Minogitoon: Unlock Your Land's Potential with SWCD

Golden-winged warbler. Rusty patched bumble bee. Steelhead and brook trout. Healthy soil. Clean drinking water. These are just a few species and resources that most of us Northlanders deeply value. We are incredibly lucky to live in a region that has a rich history of natural heritage with pristine lakes, woods, and streams.

But, as the saying goes, “It takes a village” or community to protect and enhance our natural resources.

Your local Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) can help unlock your land’s potential. We have and are helping countless Carlton County and Fond du Lac residents improve their woods, restore eroding shorelines, protect trout streams, plant pollinator habitat, and seal unused wells. We even have low-interest loans to help you fix your septic system.

We also assist local farmers in superior water quality practices by certifying them through the state’s Ag Water Quality Certification program.

If it were not for residents who care so much about natural resources, Carlton SWCD would not have been a partner in being recognized through a Hubert H. Humphrey Innovation in Government Program or an Environmental Initiative Award for the pollinator friendly, Lawns 2 Legumes Program. In 2020, we were also recognized through the Minnesota Erosion Control Association by receiving the Innovation Award in restoring and enhancing streambanks and culverts for fish passage.

Our endless list of local partners such as the Northeastern Minnesota Beekeepers Association, Sustainable Farming Association, Oldenburg Arts and Cultural Community, and Fond du Lac’s Thirteen Moons also play a key role in spreading the word about how to help and improve our land’s potential.

If you have questions about anything — pollinators, shorelines, forestry, invasive species, cover crops — give the SWCD a call. If you need professional assistance in figuring out how to do a conservation project or even some financial assistance, we will come out and visit with you for free and potentially help fund your project. Spread the word. Tell your neighbors, friends, schools, and family that the SWCD can help unlock environmental-friendly potential.

You can call (218) 384-3891 or visit http://www.carltonswcd.org

Writer Alyssa Alness is a conservation specialist with the Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District.