Dry Creek in Meade County, South Dakota
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)HURON, S.D., Jan. 30, 2023– The Dry Creek Watershed Conservation Implementation Strategy (CIS) project will soon be underway in southeastern Meade County, South Dakota, serving the community and improving water quality. This three-year project is one of 12 selected in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 and federally-funded through the NRCS conservation programs in the 2018 Farm Bill. The purpose of this project is to address sediment deposition into Curlew Lake and will be implemented by South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks (SDGFP), Northern Great Plains Joint Venture, Elk Creek Conservation District, and South Dakota Walleyes Unlimited in collaboration with farmers, ranchers, and landowners within the project areas who are eligible to apply for financial assistance. While applications are accepted year round, the application date for FY2023 funding is March 3, 2023.
The NRCS’ conservation specialists and partners are coordinating these projects throughout the state. Through collectively focusing expertise and resources on the highest priority resource concerns in the highest priority areas, CIS projects can yield impressive returns. Collaborative funding and support from other agencies and groups create a coordinated community effort and focus on mutual issues of concern. The Dry Creek Watershed Project partners with SDGFP to directly benefit landowners and recreational users of Curlew Lake. Project sponsors identified soil erosion by water including ‘sheet and rill erosion’ and ‘excessive sedimentation in surface water’ as resource concerns and developed this CIS project to address the situation. “This project focuses on decreasing surface runoff and sediment transportation within the Dry Creek watershed, while improving water quality in Curlew Lake,” says Valerie Riter, District Conservationist, in Sturgis, South Dakota.
Interested producers are encouraged to attend to the informational meeting on Feb. 13, 2023 at 1 p.m. at the New Underwood Community Hall or contact the Sturgis NRCS Field Office (FO) by March 3, 2023. More information on the practices included in this CIS and a map of the project can be found at the Sturgis FO. To apply to be a part of this project, find and contact your local NRCS Service Center at www.nrcs.usda.gov/contact/find-a-service-center, or contact Valerie Riter, District Conservationist, at valerie.riter@usda.gov or (605) 347-4952, ext. 3016. For more information on CIS in South Dakota, or if you have ideas for a project, visit the CIS Web page, or contact Jeff Vander Wilt, Assistant State Conservationist for Programs, at jeffrey.vanderwilt@usda.gov or (605) 352-1226.
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