We wish you a very Happy New Year, and sincerely thank you for your continued engagement with the Scott SWCD.

Before we jump into the New Year, let's look back at the amazing accomplishments we achieved in protecting our soil and water resources this year. The Scott SWCD remains ever-dedicated to protecting the natural resources of Scott County, and we couldn't have done it without the help of our amazing Community, partners, and staff!

2024 at a glance

With our talented team of conservation specialists and our dedicated partners, secured $600,000 in state grants that will be used to implement conservation projects over the next several years. Our team certified 2,290 acres of conservation projects like raingardens, native prairies, wetland restoration, and sustainable agriculture practices. All certified projects help restore natural resources and reduce pollution from entering our lakes, rivers and streams.

Scott SWCD staff also:

• Certified 93 new conservation projects within county boundaries.

• Sold 29,000 native trees and shrubs and 5,500 native grasses and plants that will add biodiversity and wildlife habitat.

• Tested 245 groundwater wells for nitrates, ensuring our groundwater remains clean and safe.

• Conducted over 2,000 erosion inspections that helped ensure sediment remained on construction sites and out of Scott County roadways and waterbodies.

• Collected 580 water quality samples across 58 different lake and stream sites throughout Scott County.

• Processed 32 applications for wetland projects.

• And so much more! Keep reading for more program highlights

TECHNICAL AND COST SHARE ASSISTANCE

The Scott SWCD's main mission is to assist landowners with soil and water quality on their land to preserve its natural resources. 

Not only does the work help improve our natural resources, it also helps boost the local economy. In 2024, SWCD staff helped construct 18 projects totaling over $364,000 worth of work for local contractors.

MAXINE HUGHES NAMED 2024 CONSERVATION LEADER

Every year, the Scott SWCD is proud to honor outstanding community members through their Conservation Leader program. This year, Maxine Hughes was awarded at both the county and state level.

Maxine has become an ambassador for sustainable lakeshores, including shoreline restorations, water quality monitoring, invasive species maintenance, and much more.

CLEAN WATER CLEAN-UP: BUCKTHORN BLAST

We teamed up with our long-time partner, the Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District, to host a buckthorn blast and help remove this pesky invasive species!

Volunteers helped remove 1,600 lbs. of pesky buckthorn around Spring Lake! This site was a great example of how buckthorn takes over and crowds out native species. Buckthorn management will always be a process, but a great dent was made!

WATER QUALITY TESTING

In conjunction with local partners, the SWCD collects an array of water quality and flow data to ensure that Scott County water bodies remain well documented. This helps us understand trends in water's behavior, and the information is used to improve & maintain our water resources in the future.

In 2024, the Scott SWCD collected routine surface water quality data from 58 monitoring locations, equating to over 580 samples collected.

URBAN AGRICULTURE KEEPS FOOD LOCAL

As our county urbanizes, we're proud to work with landowners who prioritize healthy living, community partnerships, and local food.

Sheila Backlund—owner and operator of Backlund Acres Co-op, showed us around her operation and the sustainable agriculture practices she implements.

NATIVE TREES GALORE!

The annual Scott SWCD tree and plant sale continued contactless pickup this year, but that did not stop resident's green thumbs! The tree sale added 29,000 Minnesota native trees and shrubs to the county. 5,500 native plants were also sold, which will grow into valuable prairie and pollinator habitat. And at the Scott SWCD plant sale, native garden kits were sold and planted in raingardens, around woodland edges, and beside lakeshores.

Our 2025 tree sale sale will open for orders on January 1. Visit our website for some early browsing, or subscribe to be notified right away when the sale goes live.

CONSERVATION IN THE CLASSROOM

We at the Scott SWCD know that the first step towards securing the future of our environment is by educating the next generation. 

In May of 2024, we were delighted to participate in Raven Stream's annual garden day to host conservation lessons for 312 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. In addition, we hosted our annual Outdoor Education Days at Cedar Lake Farm Regional Park for 1,000 local 5th graders. 

The Scott SWCD offered 6 free educational workshops once again on the topics pf prescribed burns, building raingardens, soil health, and shoreline stabilization. Education and outreach staff also maintained presence at community events throughout the year, connecting with over 15,000 people at 22 different events.

We wish you a very Happy New Year, and sincerely thank you for your continued engagement with the Scott SWCD.

As always, we strive to protect the water quality and natural resources of Scott County, but we couldn't do that without the incredible dedication of our landowners and local partners in conservation. Together, we've accomplished great things, and we look forward to achieving even more in 2025! For Scott SWCD updates, subscribe to our blog. And don't forget to follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram @scott_soil_and_water