Wiscon

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Conserva

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Soil Conservation Service oil Conservation Service Histor

Natural Resources atural Resources 

Conservation Service onservation Service

A leader in conservation since 1935 leader in conservation since 1935


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Dedication

NRCS - Th e cornerstone of conservation for 7

Wisconsin....The fi rst in the nation in conservat

In the early 1930s, Wisconsin became the home of the fi rst erosion control demonstration the country, the wildly successful Coon Creek Watershed in Vernon County. There, the sart of soil conservation to protect our land, our water, our food and our nation, began.This book is dedicated to the hundreds of men and women who have worked to keep Wiwe found it, green, golden and fl owing with clean water. Through the three iterations of Soil Erosion Service, Soil Conservation Service and Natural Resources Conservation Serpeople have looked at problems from many perspectives – agricultural, environmental, ceconomic – incorporating new technology and creating new solutions to the never-endinthat greet a fl ourishing society.

This 75th anniversary is a historic milestone for the nation – and for Wisconsin. We can of our conservation heritage, as leaders and believers, we change and we grow to meet ochallenges.
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LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS

Th e USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resources Conservation Service

Wisconsin 2010

Produced by Renae Anderson and Barbara Jansen

Contributors:

Jack Densmore

Mel Cohee

Ernest Haugen

Stan Dingle

Roy Dingle

John Ramsden

Jim Enlow

Tom Th rall

Chris Borden

Eugene Hausner

Douglas Helms

John Caine

Gary Haughn

Pat Murphy

Patricia Leavenworth

Photo Credits: Photos from NRCS historical collection, early publications, slide fi les and digital fi les. Photographers identifi ed on historic photographs, if known. Many of the photos from 

recent decades by Renae Anderson, Barbara Jansen and other NRCS employees.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ................................................................................First in the Nation ..... Coon Creek Watershed ...............................Th e 1930s ...... Getting Started ......................................................Th e 1930s ...... In Th eir Words ......................................................

Civilian Conservation Corps .........................................................Th e 1940s ...... Lines on the Land .................................................Th e 1950s ...... Th e Watershed Years ..............................................Th e 1960s ...... Productive Farmlands ............................................Th e 1970s ...... Consider the Earth ................................................Pine River Flood Protection ..........................................................Branching out ... RC&D ................................................................Soil is the Foundation ...................................................................Th e 1980s ...... Th e No-till Revolution ..........................................Th e Farm Bills ...............................................................................Th e 1990s ...... A broader mission - NRCS .......................................

Th e 2000s ...... Preserve, Restore, Reduce ......................................Dates in Conservation History ......................................................State Conservationists ....................................................................Final Words . ................................................................................
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Introduction

This is the story of an agency born in 1935, during a time of hardship and desperation, when the very soil that put food on our tables was literally blowing in the wind.Erosion was such a serious problem in the 1930’s that it aroused the nation to heed the message of a man named Hugh Hammond Bennett to save our soil.Thanks to the vision of these early leaders, our prosperity as a nation has fl ourished. We began to realize then, and we must not ever forget, how the protection of our soil and water is the foundation of the health and wealth of our country.

Camp SCS, Higgins Estate, Trout Run Watershed, Melrose, Monroe County, Wisconsin. Severe underlain with fi ne sand. Previously cropland, pastureland during past fi ve years. Gully is abo
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In the early 1930s, across the nation, gullies, fl oods, droughts and dust storms were driving people off the farm. Th rough the eff orts of Hugh Hammond Bennett, 

the Congress of 1933 appropriated $5 million for a new New Deal agency, the Soil Erosion Service (SES).

 “Th e ready availability of good land and wildlife for so many generations gave rise to a careless and prodigal attitude toward our wealth of natural resources.”

