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County rolls out roadside prairie, living snow-fence pilot and seeks grant support for wood chipper
Summary
Supervisors approved a roadside prairie permit fee, a living snow-fence pilot and signed a letter supporting an IRVM grant application for a wood chipper; county staff described pilot enrollments and program details.
The Black Hawk County Board on Feb. 18 approved a package of programs the secondary-roads and integrated roadside vegetation management (IRVM) teams say will expand roadside habitat, reduce snow drifting and refresh equipment.
County engineer and IRVM staff told supervisors the roadside prairie pilot has enrolled roughly eight or nine landowners covering about 2.5 acres to date; the board approved a $50 initial permit fee that covers two signs and posts and $25 for each additional sign. The county will spray, till and seed roadside prairie plots for landowners who lack equipment, and landowners will be expected to mow and follow an establishment plan that may include prescribed burning in year four or five.
The board also approved a living snow-fence pilot program aimed at problem corridors, naming Independence-to-Holgate and Osage Road as early targets. The pilot pays participating farmers the Sept. 1 market price plus $1 per acre as a small incentive to leave rows of standing corn (the program suggested six to 16 rows, with 6 being common) and the county budgeted an initial $5,000 as a start-up line item. County staff said the program can reduce drift, cut plow hours and reduce the need to rent heavy equipment at problem corners.
IRVM staff requested a letter of support to apply for an Iowa Living Road Trust Fund grant to buy a new wood chipper; supervisors approved the letter and directed staff to submit the grant before the June 1 deadline. The IRVM coordinator said the county's current chipper dates to the 1990s and lacks modern safety and power features.
Why it matters: the suite of programs combines habitat goals with road-safety and maintenance savings. Roadside prairie adds pollinator habitat and reduces herbicide needs over time; living snow fences aim to lower plow time and fuel consumption at chronic drift locations.
Details presented to the board include seed options (from a clean-out mix to a high-diversity mix of 70-plus species supplied through a Tallgrass Prairie Center purchase program), an estimate of initial enrollments (8'9 landowners, ~2.5 acres established), and a timeline for the chipper grant (application by June 1; awards in August; purchase after release of funds in early September).
