A newsletter for Rathbun Land and Water Alliance Board members
December 2006
ALLIANCE MATTERS & PARTNER NEWS
Contact Marty Braster at 641-647-2416
or by email at mbraster@rrwa.net
Audit results— The Alliance’s 2005
financial audit results revealed that the
Alliance’s financial records presented fairly the
organization’s financial position and noted no
matters considered to be material
weaknesses.
Reminder – Please remember your
orga nizati on ’s ann ual financial
c o n trib u ti o n to th e A l li an ce .
Contributions of $200 each for
calendar year 2006 have been received from the Appanoose,
Monroe, and Wayne Soil and Water Conservation Districts
and Appanoose and Wayne Counties. Rathbun Regional
Water Association (RRWA) matches annual contributions of
other Alliance members and partners.
These funds help support the Alliance’s public
outreach activities and cover a portion of the Alliance’s
administrative expenses. Requests for calendar year 2007
contributions will be sent out to Alliance
members and partners soon.
Alliance receives nearly half a million dollars
Iowa’s Watershed Improvement Review Board (WIRB)
approved the Alliance’s application for $497,000 to assist
landowners with the application of best management
practices (BMPs).
Alliance partners and members that also provide funds and
UPCOMING EVENTS
December 18— 10:00 am to 3:30 pm—The Iowa Watershed
Improvement Review Board will conduct their December board meeting at
the Rathbun Regional Water Association water treatment plant. This is a
great opportunity to meet the WIRB board, thank them for their generous
support, and to showcase the efforts going on in the watershed. Please plan
to attend this meeting if your time allows. Tentative schedule at right.
December 21—9:30 am—Rathbun Land and Water
Alliance Board meeting at the Rathbun Regional Water
Association maintenance building on Hwy 5 north of
Centerville.
Board Briefs
technical assistance to help landowners apply
these practices include IDALS Division of
Soil Conservation, Iowa Department of
Natural Resources (IDNR),
Natural Resources
Conservation Service, Rathbun
Regional Water Association, and Soil and Water
Conservation Districts in the watershed.
The Alliance anticipates that this support from partners will
help landowners apply BMPs on more than 2,200 acres which
will reduce sediment and phosphorus delivery to Rathbun
Lake by 3,300 tons and 13,300 pounds per year respectively.
Support for project continues
Two of the Alliance’s strongest partners, IDALS Division of
Soil Conservation and the Iowa DNR have approved continued
funding for the Rathbun Lake Special Project. These partner
agencies recently approved an additional $400,000 that will
enable the Alliance to initiate project activities in three more
targeted sub-watersheds.
Local Soil and Water Conservation Districts,
RRWA, and the Natural Resources
Conservation Service also
provide financial and technical
assistance for activities in
t h e s e t h r e e a d d i ti o n a l t a r g e te d
sub-watersheds.
This assistance will help landowners apply best
management practices on 3,100 acres and reduce the annual
delivery of sediment and phosphorus to Rathbun Lake by
4,350 tons and 17,400 pounds respectively.
• 10—11 am: Rathbun Land and Water Alliance
presentation about watershed assessment and targeting
of Rathbun Lake Watershed
• 11 am—12 pm: WIRB business meeting
• 12 – 12:45 pm: Lunch
• 12:45 – 2 pm: Continue WIRB business meeting
• 2 – 3:30 pm: Tour Rathbun Lake Watershed, showing
practice implementation in targeted subwatersheds and
location of proposed WIRB-funded impoundments.
 IOWA WATERSHED IMPROVEMENT REVIEW BOARD UPDATE
Contact Aaron Pickens at
641.774.2512 or Survey work for the following three WIRB structures has been completed:
by email AARON PICKENS Eshelman—Lucas County; Sponsler—Clarke County; and Oen—Wayne County.
Applications have been received
for two additional sites in Ap-
panoose county on farms owned by Darrell Tisue.

