Overview
The purpose of the Working Lands RIM Easement pilot program is to protect and promote perennial vegetation land cover for the benefit of surface and groundwater through “working lands” easements. For the pilot program, “working lands” is defined as lands that are used for haying or grazing. This program is focused on the Chippewa River, Crow Wing River, Long Prairie River, Mississippi River (Brainerd), Pine River, and Redeye River watersheds. The Pine, Crow Wing and Redeye River watersheds have been ranked as priority source water protection areas in Minnesota. The U.S. Forest Service’s Forests, Water and People Analysis (2009) lists the Pine and Crow Wing River watersheds as top-ranking watersheds in Minnesota for their ability to produce clean water (APCW). Significant detail will be identified in the management plans; including, but not limited to, a grazing management plan that protects the form and function of grassland ecological values; groundwater and surface water hydrology management (no net change due to land practices); adaptations for climate variability; promotion of soil health; and allowance for other compatible conservation practices over time.
Program Details
Criteria for prioritization
The scoring/parcel prioritization will include the following criteria:
- Grazing land complex size
- Connectivity
- Wellhead Protection
- Adjacency to public waters and public ditches
- Habitat benefits (State Wildlife Action Plan)
- Risk of conversion
- Adjacency to protected lands
- Multiple benefits score
- Resiliency score
- Percent grassland cover
- Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan (CWMP) priority
Benefits and Outcomes
Using Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan measures or those identified in the Crow Wing River WRAPs, the program will measure success by the plans’ protection and program enrollment goals that are achieved in priority minor watersheds. Other metrics used to assure success will include acres of permanently protected working grasslands; achieving 75% of prioritized minor watersheds managed under some form of grazing management plan; number of easements and dollars spent.
Easement Application Materials
- RIM Application Guidance (pdf)
- Easement Acquisition Checklist (pdf)
- Conservation Easement Application (pdf)
- Area Assessment Form Word document (docx)
- RIM Working Lands Scoresheet (xlsm)
- Conservation Easement Financial Worksheet Tax Assessed Calculation Excel spreadsheet (xlsx)
- Agreement Information Form Word Document (docx)
- W-9 Form (IRS Website)
Geospatial Resources
- Additional Wildlife Benefits (zip)
- Drinking Water Supply Management Area Vulnerability
- MN Important Bird Areas
- MN Wildlife Action Plan WAN Layer
- Permanently protected areas of Minnesota (list not comprehensive):
- Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) Project Boundaries
Training
- RIM Working Lands Easement Program training webinar recording 2/24/2022
- RIM Easement Application Spring Training webinar recording 3/29/2022
