Putting Conservation On the Land

12 Hwy. 28 E, Suite 2
Morris, MN 56267
320-589-4886 ext. 4

About Stevens SWCD

SWCDs are local units of government that manage and direct natural resource management programs at the local level. Districts work with landowners in both rural and urban settings to carry out a program for the conservation, use, and development of soil, water, and related resources.

Districts fill the crucial niche of providing soil and water conservation services to owners of private lands. Privately owned lands make up 78 percent of the land surface in Minnesota. Private landowners receive trusted conservation advice and assistance from SWCDs, which are governed by local leaders and focused on the conservation and other needs specific to the area they serve.

Stevens SWCD employs regular full and part-time staff and additional seasonal staff to accomplish our mission. We work, many times in partnership with other conservation agencies and groups, to set and accomplish measurable goals and long-range plans for conservation issues in Stevens County. We focus on activities such as the following:

2023 Highlights

  • Coordination of an Envirothon competition for high school and junior high students in the state of Minnesota.
  • Co-coordination of the Pope & Stevens Conservation Day
  • Co-coordination the Pope & Stevens Water Fest
  • Coordination of several presentations related to conservation or natural resources for elementary school classrooms in the county
  • Planting of trees and installation of weed barrier fabric on farmstead and field windbreaks
  • Planting new and re-enrolled acres to native grasses on sites in Stevens County
  • Conservation area maintenance such as mowing or spot spraying of weeds
  • Construction and planting of rain gardens on sites throughout the county
  • Assist BWSR, NRCS and FSA to promote CRP, WRP/RIM and various other conservation programs in Stevens County and assist landowners with sign-ups into these programs
  • Administration of State Cost Share and District Capacity cost share programs in Stevens County, disbursing funding to landowners who installed conservation projects and allocating funding to additional future projects
  • Administration of County Local Water Management Plan
  • Administration of the Wetland Conservation Act in Stevens County
  • Administration of Aquatic Invasive Species program in Stevens County
  • Assistance to landowners and monitoring of required buffers in Stevens County
  • Administered the County Local Water Management plan in Stevens County
  • Fiscal agent responsibilities for the Pomme de Terre Association Joint Powers Board, including assisting the Watershed Project Coordinator, housed in this office, with continuing work related to several state and federal grants
  • Monitoring ground water levels throughout the county
  • Assisting landowners interested in the MN Ag Water Quality Certification Program
  • Administration of the county’s Aquatic Invasive Species grant activities within Stevens County

Click here to read the Stevens SWCD 2023 Annual Review, published as a special section of the March 5, 2024 edition of the Stevens County Times.

Our Mission

The mission of the Stevens Soil & Water Conservation District is to work with county landowners in putting conservation practices on the land and to help all citizens be good stewards of our natural resources.