Fillmore SWCD celebrates 75 years!

By Donna Rasmussen
Administrator

1942: The U.S. had just entered World War II. The nation was finally recovering from the Great Depression. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s had begun a movement to conserve our precious soils. And the Civilian Conservation Corps was winding down its work to install soil conservation practices. It was in this climate that the Fillmore Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) got its start, first in the eastern half of the county in 1940 as the East Fillmore Soil Conservation District. Then in 1942, the western half of the county was also formed into a soil conservation district with Paul Miland, Carl Amundson, Sears Winslow, and Walter Halstead elected to the board. This is why we mark 1942 as the beginning of soil conservation for all of Fillmore County. In 1962, the two districts came together to form the Fillmore SWCD with boundaries that matched the county lines. The boards of supervisors at that time felt that one SWCD could operate more efficiently.

One major driver for soil conservation was the amount of sediment entering the Mississippi River in the 1930s when the Corps of Engineers was installing locks and dams for navigation. The sediment was clogging the river, making it unnavigable and creating a constant maintenance problem. Locks and dams would help to raise and control water depths for navigation, but only temporarily if the sedimentation continued. One report at the time measured a million tons of silty sediment from the Root River over a 24-hour period.

Another concern was how soil erosion occurring in southeastern Minnesota bluff country was affecting crop production as early as the 1920s. Stories like those of the town of Beaver in Winona County that was eventually buried in sediment were graphic examples of the amount of soil loss occurring from the bluffs. A study in the Gilmore Valley watershed in Winona County revealed that 50% of the land had lost between 25 and 75% of its topsoil.

The Depression was another driver for implementing soil erosion practices. The Civilian Conservation Corps was formed as an opportunity to do soil conservation work and to put people to work. Camps were located in Lanesboro, Spring Valley and Chatfield in Fillmore County along with other locations around southeast Minnesota. In 1934, three soil conservation demonstration projects were ordered with one being the Deer-Bear Creek watershed near Spring Valley. During the six years that followed, many farmers signed cooperative agreements with the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) for a planned approach to conservation work which included practices such as contour strips, terraces, gully control structures, and forest and pasture management. There were 155 farms in the Spring Valley area that participated. Many CCC projects are still visible and even functional today throughout the county.
Another watershed moment in the history of soil and water conservation in Fillmore County was the East Willow Creek Flood Control Project southwest of Preston in the 1950s, one of 52 pilot projects nationwide and the first of its kind in Minnesota. Preston had been plagued with numerous major floods over the years.

A steering committee of 17 local farmers appointed by the West Fillmore SWCD Board of Supervisors worked with the SWCD and SCS to install flood control structures and implement soil and water conservation practices. Other community partners were the Fillmore County Board, Preston Lions Club, Extension, Bristol and Carimona Town Boards, and Preston Boosters Club, as well as state and federal agencies. The watershed exposition held at the completion of the project was called “Dam-O-Rama.” It featured then Governor Orville Freeman accepting “a protected piece of American farmland.” (Vice President Richard Nixon was invited but declined due to a previous commitment.) One of the structures, E-3, was nicknamed “America the Beautiful”, and an aerial photo of the site was used on posters nationwide to promote soil conservation. Four of the structures were rehabilitated in 1984 and are under a maintenance agreement between the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS-formerly SCS), Fillmore SWCD and Fillmore County. The remaining structures are maintained either as part of the county transportation system or cooperatively by the Fillmore SWCD and Fillmore County. Most recently, the Fillmore County Sentenced to Serve crew cleared trees, shrubs and debris from some of the structures.

The SWCD and its locally elected board of supervisors continues to be the link between landowners and financial and technical assistance to implement conservation. As 2017 progresses, the Fillmore SWCD will continue to highlight its history and current accomplishments for protecting natural resources in Fillmore County. Watch for more upcoming events and information about the SWCD in the coming year or visit www.fillmoreswcd.org.