Officials from several county Soil and Water Conservation Districts met with legislators at the Capitol in January. (L-R) Mark Thell, Carlton County; James Nynas, Carlton; Senator Tom Bakk; Jerry Hiniker, Cook County; Theresa Oberg, Cook County; Deb Taylor, South St. Louis County; Kerrie Berg, Cook County; Representative David Dill, Dan Schutte, Lake County.
Jerry Hiniker, Cook County SWCD District 5 supervisor and two staff, Kerrie Berg and Theresa Oberg of Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District, attended a legislative briefing and meetings at the state capitol Jan. 26-27 in St. Paul.
They joined a group of other officials from the state’s Soil and Water Conservation Districts who met in St. Paul to gather support for conservation districts’ programs and issues.
“It is important for us to get the conservation message out to our elected officials in St. Paul,” said Hiniker. The 2015 legislative session will be critical to the future of conservation programs in the state, noted Hiniker. This year legislators will address issues including a biennial budget, appropriations of constitutionally dedicated sales tax funds, and policy issues. Local Soil and Water Conservation Districts are an integral component for enhancing Minnesotans’ quality of life through conservation on private lands, which yields environmental, wildlife and aesthetic benefits to the public.
During the visit to St. Paul, Hiniker, Berg and Oberg joined two Soil and Water representatives from Lake County and South St. Louis County and met with local legislators Simonson, Murphy, Reinert, Schultz, Metsa, Tomassoni, Dill and Bakk.
The event was sponsored by the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
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