Conservation board, supervisors approve volunteer mowing pilot and pursue forestry resiliency grant

The Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors on April 14 approved a volunteer handbook and a volunteer position agreement developed by the county conservation department and county legal and HR staff. Conservation Director Chad said the handbook and a separate volunteer-mowing agreement were crafted from model documents vetted by the county’s risk pool and reviewed by county legal staff.

Chad described a pilot in which a seasonal camper would trade seasonal campsite fees for mowing services (the draft arrangement estimated roughly 120–154 hours of mowing coverage for the season). Supervisors and county staff discussed liability and administrative oversight; county staff said the documents include an exit clause and that the conservation board approved the forms at its recent meeting. The board approved the handbook and the specific volunteer position agreement by motion.

Separately, Chad told supervisors the conservation department planted thousands of tree seedlings in two five-acre parcels and intends to issue a timber-sale contract for some harvestable timber identified by a DNR forester. He said the department will apply for the Iowa Forestry Resiliency Partnership Program, an 80/20 grant opportunity that could supply about $80,000 of project funding (the conservation department would supply a roughly 20% $20,000 match, possibly from timber-sale proceeds and other grants). The grant would support timber management, additional tree plantings and invasive-species removal at county properties.