RC&D hosted the second annual legislative breakfast for both Iowa and Illinois Legislators. Many state and federal legislators were in attendance and good networking between the Council Members and the Legislators took place. The Council will be hosting the breakfast again in fiscal year 2001.
Interstate RC&D wrote and submitted a grant and was awarded $10,000 to create a multi-state direct seeding web page. The United States Forest Service, Rural Development through Forestry, Special Project Program, awarded the grant. The web site will establish and information clearinghouse for tree seed users and suppliers. The web site will facilitate direct seeding as a means of establishing a stand of trees by providing information and coordinating a communication network for seed buyers, sellers, seedling nurseries, direct seeding contractors, equipment dealers, forestry professionals and others to help meet the needs of the market place. You can visit the web site at www.directseeding.org
On October 17, 2000 more than 200 Rock Island and Henry County students in third through sixth grades participated in an Outdoor Nature Education programs held at Loud Thunder Forest Preserve. This program is designed to help young students learn more about soils and forestry management in an outdoor setting. Interstate RC&D teamed up Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Rock Island County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD), University of Illinois Extension of Rock Island County, Rock Island County Regional Office of Education, Rock Island County Board’s Forest Preserve Committee and others to host this one-day event. A spring session in 2001 has been planned for the students to come and learn more about ecosystems and water resources. Interstate RC&D has written a grant to the U.S. EPA to help fund this project so that this can become an annual event.
Interstate RC&D assisted the Muscatine County SWCD write and submit a grand to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), Watershed Protection Fund to assist the town of Atalissa, Iowa with flood control structures above the town. IDALS awarded Muscatine County SWCD $56,000 with total project costs estimated at $81,000.
Interstate RC&D has been assisting Muscatine County SWCD write and submit two different grants to help with Mud Creek Watershed. One grant was submitted to the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation on behalf of Muscatine County SWCE for educational and informational meetings about water quality issues affecting Mud Creek. The grant was for $2,500 with total project costs of $6,200 to implement these meetings. The other grant submitted was to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR), 319 program, for a watershed inventory and implementation of Best Management Practices (BMP) in Mud Creek Watershed. Iowa DNR awarded Muscatine County SWCD the grant for $302,500. The total project costs including local funds and contributions totaled $1,244,000.