AUTHORIZING THE DIRECTOR OF CONSERVATION, PLANNING, AND ZONING TO ENTER INTO A FIVE-YEAR REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM AGREEMENT WITH THE USDA-NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE AND EXTEND THE TERM OF EMPLOYMENT FOR THE RCPP MANAGER PROJEC

Background: The Baraboo River Watershed Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) will focus on improving water quality within the Baraboo River Watershed in Sauk County and Juneau County through the promotion and installation of soil and water conservation practices. The RCPP will be a partnership between USDA-NRCS, Sauk County Conservation, Planning and Zoning Dept., Juneau County Land and Water Resources Dept., and The City of Reedsburg. The partners will focus on agricultural areas, which contribute phosphorus and sediment loading to surface waters. Watershed improvement activities will be carried out by collaborating partner agencies utilizing partner-provided financial and technical assistance. There is a one-to-one dollar match requirement for the project. For every dollar USDA-NRCS provideds in financial assistance, the other partners will contribute a dollar in financial or technical assistance.

This project is a continuation of an existing RCPP project in the Baraboo River Watershed, which covers all six counties in the watershed. The term of employment for the project position charged with managing the existing RCPP project is scheduled to expire  December 31, 2019. The new RCPP project will begin near the end of 2018 and continue through to December 31, 2023. In order for Sauk County and the other partners to meet the funding match requirements of the project, the term of employment for the RCPP program manager project position must be extended to December 31, 2023. The project has already been pre-approved for funding by USDA-NRCS. If the agreement is signed, USDA-NRCS will provide $1,073,000 in financial assistance available for use in the Baraboo River Watershed of Sauk County and Juneau County.