Hugh Hammond Bennett

It took only 70 years, from the time of thwhite settlers, to the early 1930’s, for tradmethods to reduce the land around Coon elsewhere, from pristine to the brink of aHugh Hammond Bennett, as Chief of thlaunched a series of demonstration projecthat conservation could work to save soilCoon Creek Watershed was a short-livederosion control demonstration project, thin western Vernon County, Wisconsin. Inine miles wide, 92,000 acres straddling outlet directly to the Mississippi River.Th e watershed was divided into four unitPlanner assigned to each. Herb Flueck, lConservationist for Minnesota; Marvin SState Conservationist for Wisconsin; JohSchaenzer, were the four.Ray H. Davis, director of the Upper MisExperimental Station in La Crosse and thsat down in late 1933 to fi gure out from conservation project would work. Th ey dland use plan*

First in the Nation

Open pasture with slopes >40% Woods with slope >25% Crop fi elds with slope >20% Ridge top fi elds with slope <10% All other fi elds with slope >3% All fl at fi elds  *Second Annual Report, Coon Creek Demonstration Area, 193

Farmer shows soil conservation technicians the worst problem on his farm. He has planted 3,000 trees in this and a similar gully. Th e hillside has been seeded to permanent alfalfa. Th is farm is in the (proposed) Upper Pigeon Creek conservation district. Wis-49 Jackson County 1938

fence oufence ouseed to pterrace acontour use crop 
“Coon Valley is one of the thousand farm through the abuse of its originally rich sonational dinner pail, but has created the Mnavigation problem, the overproduction its own future continuity.”  

Coon Creek Watershed

Soil Conservation Service Nurseries were established throughout the country to grow and distribute plants for the stabilization of severely eroding lands. Since the mid-1930s, this need for conservation plants has grown, and is the realm of the present day NRCS Plant Materials Program. Th e Rose Lake Plant Materials Center for the Great Lakes Region was established in 1958.

Th is 2-acre nursery was located on the Adolph Lee farm, within the village limits of Coon Valley, Wisconsin. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) men are busy transplanting, weeding and watering.Source: Emergency Conservation Work Report July 25, 1934

Each man carries a planting dibble and a box of seedling integral part of the program at Coon Valley. 
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Marv Schweers was one of the original four conservation planners for the Coon Creek Watershed hired in 1933. Th e original planners, as a matter of necessity, were whole farm planners. Th ey looked not only at cropland, but at feed rations, woodlots, economics, wildlife areas, everything that could make or break the success of a farm on the brink. Marv was appointed Wisconsin State Conservationist in 1937 serving until his death at age 58 in October, 1962.Ben Einer and Albert Chapiewsky were the fi rst farmers to sign cooperative agreements with the project for application of erosion control measures and correct land use practices on their farms. M. F. Schweers was the Soil Erosion Service employee who “signed” them.

Getting Started

Marvin Schweers and wife Marie in Coon Valley, Vernon C

Sign at the entrance to the Coon Creek project. Such roadside signs as this have been used in projects in Wisconsin as part of the education and information work.Source: Annual Report, Soil Conservation Service, July 10, 1936
Elmer Manske Farm. One of the fi rst to sign up and the fi rst one to have terracdiff erence in washing since fi elds were stripped and terraces built. Would not go Wis-39-B June 28, 1934 Photo I.K. Landon 1930s

Old Man Erosion and Mel CoheeMel Cohee, economist on the original Coon Creek Watershed staff , worked to make sure the new farm plans could succeed fi nancially, as so many farms in the watershed were already delinquent on taxes.When rumors spread that farms would be taken over by the government if they slipped on their conservation plans, signups stopped. So, the SES staff hauled their generator and their glass slide projector to every oneroom schoolhouse in the watershed to put on a play, “Old Man Erosion Gives Up,” which drew standing room-only crowds every night—22 performances with a total audience of 1,310. Th e play pits the destructive abilities of Old Man Erosion against the handsome young Mr. Conservation (Mel Cohee, the SES economist) in a battle for farms and topsoil. In the morning, there would be a line of farmers waiting to get conservation plans for their farms.

Advanced erosion with gullies 50-100 feet deep. Th e old road in the foreground hastarted from Black River in 1900. It has made 80 acres of land worthless and has and grass are stabilizing the lower part of the gully. 

