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Board approves minor Lower St. Croix Watershed plan amendments and one-year grant agreement extension
Summary
Pine County approved changes recommended by the Lower St. Croix Watershed Partnership policy committee to expand eligible forest-management priority areas, add woodland stewardship plans as eligible work-plan activities, reallocate budget lines, and extend the grant agreement by one year.
The Pine County Board voted to approve minor amendments to the Lower St. Croix Watershed comprehensive plan and associated work plan May 20, including expanded priority area language for forest management, an explicit addition of woodland stewardship plans as an eligible work-plan activity, minor budget reallocations between existing lines, and a one-year extension of the grant agreement.
Kelly (staff), joined by a county policy committee member, told the board the policy committee recommended expanding priority areas to include parcels that drain to regionally significant rivers, streams or lakes and to update the list of regionally significant streams accordingly. The amendments also add forest-management and woodland stewardship plans to the work plan—s eligible activities and reallocate existing funds between budget lines without changing the overall grant total. A one-year extension to the grant agreement was requested so the work could be completed.
A county commissioner noted the process can be cumbersome because the partnership is not a joint powers entity and many approvals require returning to multiple boards. The commissioner and staff said the changes are minor but necessary and do not use county general funds; they are program changes within the watershed grant and plan.
Commissioner Holland moved the action, a second was given, and the board approved the amendments and extension by voice vote.
