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Helping county residents manage their natural resources.

The Conservation District offers many programs to land owners and county residents to help them better manage their natural resources. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), Groundwater Stewardship Program, and Sebewaing River Watershed Project all improve the quality of our land and water, and sometimes offer incentives for participating in various programs. The district offers many Educational Programs for schools and adults in the area. These educational programs are meant to inform the public of the need to care for our surroundings and conserve them for future generations. The district also has three No-Till drills for rent to county residents. For more information on these services continue on this page.

Tuscola

Conservation

District

Conservation Reserve

Enhancement Program

CREP was started in 2001 with a goal to enroll 80,000 acres in conservation practices. CREP acres will improve the local water quality and an added benefit is that the land is better suited for wildlife. This program is available to landowners in Lake Macatawa Watershed, River Raisin Watershed, or the Saginaw Bay Watershed. Since 2001, over one thousand Tuscola County landowners enrolled nearly 7,000 acres in the different conservation practices. CREP acres within Tuscola County include:

Filter Strips: 4580 acres

Field Windbreaks: 95 acres

Permenant Grass Cover: 448 acres

Wetland Restoration: 2167 acres

Practices also available: Riparian Forest Buffer, Sediment Retention Control Structures.

For more information on

Sebewaing River

Watershed Project

The Sebewaing River Watershed is 66,000 acres shared by Tuscola and Huron County. It’s has over 200 miles of agricultural drains running through 61,000 acres of prime farmland. The purpose of the watershed project is to improve surface water quality through implementation of best management practices. Funding for this project comes from two sources; Federal 319 grant funds (Clean Water Act) and Clean Michigan Initiative funds, both administered through the Department of Environmental Quality. These funds provide technical assistance to farmers and cost share to implement best management practices, including tile outlet repair, erosion control structures, filter strip incentive payments, corn stalk residue management, Pre Side-dress Nitrate Testing (PSNT), cover crops, no-till planting, field windbreaks, and reforestation. For more information on the Sebewaing River Watershed Project

Groundwater Stewardship

Program

The purpose of the Groundwater Stewardship Program is to reduce the risk of groundwater contamination associated with the use of pesticides and nitrogen fertilizers. The Farm*A*Syst is a voluntary tool used by farmers and district staff to assess a farm’s risk to groundwater associated with their set-up and practices. Some cost-share is available through this program for best management practices, including closing abandoned wells. These wells can act as a direct pipeline for contaminants to reach our drinking water.

For more information on the groundwater program

The Tuscola Conservation Districts board of directors recently hired an educational coordinator to run the educational programs that the District offers. The district has always considered education a top priority , but the development of this position proves how committed they are to conservation education in Tuscola County. The coordinator, Sarah Sweeney, is available for presentation in schools and is responsible for developing new programs for the district. We will not only be present in the schools but will also be involved with adult education as well. For more details about what the educational coordinator can do for you or your community

No-Till Drill Rental

The No-till Drill program offers affordable access to conservation tillage equipment. Currently the district owns one 15 foot and two 30 foot John Deere 1590 drills which are available for rent. The 15 foot drill is available for $10/acre and the 30 foot drills are available (with a tractor) for $14/acre plus fuel. If you are interested in renting a drill contact the office, our number is (989) 673-8174 ext 3.

Reforestation Program

Each spring the Conservation District conducts a sale of conifer, hardwood, and shrub seedlings. Staff offer advise to landowners planning wildlife plantings, windbreaks, and reforestation plantings. District seedling sales are a major source of funding for conservation project in our county. For more details on the species of trees we sell click on our Products link.