Mel Cohee , 2001
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In Th eir Words...

Remembering the Conservation PlanSpeech by Ernest Haugen, Coon ValleyEarth Day Celebration, May 2008My father John Haugen signed on the agreement on March 19, 1934 in the evening. John Bollinger was the supervisor for the Soil Erosion Service. Th ey must have walked over the farm during the daytime. John Bollinger laid out the aerial photo and about 1⁄4 of the western part was missing. So he made a map on a white paper. My father could choose the kind of grass seed that he wanted. So he picked out alfalfa and alsike clover and timothy seed also some sudan seed. For a total of 20 acres on one slope was to be terraced and another eight acres on another slope, and about 40 acres of timber to be fenced off , and another eight acres to fenced off .About one week later I went along with my father and a neighbor, Sherman Larson and walked about 11⁄2 miles to the Erickson house, to a meeting about soil erosion. I remember they talked about the cheapest way of going down to China.When I came home from (being) with my neighbor boys, Grant and Ingman Nordrum, three terraces had already been made. Th ey started on the fourth one. Harold Johnson, a neighbor, was driving the Caterpillar No. 22 (new). Paul Lunde from Timber Coulee was on a brand new grader. William Johnson from St. Paul was the surveyor. He was a cousin to Sherman Larson. Later in the summer four terraces were made on the eight acres, very big ones. Henning Lee was the grader, about 2 1/2 miles were made.Th e timber was fenced off by the CCC men (Civilian Conservation Corps). Nels Norstrom was the foreman. Th ey cut down trees and made fence posts. Th ey sharpened the posts and carried them along the fencerow. Th ree wires were used.Farm record book was kept of the expenses and income, all machinery and livestock was written down. Egg production was kept up to date. Th e farm record book was signed by Mel Cohee, who was an economist. He also had 

studied the soil erosion in the Bad Axe Watershed. BBennett picked out Coon Creek Watershed because iExperiment Station on Granddad’s Bluff near LaCrosTh e Vernon County Soil Conservationist, Jim Radke farm on November 18, 1998 to get acquainted. Mel seven men who organized the Coon Creek WatershedHugh Hammond Bennett and (a) Forester from the SSheppard who had been good friends with President when Roosevelt was governor of the State Of New Yoshould be done to control soil erosion in Wisconsin. could get three million dollars for the project. Presidmake it fi ve million dollar(s). So it became fi ve millioSixty percent of the cropland was suppose to be in grmore terraces since that time. We now have over 19,over three miles, all are in very good shape. Th ere is fdown in the town of Coon road. No water goes throtimber takes care of it. Th is is what I know. 

Ernest aover the the famisigned in 
by Jack Densmore, Forester for Coon Creek Watershed 1935-1937, Retired SCS 19721930s

Bill Steenberg sat perched on a barstool enjoying a morning beer in a tavern in Cashton. Bill, I had been told, was the fi rst farmer to use contour strip cropping in the Coon Creek Project and, perhaps, in Wisconsin. I had come to ask Bill how he happened to be a soil conservation pioneer.In southwestern Wisconsin’s coulee country, this fi rst erosion control demonstration project included all of the 92,000 acres of the Coon Creek watershed. Initiated in 1933, it was one of several such projects started across the country under the leadership of Hugh Bennett, fi rst Chief of the Soil Conservation Service.When I looked up Bill Steenberg in 1964, he was then 84 years old but he still remembered the night over thirty years ago when he made the decision for soil conservation.“I was milking cows one evening when Marv Schweers, one of the erosion boys, stopped in to see me. Marv said, “I suppose you feel like your neighbors, they want to wait a year before signing up with the soil erosion project.” I said, “No, I want to sign up now!”“Before Marv left that evening we had worked out the new pattern for my fi elds. I was desperate, my wife had died, my fi ve children were hungry, I didn’t have enough feed for my 12 cows, and my fi elds suff ered from drought and erosion. I knew I had to give up or change.”Even Bill wasn’t prepared for the reaction of his neighbors. He was ostracized. In their view he had given his farm to the Government. Even his brothers who farmed nearby refused to exchange work with him. Bill worried all summer about how he would handle the grain harvest that fall.Fortunately, when the time came for threshing, his brothers relented and gave him a hand. In time, the Steenberg farm became a showplace for soil conservation. 