The state office has begun the design process and will conduct geological inves-
tigations on the three surveyed sites through December.
Pictured at right is some of the GPS surveying equipment used at the Sponsler
site.
FUNDING UPDATE
We have received our FY2007 agreements from the Division of Soil Conservation providing Section 319, Water Protection Funds
(WPF), and Watershed Protection Funds (WSPF) to support project activities in the 15 targeted sub-watersheds and staff.
The following is a summary of the funds currently available for FY07 activities:

WPF $128,000 for two staff

$5,100 for information and education, supplies, training
WSPF $395,161 for BMP financial incentives—$177,260 of which is new unobligated funds
Sect. 319 $183,110 BMP financial incentives ($144,750 of which is new unobligated funds)
$122,310 for two staff

It is anticipated that additional funding will be received during the first part of the year to support activities in five additional
sub-watersheds. Three of these five were included in the last proposal to DSC/DNR for funding through WPF/WSP/Section 319.
The additional two were included in a proposal to the WIRB board earlier this year.

BMP UPDATE

Total Costs EQIP WPF/WSPF IFIP WSI 319 Producers

Cumulative (FY 04-06) $2,262,369.63 $657,216.25 $503,772.45 $39,373.70 $276,518.63 $111,643.75 $673,844.96
FY07 (to-date) $80,338.78 $36,166.21 $3,742.80 $6,878.90 $8,275.35 $0.00 $25,275.52

Gross gross gross sediment sediment sediment phosphorus phosphorus

erosion erosion erosion delivery delivery delivery delivery phosphorus delivery Acres
before tons/ after tons/ reduction before tons/ after tons/ reduction before lbs./ delivery after reduction Bene-
yr. yr tons/yr. yr. yr. tons/ yr. yr. lbs./yr. lbs./yr. fited

Cumulative FY
04-06 21649.2 13863.3 7796.3 8897.6 1090.9 7807.7 40678.2 5060.0 35623.2 5156.9

FY07 to date 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Rathbun Land & Water Alliance Board of Directors

• The Alliance’s Board of Directors consists of 11 members.
• Seven of these members are appointed for three-year terms by the Appanoose, Wayne, and Lucas SWCDs and Board of Supervisors and
Rathbun Regional Water Association.
• These seven members were last appointed by their organizations in the beginning of 2005.
• Their terms extend through the end of 2007.
• These seven board members appoint the remaining four at-large board members.
• The at-large board members are appointed annually at the board of directors’ first meeting after the beginning of the calendar year.
• The board of directors also elects its officers annually at their first meeting after the beginning of the calendar year.

Current Alliance board members

John Glenn, Alliance President, RRWA
Bruce George, Alliance Secretary/Treasurer, at-large member
Jody McDanel, Appanoose County Board of Supervisors
Kevin Luedtke, Lucas County SWCD
John Sellers, Wayne County SWCD
Ralph Alshouse, at-large member
Kim Francisco, Alliance Vice President, at-large member
Sharon Redinbaugh, Appanoose County SWCD
Paul Koffman, Monroe County Board of Supervisors
Clarence Gee, Lucas County Board of Supervisors
Jerry O’Dell, Wayne County Board of Supervisors
 WATERSHED OUTREACH
Contact Kathleen Chester by phone at 641.774.5940 or by email chester@sirisonline.com

Exhibits featuring the

Rathbun Lake Special Pro-
ject and RRWA were dis-
played during the McNay
50th Anniversary Celebra-
tion held September 16 at
the research farm.

Alliance Annual Meeting

• Nearly 200 Rathbun Lake Watershed landowners and project partners attended the Rathbun Land and Water Alliance Annual Meeting
held September 6 at Carpenter Hall in Chariton.
• The first recipients of the annual Rathbun Lake Protectors award were recognized at the event. Recipients received a personal plaque while
additional plaques identifying the Protectors will be displayed at each Soil and Water Conservation District field office.
• Event participants were surveyed to gain feedback on various topics. Those who turned in a survey were given the opportunity to rate
the survey topics poor, fair, good, or excellent. A brief overview of the survey results is as follows:
√ The annual meeting a worthwhile event—100 percent responded either good or excellent
√ Presentations advanced my knowledge of Alliance activities—100 percent responded either good or excellent
√ The Rathbun Lake Protector program is a good way to recognize landowners for their efforts—100 percent re-
sponded either good or excellent.
√ Project signage message is easy to understand—100 percent responded either good or excellent.

