Our department is responsible for administering several local and state land & water resource management programs that provide cost-sharing to landowners who install conservation best management practices. Interested in applying for our programs? Please complete our general APPLICATION FORM.
| Program Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Soil and Water Resource Management (SWRM) | This program helps provide funding to support land and water conservation staffing and expenditures. In addition, funds are used to cost-share agreements with landowners for the installation of conservation practices. The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) provides funding to the Land and Water Conservation Department (LWCD) through its Wisconsin Soil and Water Resource Management Program (SWRM). This grant is used to help fund LWCD staff and other expenditures. In addition, this grant is used to fund county cost-share agreements with landowners for the installation of conservation practices. The Winnebago County LWCD annually applies for, receives, and administers this grant program to support the costs associated with putting conservation on the land. LWCD typically receives $120,000 to $135,000 for staff and expenditure support and $100,000 to $130,000 for cost-share contracts with landowners. |
| Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP) | This county program provides local cost sharing dollars to landowners on high priority Best Management Practices (BMPs) throughout the county for pollution abatement and water quality protection. Background: In 1997, the Winnebago County board approved a proposal for a $100,000 per year cost sharing program. A Citizen's Advisory Committee established the guidelines of the program in early 1998. Many landowners have since installed Best Management Practices (BMP) and helped to improve water quality. Program Benefits:
Eligible Conservation Best Management Practices:
|
Spirit Fund Program (SFP) | Created in 2023, this county program provides additional, local cost sharing dollars to support Best Management Practices (BMPs) that protect surface water and groundwater, reduce soil erosion, and educate and/or demonstrate the importance of resource protection. Note: The WQIP and SWRM programs (above) receive first priority when allocating funds for conservation projects. Dollars from the Spirit Fund Program are used to increase quantity of practices installed throughout Winnebago County. Background: With the support of the County Executive and approval by the Land Conservation Committee, the ARPA Strategy and Outcomes Commission, and the County Board, the Winnebago County LWCD Spirit Fund Program (SFP) was developed in 2023. The approval of the SFP allocated $3,030,300.00 of the County's "Spirit Funds" for conservation projects administered by the LWCD. Funds are to be used to support Best Management Practices (BMPs) that protect surface water and groundwater, reduce soil erosion, and educate and/or demonstrate the importance of resource protection. Program Benefits:
Conservation Practice Categories:
|
| Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) | CREP offers Federal and State incentive payments to eligible landowners to install vegetative buffers along stream corridors. Landowners have the option of a 15-year agreement or a permanent easement. The USDA Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program will provide up to $240 million in federal and state funding statewide to help landowners reduce soil erosion, improve water quality and, at the same time, provide for improved wildlife habitat. In Winnebago County, this could mean roughly $3.5 million available to landowners to enroll an estimated 1,600 acres of cropland into the program. View potential CREP areas in Winnebago County on our map. In Wisconsin, up to 100,000 acres may be enrolled across the state. Currently, Wisconsin’s CREP Program has approximately 3,500 landowners who have enrolled more than 44,000 acres into the program. Of the lands enrolled in the program, 400+ are perpetual conservation easements that cover about then 7,000 acres. This land (enrolled in CREP) creates buffers along 1,400 miles of shoreline as well as establishing approximately 11,000 acres of grassland habitat. Environmental analysis reports that today CREP buffers annually reduce runoff of 68,700 tons of sediment, 69,000 pounds of nitrogen and 130,000 pounds of phosphorus in Wisconsin.
The CREP program is a partnership between the USDA – Farm Service Agency (FSA), WI – Dept. of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), the USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), the WI-Dept of Natural Resources (WIDNR), and participating County Land & Water Conservation Departments (LWCDs). The landowner’s first contact is usually the USDA-FSA. The FSA begins determining the land’s eligibility, crop history, reviews the soil type, and calculates the annual rental rate. They then turn over the technical determinations to NRCS and the local LCD, which work with the landowner to develop a conservation plan and determine the necessary buffer width. The LWCD then handles applications for the state and DATCP administers the states portion of the program. |
| Farmland Preservation Program (FPP) | The purpose of the program is to help local governments that want to preserve farmland through local planning and zoning, and to provide tax relief to farmers who participate. Farmers can qualify for tax relief if they sign a contract agreeing to keep the land in agriculture and by complying with conservation standards. Nepeuskun is the only township in Winnebago County currently eligible for the FPP. |
| STandard Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Agriculture Performance Standards (NR151) | Wisconsin Ag Performance Standards establishes polluted runoff performance standards for agricultural facilities and practices, as well as non-agricultural practices. These standards are intended to be the minimum requirements to protect water quality. |
| Stormwater Management: TMDL & MS4 | TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) and MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) are federal and state required standards that address water quality in the state. Much of the surface water within the county has been classified as impaired and requires close monitoring. |