Visitors from all over the copioneering eff orts.As Bill turned his attention “I am most proud of the wthe farm plans we started 3I started working for the SCgraduating from the Univeassigned as a forester for thin November of that year, I Schweers, State Coordinatome to the Coon Creek ProjSince the project was startewave’ of technicians assigneresponsibilities were in the management. I worked wiagronomist, an economist, and a farm planner. We weeach other and, hopefully, bconservationists.Even though the demonstroperational for several yearheard many anti-erosion cofarmers soil erosion was jusfarming; erosion was a natufarmers like Bill Steenberg the exception. As a matter eventually used contour strconservation measures.Th e Coon Creek Erosion Cshowplace and guide for sothe Driftless Area of Wisco

Memories of the Coon Creek Project 
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Civilian Conservation Corp

“Th e work of the Civilian Conservation Cin itself ~ an epic in conservation accomplcamps assigned to the Soil Conservation Seout a prodigious job in winning the confi din the eff ectiveness and practicability of soi

Hugh Ha

Th is terrace outlet structure is being constructed on the Arve Amu

excavated to required depth and the bottom leveled. Reinforced cin the cross trenches, using heavy wire for reinforcing. Th e chickeembedded in the concrete and lapped over the sod and staked dowSource: Emergency Conservation Work SES-WIS-2, Coon Valley, 

In early 1934, the CCCs arrived in Coon Valley, staking their tents on 12 acres of fl at valley fl oor owned by Lewis 

Brye and his cousin. By late fall, the barracks had been constructed, housing 190 CCC boys who moved down from the Long Lake CCC Camp to provide the strong backs needed for the conservation work.

Camp located just outside the village of Coon Valley,Source: Emergency Conservation Work Report July 1934
Looking upstream at a wing dam under construction. Th e roll of wire is used to envelope the brush so that erosion along the water edge of the structure will not gradually disintegrate it. When rock is available in the stream bed, it is used to weigh down the brush. Otherwise quarry rock is used.Source: Emergency Conservation Work SES-WIS-2, Coon Valley, WI May and June 1934

Farm Conservation 

in Wisconsin

 SES-1/SCS-1 Camp Coon Valley, Vern SCS-2 Camp Gays Mills, Crawford C SCS-3 Camp Ellsworth, Pierce Co. 1 SCS-4 Camp Argyle, Lafayette Co. 1 SCS-5 Camp Durand, Pepin Co. 193 SCS-6 Camp Viroqua, Vernon Co. 1 SCS-7 Camp Holmen, LaCrosse Co.  SCS-8 Camp Independence, Trempea SCS-9 Camp LaValle, Sauk Co. 1935 SCS-10 Camp Platteville, Grant Co. 1 SCS-11 Camp Mount Horeb, Dane C SCS-12 Camp Richland Center, Richl SCS-13 Camp Irving, Jackson Co. 193 SCS-14 Camp Dodge, Trempeauleau C SCS-15 Camp Nelson, Buff alo Co. 19 SCS-16 Camp Bloomington, Grant C SCS-17 Camp West Salem, La Crosse  SCS-18 Camp Menomonie, Dunn Co SCS-19 Camp Cochrane, Buff alo Co.  SCS-20 Camp Ontario, Vernon Co. 1 SCS-21 Camp Highland, Iowa Co. 19 SCS-22 Camp Ettrick, Trempealeau C SCS-23 Camp Hixton, Jackson Co. 19

Camp Independence, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin 1934 Photo: J. Densmore
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Th e CCC came to a halt with the onset of World War II. All the camps closed; enrollees became draftees and their Army supervisors went to regular duty. Many of the older CCC professional staff and aides hired on with the SCS. In fact most of the fi rst wave of district conservationists came out of the CCC cadre ~ engineers, foresters, and planners. Many of the fi rst SCS technicians were CCC enrollees or aides.

