District 1 Don Goodell:
Three people are on the ballot for the Cook County Soil & Water Conservation District—Don Goodell and Joan Farnam Morrison are running for re-election in Districts 1 and 3 respectively. Running for the first time is Jerry Hiniker in District 5. None of the candidates face an opponent. The Cook County News- Herald visited with the candidates this week to learn a little more about them— and about what Soil & Water does for the county. Q
Please provide biographical information about yourself
District 1 Don Goodell:
I’m a misplaced Yankee. I was born and raised in Massachusetts. I went to the University of Massachusetts, Carnegie Tech, MIT and took courses at Harvard. I’m still learning, but I’m not going back to college.
I’m an engineering geologist. I worked for a number of consulting firms and traveled all over the east primarily. I spent some time in Montana and traveled to Nigeria as part of my work.
District 3 Joan Farnam Morrison:
My bride and I spent our honeymoon up here. We always wanted to move here. For me, it’s like where I grew up. The town I lived in was much like Lutsen—same countryside, trees, latitude—I love it.
I’ve been on the Soil & Water Board since 2008. I’m also on the water advisory committee.
District 3 Joan Farnam Morrison:
I’m a gardener and I’ve worked on farms. I’m also on the board of the Northwoods Food Project and do the gardening show on WTIP. I’m also coordinator for our community gardens. I am a real advocate for clean water and dealing with erosion. When the position came up four years ago I thought I had something to offer. We’ve had some great projects.
District 5 Jerry Hiniker:
I work at the bike shop. I’ve worked with bike associations and helped develop the bike trail system. We sometimes interact with Soil & Water. I’m also involved in the Active Living Steering Committee and I am the Safe Routes to School coordinator. I’ve served on Soil & Water boards in the past. I was on the Anoka County Soil & Water Board for 14 years. I was appointed to the State Soil & Water Board two times by Governor Rudy Perpich. I served in Blaine on their Natural Resources & Conservation Committee, which was specifically created to consider and purchase land so the city could preserve it against development. We were going to run out of land. There was no park space. I’ve always been interested in soil and water.
District 5 Jerry Hiniker:
What does Cook County Soil & Water do for the community?
District 1 Goodell: I guess it’s in the name. We’re the primary agency to preserve water and soil resources and deal with all the ramifications of that. From working with Planning & Zoning on septic systems to working on the water plan or working with state agencies to keep Cook County the beautiful place it is. I’m interested in the water supply and keeping our lakes pristine. When there are so many septic systems, geology is against us.
District 3 Farnam Morrison: It’s pretty incredible. They upgrade the water plan and deal with septic systems and erosion from roads and culvert replacements. They monitor phosphates in area lakes. They look at water clarity. We’re working with the Poplar River Management Board on runoff at the ski hill.
We work in collaboration with NRCS [Natural Resources Conservation Service] and DNR but our mission is to work with private landowners. If they contact us and say, “My house is falling in the creek,” we can send engineers to help them. We can try to secure grants. Some things are really simple like showing people how to put erosion bars across a road or cleaning out ditches. We have worked on rain gardens. That will help with sediment in the water. And over time we’re getting more and more beautiful rain gardens. We’ve learned a lot.
District 5 Hiniker: Soil & Water districts were put in place in the ’30s when farmers were reluctant to deal with federal agencies. Soil & Water volunteers were sent out to teach best practices. We work with homeowners. Soil & Water has a lot of ongoing programs and projects. Staffing in Cook County has more scientific depth and experience than the board I worked with in Anoka. If someone has issues with soil and water on their property, we should be contacted to help them deal with it.
How is Soil & Water different from Cook County Planning & Zoning?
District 1 Goodell: They are involved in development and land use problems—opportunities— I should say. We’re involved in conservation and preservation.
District 3 Farnam Morrison: We’re definitely not enforcement. We’re more educational. We can help with projects, but Planning & Zoning makes sure that projects follow the regulations of the Clean Water Act.
District 5 Hiniker: We do work together at times. We [on the Planning and Zoning Commission] may refer someone to Soil & Water if a problem comes up at Planning & Zoning. Planning & Zoning deals with permits and outlines requirements for matters that are enforceable. Soil & Water may be able to help with those problems.
Is Cook County Soil & Water funded by property taxes? If not, where does its funding come from?
District 1 Goodell: We don’t get funding directly from property taxes, but we do get some money from the county. In 2012, we got $40,000, slightly up from 2011 when the amount contributed was $36,000. It is up slightly because we were cut by the state. We were cut 30% and we received another cut of 5% this year. The county provided about 13% of our funds in 2011.
We ask for what we need—and we have to justify what we need. So far we’ve received what we’ve asked for.
District 3 Farnam Morrison: Soil & Water gets some money from the state and we get a Natural Resources Block Grant. We get some money from the county, but most of our funding comes from grants. Our main grantors are the Clean Water Legacy Fund, the Minnesota Coastal Program and the Great Lakes Commission.
District 5 Hiniker: There is state and federal funding involved. Counties may administer funds for Soil & Water, but all of our funding comes from the federal or state government. Maybe property taxes pay for soil and water at the state level, but it is not identified on local property taxes. I think that is part of the voluntary aspect.
Why are you interested in serving on the Soil & Water board?
District 1 Don Goodell: It’s sort of a natural. My dad worked for the Soil Conservation Service. He taught me well; I worked for the predecessor of the Natural Resource Conservation Service. I’ve always been interested in “earthy” things—no pun intended!
I feel I have some experience in the area and I’d like to use that, so I said yes when Don Sivertson [former Soil & Water Board member] asked me to serve. It’s a great committee with some great people on it.
District 3 Farnam Morrison: It’s my contribution to clean water.
District 5 Hiniker: I’ve been interested in the land, in the northern conifers since I moved up here. I inquired when Jesse [outgoing Soil & Water board member Jesse Derscheid] was appointed. He had the qualifications, so I didn’t apply. When he was moving out of the district Joan [Farnam Morrison] said, “You’ve gotta run.” Soil & Water up here is different than in the Cities. In that sense, I’m inexperienced, but I know how districts are formed and their functions and I’ll bring the ability to work in that framework.
Leave a Reply