Saving Lake Mauvaise Farmers, Golfers and Mayors

MICHAEL BAISEAMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST

71ST SWCS INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL CONFERENCELOUISVILLE KENTUCKY

What is American Farmland Trust?

American Farmland Trust is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting farmland, promoting sound farming practices and keeping farmers on the land.

Founded in 1980, AFT seeks to identify and implement best practices and practical solutions to saving farmland both “by the acre and by the inch.” We seek to encourage the long term view for what is best for the land.

“No Farms, No Food” is AFT’s popular slogan to remind the public of the importance of farms and farmers to the food their families eat.

Where is Lake Mauvaise Terre Watershed?

Lake Mauvaise Terre Watershed

Why Lake Mauvaise Terre Watershed?Need and Opportunity

In 2010, IL EPA had identified six state high priority watersheds …and had 319 projects ongoing in five… they were keen to find a partner for the sixth.

LMT already had a completed Total Maximum Daily Load study where the principal concern was sedimentation and phosphorus loading.

Lake Mauvaise Terre watershed is wholly contained in one political jurisdiction …Morgan County.

It is a relatively small watershed…21,150 acres.

Over time the Lake surface area had been reduced from over 210 acres to about 150 acres. Recent weather events changed a chronic sedimentation situation to an acute one.

It was ripe for an IL EPA 319 Outreach and Education effort….and it was home…..

Why LMT Project was Uniquely Personal for Me….Opportunity

I grew up on a grain-livestock farm near the very center of the LMT watershed.

Many of the current watershed farmers actually had ridden the school bus with me or had been members in my 4-H Club. A number of the farm landowners were family friends.

Although I lived in Indiana for 15 years, I had worked for the IL Department of Agriculture earlier in my career and was familiar with IDOA leadership, programs and conservation personnel.

My In-laws had built a home on LMT before they retired to Arizona.

And although my Dad had passed away years before, Mom still lived in Jacksonville….

It was a personal and professional opportunity to do something for my home community….

Lake Mauvaise Terre Watershed

Saving Lake Mauvaise TerreRookie Lessons Learned

Ask a lot of questions, especially before your first watershed project. Watershed conservation is a relationship business...build on trust

connections. Identify a local conservation champion…and get them involved! Family land is personal to farm landowners…make conservation

personal. Projects don’t go as planned, there will be surprises…..learn to hit the

curve ball. Take advantage of “teachable moments”….as increasing

conservation is about changing human behavior and habits. In most counties, local conservation “gets done” by the local SWCD

staff and leadership…but, not all SWCDs have sufficient capacity to be successful.