Lines on the Land

Tom a tyHe conassiwitAgeDenDaoats WisPho

Th e conservation technicians who laid out strips bethe land and envisioned how the contours fl owed aa landscape painting. At one time, 80 percent of thWisconsin was in contour strip cropping, arguably beautiful work of conservation artistry.

Conservation stripcropping depicts the American fl ag (nearly) Pierce County, WI WI-W-721 
Eau Claire, WI ~ Mrs. M. Pierce operating a grain drill during a period when farm help was scarce because of the war eff ort. Wis-996 April 24, 1942

1940s

Legs Were Our Living Depending upon how diffi cult the land laid and also upon the width of strips, we could lay out 20 to 40 acres in half a day. Th e best I ever did in one day was on a big beautiful ridge up near Sylvan. It was a rare ridge where we could use strips 100 feet wide. And it was one all day job on the same ridge. Under these very rare conditions I came in with 125 acres of strips in one day. A forty laid out in 60-foot strips, which was the prevailing width on most farms, required six miles of walking 

just on the strip boundaries. Preliminaries took up another mile. Small fi elds added up to more walking accordingly than large fi elds. Anyone 

involved in laying out strips needed a good pair of legs.from “Nothing But Conservation” by Roy Dingle

Th e W DitchSCS engineered thousands of acres of concrete and built miles of open ditches. Th e classic W spread out of the ditches and onto the fi eld crethousands of acres of wetlands were restored by 

Jeep tiling machine, Lafayette County, WI Wis-1230 July 23, 1948 Photo: John Baker

World War II brought huge demands for more cropland and better yields. In response, wetland drainage began in earnest to create more croppable acres. Farmers struggled in some fi elds so muddy they needed two tractors to pull wagons to pick up green corn shocks for silage. Th e tractors tore up the fi elds 

and compacted the soil. Farmers would dip into their cookie jar savings every year to see how many feet of drainage they could aff ord. Soil Conservation Service staff in the east and southeast part of the state earned the everlasting gratitude of those farmers for relieving them of the muck, mud and drudgery that came with wet fi elds.
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Cottage Grove, Dane County, WI Paul Helgesen planting corn in a contour strip. Upper slopes are oats and alfalfa. Th ere is a diversion terrace in the background.Wis-1250 May 1949 Photo: W.H. Lathrop 

Dunn Co., WI Gully formed in one day destroying the highway 150-feet long. March 1945

Dr and Mrs. Bennett and Regional Conservationist McValley conservation work. Frank Mlsna farm on ManskWis-1174 , October 1946 Photo M. Schweers
Monroe County, WI Brome grass specimen. Mr. Printz supporting the plant, has great faith in plant’s ability to establish waterways. Wis-1141 1945 Photo: Newville

Grant County, WI Clark Abrams with Oliver tractor and pMay 1948 Photo: W.H LathropBayfi eld County, WI Plowing in terrace on red clay with diOctober 1946 Photo: F.L. Robbins

Chaseburg, Vernon County, WI Contour farming. Loading hay on a contour strip Wis-1076 July 1943 Photo H.W Lathrop
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Th e Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (PL566), enacted in 1954 to help communities protect, improve, and develop watersheds opened the door to decades of large scale watershed projects. Watershed planning and projects dominated SCS activities for nearly three decades.

Th e Watershed Years 19

Initially, to be eligible for PL566, 75 percent of the farmland in the watershed had to be under a conservation farm plan, and the plan had to be implemented. SCS could then develop a Watershed Work Plan to help with the problem at hand ~ gullies, sediment, or fl ood damage reduction. But plans were only approved if the cost-benefi t analysis made it worthwhile – threats to bridges, roads, houses, cropland, particularly high value tobacco cropland, had to outweigh cost of the project. Many, many watersheds were assessed, but only around 20 were completed in Wisconsin.

