Home » Uncategorized » Pigeon Lake Watershed selected for funding

Pigeon Lake Watershed selected for funding

The Pigeon Lake watershed in Waupaca County is one of three watersheds in Wisconsin selected for a special National Water Quality Initiative.

The initiative is offered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Farmers and landowners in the Pigeon Lake watershed, near Clintonville, may qualify for funding for conservation practices to prevent soil erosion, build soil health, and improve water quality and wildlife habitat.

“The timeline is short,” said Lisa Neuenfeldt, district conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Applications are available at the Waupaca County NRCS office (715-258-8380), located at 1337 Royalton St., Waupaca.

Applications must be received no later than July 12 in order to be considered for funding in 2013.

The three Wisconsin watersheds selected for the program are: Pigeon Lake-Pigeon River in Waupaca County, Horse Lake-Horse Creek in Polk County, and Big Green Lake in Green County.

These watersheds were selected with help from state agencies, partners, and the NRCS State Technical Committee. They have strong county conservation involvement, ongoing water quality monitoring, and a history of farmer participation in conservation programs.

Using nearly $1.4 million from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, NRCS will provide funding and advice to producers to install conservation practices. There are 70 different conservation practices available including barnyard runoff control, manure storage, no-till, tree planting and ditch and stream buffers in watersheds where the federal investment can make a difference to improve water quality.

To be eligible, a project must not have been started yet. This summer, NRCS will notify all applicants of the results and begin developing contracts with selected applicants.

For more information about NRCS programs, initiatives and services in Wisconsin, visit u www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov.

Scroll to Top