The East End of Cook County needs a representative on the Cook County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD). The directive of SWCD is to protect water and soil resources in Cook County and recently it has been involved in projects with the Poplar River Management Board in Lutsen and the Flute Reed Partnership (FRP) in Hovland.
It is the latter involvement in the FRP that led to a vacancy in the SWCD District 5 seat.
Roger Haertel, a Hovland resident with a Master of Science in Environmental Science, was first elected to SWCD in 2006. He resigned from the board after its December 2010 meeting during which there was a difference of opinion over whether or not SWCD should be involved with FRP.
In June 2010, the FRP learned that its grant application to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) had been approved and the non-profit FRP would be receiving $540,603. FRP had worked with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) on the grant submission.
FRP volunteers have been working with MPCA since 2007, when it received its first grant to conduct water monitoring and received training on how to collect information on the Flute Reed River. FRP has also been working with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to restore the watershed with tree planting within 100 feet of the river on both sides and with the Minnesota Extension Service and Hovland Garden Club on erosion control issues.
At the November 2010 SWCD meeting, the use and disbursement of the GLRI grant was explained by Keith Anderson, SWCD engineer and Brian Frederickson, MPCA Lake Superior Basin Coordinator. According to SWCD meeting minutes, Anderson recommended that SWCD contract through the MPCA for $108,000 to provide bank stabilization project assessment and design.
Haertel, the minutes state, urged the SWCD board not to get involved with this project due to “community concerns, Cook County SWCD’s reputation, and conflicting political viewpoints.” He made a motion that SWCD and its technical service area engineer [Anderson] not have an involvement with the FRP. His motion did not pass and further discussion was tabled until the December SWCD meeting.
At the December 2 SWCD meeting, Haertel again argued against SWCD involvement with FRP, citing citizen concerns and adding that he felt it would not be a productive use of the SWCD staff’s time.
After lengthy discussion, SWCD voted 3-2 to work with the MPCA to draft a contract for SWCD to participate in Flute Reed GLRI projects. Haertel voted no. Haertel then submitted his resignation. He has been unavailable for comment.
In a recent update, FRP Board Member Rick Schubert wrote, “We have a lot of support in our community for these GLRI projects to help the Flute Reed River, but it’s obviously not unanimous. We will be holding a number of open meetings in Hovland over the next two years to inform our community and seek input and suggestions.”
One way Hovland residents can be involved is by serving on the SWCD. Eligible applicants for the East End SWCD seat must live in Ranges 3 East to 7 East (east of the Kadunce River watershed). Supervisors receive monthly meeting per diems and mileage reimbursement. Please contact the Soil & Water office for more information at (218) 387-3647.
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