Alma Creek Watershed, Buff alo County, WI Th e gully area in the 

structures #4 and #5 in this watershed WI-14-8 1955

Alma-Mill Creek Watershed, Buff alo County, WI A detention struthis watershed. Th ese upland treatments were vital to the successs WI-139-9 April 1959 Photo E.W. Cole

A washout on a town road near DePere in Brown County, WIWi-195-10 May 1960 Photo R. Forseth
Soil Conservationist Bernie Peterson and the Bob Klein famworked out together. By following this plan using the land wchecked and yields and profi ts should increase. WI-225-12 

Board of Directors, Mill Creek Watershed Association holding a meeting at the Harris lumber company in Boaz, WI. L to R George Smart, Levi Walter, Dennis Young, Foster Patch, Roy Dingle, SCS Work Unit Conservationist, Gerald Fulton, Roy Nicholson, Henry Slaney, Frank Harris, and Paul Hendricks. WI-17-10 March 1955 Photo: E.W. Cole

Dairy herd in the foreground with contour strip cropping in WI-27-7 July 1955 Photo: E.W. Cole

Coon Valley, Vernon Co., WI Group inspecting conservation practices on farm of the fi rst cooperators with the Coon Creek Project. Wi-28-2 July 1955 Photo E. Cole
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Th e completed waterway and structure. Th e waterway has just been mowed and raked. Cattle have been fenced out of the area. Th e structure lowers the water safely to the level of the fl oor of the bridge at the bottom of the picture. Toe-wall and waterway combinations such as this will often cure a gully problem just above a roadside culvert or along a property line. WI-121-5 September 1958 

 John Bollinger (former SCS Farm Planner); H.H. Bennett (former Chief, SCS; Marv Schweers (former State Conservationist Wisconsin); an Herb Flueck (former State Conservationist, Minn.) standing beside roadside marker commemorating the establishment of the Nation’s First Watershed Project at Coon Valley, Wis. WI-28-9 July 1955 Photo E. Cole 

Cedarburg, Washington County, WI Rudy and Agnes KrumbeigeHarold Ryan, SCS, observing the luxuriant growth of alfalfa-browhich were constructed last year. Wi-164-9 Sept. 1959 Phot

Green Bay, Brown Co., WI Work unit offi ce at Green Bay. MrConservationist, Soil Conservation Service greeting landowner. W
L to R Avery Clark, Cooperator, Roy Dingle Work Unit Conservationist, Soil Conservation Service, Avery Marshall, veteran instructor looking at Clark’s farm plan, Richland County Soil Conservation District. Wis-1317 March 1955

Th e Conservation T

Th e least recognized partner in the conservaTh e fi rst technicians were CCC aides or enrclosed, became SCS employees. In later yeafarmers looking for other work or technical SCS-applicable skills were learned through aMy experience with technicians began in 19Engineering Technician in Eau Claire. Stanwas the “on site technician”, who had been aalong with Area Conservationist Hal Smith.Stanley was in his late 50’s when I met him, When we left the construction site near Pepbut in separate cars back towards Eau Claireparted ways, there was a convenient Root Bealways buy us a cold drink after a hot day on Stanley was a jokester! Th e following summbecame an Assistant State Conservationist, aon the Alma-Mill Creek Watershed, in primKjarsgaard, the area engineer, came down to progress. While Al was out on the site, Stanrattlesnake on the car seat. When Al came bsnake, he calmly found a hand axe and slashthrough the seat of the government car!A favorite topic for lengthy discussion with about whether mortar held bricks together oStanley retired at the required age of 70, evequit. Needing something to keep him busy, joined the “Green Th umb” program. TogetWoodlawn Home and Park” and the “EmpiHwy 25 in Dunn County.Stanley Borm was truly an SCS technician tanyone who has ever worked in the fi eld coutechnicians who formed the backbone and sService.By Stanley Dingle, Retired SCS Design E

