Southfork Watershed Alliance is offering a limited time opportunity for landowners in Hardin, Franklin, Wright, and Hamilton counties in the South Fork Iowa River Watershed, South Fork Iowa River and its tributaries, Beaver Creek, and Tipton Creek. As part of the Nutrient Reduction Strategy to support Iowa water quality, 30 landowners will receive custom design and installation of Edge of Field Conservation Practices at little to no cost to landowners. Eligible practices include saturated buffer strips, bioreactors, wetlands, and blind inlets. 

Landowners will receive a minimum of 75 percent cost-share up to full funding of practices through Southfork Watershed Alliance, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Two informational Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework (ACPF) workshops will be held on March 5 from 12 to 2 p.m. with a light lunch provided, and March 24 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. located at Ellsworth Community College Ag Center, 707 Ellsworth Ave., in Iowa Falls.

These workshops will teach landowners how to use the online ACPF story map to identify the correct conservation practices to fit their property. Registration to participate in installing these practices will be available at the workshop.

Interested landowners are encouraged to attend an ACPF workshop or call Jo Baumann at (515)-290-9999. The ACPF story map is also available at www.southforkwatershed.org under the Resources tab.

Southfork Watershed Alliance was established in 1999 by a group of interested residents and business leaders to protect, preserve, and enhance the natural resources of the watershed of the South Fork Iowa River and its tributaries through voluntary and community support. SFWA has actively worked on public engagement and improvement projects in the watershed for the last 20 years and operated on grants and donations.