At left—Rathbun Lake Protectors pictured L-R: Jimmy and Betty Carpenter, Wayne
County; Jean and Charles Argo, Appanoose County; John Glenn, Alliance Board Presi-
dent; and Betty and Jim Sullivan, Clarke and Decatur Counties. Rathbun Lake Pro-
tectors not pictured are Mike and Nick Hunter, Lucas County; Jeff Sullivan, Clarke
County; Mark Batchelder, Lucas County; and Warren Holder, Wayne County.
Below—Rathbun Land and Water Alliance activities were presented to a packed
house during the Alliance’s annual meeting.

The Rathbun Lake Special Project is a partnership of the following individuals, agencies, and organizations: Participating landowners in the Rathbun Lake
Watershed; Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Division of Soil Conservation; Iowa Department of Natural Resources; Iowa State
University; Iowa Watershed Improvement Review Board; Southern Iowa Development and Conservation Authority; US Army Corps of Engineers; US
Environmental Protection Agency; USDA Farm Service Agency; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Agency; Appanoose, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas,
Monroe, and Wayne Soil and Water Conservation Districts; Appanoose, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Monroe, and Wayne Counties; Iowa Farm Bureau at the state and county levels; and Rathbun Re-
gional Water Association.
 Special Report mm From Velvet’s View
Contact Mike Knox at 641.872.1350 or by Contact Velvet Buckingham at 641.872.1350
email at Michael.J.Knox@ia.nacdnet.net or by email at Vevet.Buckingham@ia.nacdnet.net

Forage and grazing activity update ICM

Iowa State University and Rathbun Lake Special Project We have fi ni she d li ning up the
will perform a research study to determine the effects remaining acres for the ICM component. There are
of cattle grazing along stream segments. The study will approximately 2160
try to disprove the theory that grazing along stream acres left to soil sam-
corridors is not detrimental to Rathbun Lake. The ple. Results of sam-
study will also make a determination of the impacts of ples that were
shade related to cattle grazing. collected last spring
were mailed to pro-
Twelve producers have eligible sites on which to ducers this fall—to
perform an erosion study. Iowa State University will ensure that they received copies. Mark Carlton has
place erosion pins on the stream bank to measure the become ill and is no longer able to assist with the
amount of erosion that occurs in a given period of project and we are unsure of which producers he
time. If you know of a landowner who may be willing had been able to get in contact with.
to participate with this study please let me know.
206 Project
An incentive payment is offered to
producers willing to have GPS collars We met with the Corps of Engineer staff, Parsons,
put on their cattle to track the and local partners to
movement and grazing patterns of discuss the engineer-
cattle. Six herds with three cows per ing progress that has
herd is needed for the study. been made on the
The cattle will be corralled six times during the representative sites.
summer to put on and to remove the collars. Please let The group toured
me know if you are aware of interested producers. each site, and dis-
cussed the
Six well-attended events took place this past summer designs with the landowners. The goal is for Parson
including pasture walks, grazing demonstrations, to finish working on the designs and get to 95
alternative feed source meetings and watering facility percent complete. The final package can then be
demonstrations. A special thanks to all the producers, put together of COE review and approval.
as well as Joe Sellers and Carl Neifert for putting
together these field days.

A note from Joe Sellers and Carl Neifert

• ISU staff are conducting distiller's grains storage and feeding demos at the McNay farm southwest of Chariton.
Modified distillers grains were stored in a silage bag, and a mix of 80 percent wet distiller's grains and 20 percent hay were stored
in a second bag. ISU staff will be demonstrating feeding two rates of modified DGS to replacement heifers a control without
WDGS, comparing feeding pregnant and lactating ewes modified DGS with the normal grain/pellet/hay diet, and feeding the
mixed bag to fall and/or spring calving cows. We also will be looking at molds or mycotoxins that might grow on stored DDGS.
• The Iowa Beef Center and ISU want to look at methods more producers can benefit from low cost co-products. This is funded by a
grant from the Iowa Energy Center. A field day will be held in March.
• Next summer a demonstration feeding distiller's grains to yearling heifers grazing pasture plots will be conducted at McNay, look-
ing at different stocking rates with different levels of supplementation. This is the second year of a project funded by the Leopold
Center that included two on-farm demonstrations this year in Lucas and Union Counties.

• Jennifer Bremer, a representative from the Midwest High Plain Journal will be here in the Rathbun Watershed to visit a couple
cooperator sites. She may be developing a story about the Rathbun Lake Forage project that is occurring here.