Run for Our Board
 The Dakota County Soil & Water Conservation is governed by an elected Board of Supervisors - and you could be one of them! Join our board, help make decisions for your community, and work with us to conserve and manage natural resources.
Soil and Water Conservation District supervisors meet monthly, discussing the business of the SWCD, distributing state grant allocations, setting conservation priorities, developing legislative priorities, and coordinating conservation efforts with other local units of government and state agencies.
Supervisors do not receive a salary, although they do receive compensation for attending meetings and are reimbursed for expenses.
Two of our Board Supervisor spots are up for election this year, in the county's western Districts 4 (Burnsville and part of Apple Valley) and 5 (the southwestern corner of the county, including Lakeville, Farmington, and six Townships.)
Benefits of being a Board Supervisor:
- Be a voice for citizens of your county
- Improve soil and water quality in Dakota County
- Become actively involved with assistance and educational programs for citizens
- Provide leadership in community resource conservation
- Develop leadership skills and gain valuable experience and connections
“Serving as a supervisor is a terrific opportunity for people who want a voice in how we manage our environment." - Brian Watson, District Manager.
Supervisors must be concerned about:
- Our environment and natural resources;
- Maintaining and improving water quality; and
- Protecting our soil.
Are you eligible to run?
Candidates must:
- Be eligible voters
- Be least 21 years old when assuming office
- Have resided in their districts for at least 30 days before the general election
- Have no other affidavit on file for any other elected office (some exceptions apply)
Candidate Filing Period: May 22 - June 5, 2018
General Election: November 6, 2018
Interested in learning more? Call our office at 651-480-7777, or email us at swcd@co.dakota.mn.us.
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Quiz Yourself: Our Local Water
How much do you know about our water resources? Test yourself on the questions below.
- Approximately ____ of Dakota County is covered by water.
- 2% (12 square miles)
- 5% (25 square miles)
- 10% (50 square miles)
- 12% (70 square miles)
- How many species (types) of fish are found naturally in Minnesota waters?
- About 25 species
 About 50 species- About 150 species
- In the Twin Cities metro region, water use peaks in:
- April
- July
- August
- Never; it's relatively consistent year-round
Answers are at the end of the newsletter! How did you do?
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Have You Attended a
Landscaping for Clean Water Workshop?
Have you attended one of our Landscaping for Clean Water workshops before?
> Maybe you attended an Intro Workshop, soaking up new information on what exactly a raingarden is and how it helps local waterways and water sources, or why native plants are better for pollinators than cultivars.
> Maybe you also came to a Design Course, and worked with our experts on staff, using maps of your own property to site, size, shape, and select plants for your own native garden or raingarden.
> Maybe you even received funds from SWCD and completed a project while receiving site visits and technical assistance, and now have a beautiful garden in your yard that's promoting water quality and making butterflies happy!
> Maybe you came to an Intro class and ran out of time that summer to complete a project - or maybe you've been hearing about raingardens for years and think it's finally time to consider one for your yard. Maybe you want to bring a neighbor or friends to a class to share the excitement - or maybe you love your first project and want to plant a second!
 Dakota SWCD's Landscaping for Clean Water program is a robust process that helps homeowners from start to finish. Interested folks attend a free Introduction Workshop (one evening), which enables them to move on to attend a Design Course (typically two evenings.) Design Courses are $25 per project, and attendance includes:
- a raingarden book (see photo)
- large, full-color maps of your property
- 3-4 hours of instruction and guidance.
- Attending a Design Course also makes you eligible to apply for a grant for financial and technical assistance on-site.
If you attended an Introduction Workshop in the past, you can sign up for a Design Course this year without attending another Intro Workshop first. If you've attended and paid for a Design Course in the past and already have your raingarden book, you can register for another Design Course as a refresher or for a new project, without paying the $25.
See you this spring!
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Upcoming Intro Workshops:
Monday, April 9 - Lakeville
Tuesday, April 10 - Burnsville
Wednesday, April 11 - Apple Valley
Thursday, April 26 - Eagan
Monday, April 30 - Rosemount
Tuesday, June 5 - Farmington
All workshops start at 6:15 pm and will end between 7:30 and 8.
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Upcoming Design Courses:
April 13, 12:30-4 - Farmington
April 16 & 18 - West St Paul
April 19 & 24 - Burnsville
April 23 & 30, 9:30-11:30 - Apple Valley
April 23 & 25 - Lakeville
May 7 & 9 - Eagan
May 15 & 22 - Rosemount
June 19 & 26 - Farmington
All workshops are 6:15-8 pm, unless otherwise noted.
Email swcd@co.dakota.mn.us for more info or to register!
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Dakota SWCD Visits D.C. & the State Capitol
Like all Soil & Water Conservation Districts in Minnesota, Dakota SWCD is governed by an elected board. Each Board Supervisor represents a district within Dakota County. (You can run for our board! See the article above for more info on how to run.)
Our Board Chair is Laura Zanmiller from West St Paul. This year, Chair Zanmiller is participating in the Minnesota Association of SWCDs (MASWCD) Leadership Training, which included a visit to Washington, DC this winter along with 22 other SWCD representatives from MN. According to MASWCD, "The...Leadership Institute offers curriculum and discussions designed for SWCD supervisors, staff and partners who want to deepen their learning, enhance personal leadership skills, and connect with others..." Chair Zanmiller was able to meet with many of our local representatives while in D.C.
March 12-13 were the 2018 MASWCD Legislative Briefing and Days at the Capitol. All SWCDs across the state were invited to visit the Minnesota State Capitol, to meet with their representatives to discuss current conservation topics, and seek stable funding sources for conservation efforts at the local level. District Manager Brian Watson and several Board Supervisors accepted the invitation and spent two days at the Capitol in Saint Paul.
Dakota SWCD thanks all of our political representatives for meeting and talking with Brian and the board about soil and water in Dakota County!
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Liz Dengate joins us as Education & Outreach Coordinator, a new position. Liz will create, coordinate, and deliver education and outreach initiatives, including managing the Landscaping for Clean Water program, coordinating K-12 education such as our annual Outdoor Education Days, and providing activities and information at events around the county. She also writes outreach materials, manages the District’s social media presence, and works with both technical and administrative staff to measure and report on the objectives and strategies of the District. 
Elsa Litecky joins us as the newest Program Specialist! Elsa will be your main point of contact if you visit, call, or email the office. She'll be responsible for a variety of administrative tasks and assist with multiple programs, helping people obtain information or getting them in contact with the appropriate staff person. Elsa will also assist with water monitoring tasks, including collection of both chemical and biological samples, and assist with coordinating events, developing and distributing outreach materials, promoting conservation programs, and grant writing - basically she has her toes in a little of everything! 
