Elk Creek Watershed Outreach & Education

Elk Creek Elk Creek Barn

River Country RC&D has received funding from the Driftless Area Initiative and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to conduct education and outreach in the watershed to encourage conservation implementation in the Elk Creek Watershed. The Elk Creek Watershed is a 72,000 acre watershed in west central Wisconsin that flows into Bugle Lake, which is an impoundment in Independence, Wisconsin. Bugle Lake acts as catch basin and indicates the amount of soil loss from the watershed. Bugle Lake has been filling in at an alarming rate and a project to dredge the lake has been initiated. The Elk Creek Conservation Outreach and Education program will work to stabilize the stream banks and reduce sediment loss from fields, thus decreasing the amount of sediment in the waterway and prolonging the lifespan of the lake restoration. The project will also improve water quality and wildlife habitat throughout the watershed.

The overall goal of the Elk Creek Conservation Outreach and Education program is to increase the health of the Elk Creek watershed and to link farm management decisions to environmental outcomes. The Elk Creek Conservation Outreach and Education program will use farmer and other stakeholder input to develop performance based incentives to increase conservation implementation in the watershed thus conserving natural resources, enhancing the Elk Creek watershed, and reducing the watershed’s sediment contribution to the Trempealeau and Mississippi Rivers.

By using input from local landowners and conservation groups in designing a performance based incentive program to address barriers to conservation implementation, the Elk Creek Conservation Outreach and Education program, River Country RC&D hopes tol create a sustainable culture of conservation. The landowners will have a say in the design and direction of the program and will be able to provide feedback throughout the process. The performance based incentive program that is used will create a sustainable change by allowing the landowners to achieve specified environmental performance targets in any way they choose. The program will also provide an incentive for the landowners to choose the most cost effective actions to meet the performance targets.

Conservation Practices Available:

If you are interested in becoming involved, please contact Melanie Baumgart, River Country RC&D at 715-834-9672.

River Country Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council is a non-profit 501 (c)3 tax exempt organization that initiates and facilitates wise use of natural, human and economic resources. The River Country RC&D Council prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status.

Elk Creek Watershed Outreach & Education

Conservation Practices Available:

Natural Resources Conservation Service Programs

Wisconsin Department Natural Resources

Wisconsin Fish and Wildlife Service

National Farmer's Union