Looking over plans for terracing on the farm. River Falls, Pierce County, WI WI-34-2 September 1955 Photo E.W. Cole
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Productive FarmlandsContour stripcropping on Kewaunee Silt Loam, Waushara County WI Wis-1406 1961 Photo: E.W. Cole

Random tile drain system being installed in the Kewaunee-Manatopography of the area along Lake Michigan. A grassed waterway middle of the farm. Picture is taken looking east. State Point Bebackground. Manitowoc County, WI Wis-1398 July 28, 196

Soil conservation and land improvement for agriculture continued as the primary work of the agency for more than 40 years, from the 1940s through the 1980s, until evolving toward a broader natural resource mission beginning in the 1990s.

Careful selection of production sites is the fi rst step in producing choice fruits and vegetables for the commercial market. Basic to the selection are soil and landscape characteristics to satisfy critical demands of the crops to be grown. Walter Raitanen (L), soil scientist for Libby and Frank Anderson State Soil Scientist of SCS, discuss merits of a proposed fi eld location as indicated in an SCS comprehensive soil survey. WI-L-372-11 1970 
Bad Axe Watershed-One branch of Sidie Hollow which will impound water for fl ood control and recreation area. Conservation practices seen in the background will help prevent silting. Note how the valley fl oor has been destroyed from the numerous fl oods in the past years. Wi-317-4 1962Watershed projects continue1960s

Reinforced Concrete Drop Spillway construction, Bay City Wconcrete in Structure No. 2 Pierce County, WI 1962 PhTh is water control structure and farm pond is on the 160-accontour strips to the left. Th e contour strips in the backgrounCoon Creek Watershed, Monroe County, WI Wis 1418 A

“If this streambank moves back another 10 feet as it did this spring,” said John Bergh, “it will be eight feet into my barnyard. It all but toppled my fences along the bank this year as the water swirled around this bend of the Little Suamico River.” WI-I-391-6

“A prosperous and enduring agriculture depends on an adequate supply of productive land, properly used and so protected from erosion that it will remain permanently productive.” Hugh Hammond Bennett
26

Tobacco is south from the buildings. To the right of the grass waterway is grain and hay alternating. To the left is corn and hay. A drop inlet structure is next to the woodland at the far end of the photo. In the left foreground is pasture renovation. WI-318-12 July 10, 1962 Photo E.W Cole

Ernest Link (L) and Dr. Frances Hole fi lling bags with soil samplCounty,WI WI-L-219-14 1967 Photo F.M. StoneScreens used by the engineers to seperate soil materials. Diff erent svisible in the screens. Brown County,WI WI-L-297-4 Photo F

View of terraces leading into grass waterway along the side of a recently completed spring pond.Marathon County, WI Wi-242-1 June 1961 Photo: E.W. Cole
George Alley, SCS Woodland Conservayear old stand of Black Spruce Rusk CWI-L-315-9 May 1969 Photo: A.H

Ditching and dike construction with a tile system for a pump drainage system on peat and muck soil Sheboygan County, WI WI-237-3 June 1961 Photo: E. W. Cole

Elbert and Margaret Twist review their conservation plan w(center) Lake Geneva, Walworth County, WI WI-278-11 

Field density apparatus used for testing in-place density of soils using the sand funnel method. Work being done by Civil Engineering Technician Harland Gunderson, watched by contractor’s workman. WI-197-8 1960
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Earth Day Th e environmental mway we approach the own Gaylord Nelson leadership to establish environmental protecissue. 

National Environmental Policy Th e National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), sifi rst day of 1970, was short, simple, and comprehena national policy to protect the environment, createEnvironmental Quality (CEQ), and required that a statements, now known as environmental impact stfor major federal actions having a signifi cant eff ect 

Consider the Earth

Land Improvement . . . .  . . . . or Resource Protection? Drainage and dam building began to slow with new concerns about protecting ecosystems and restoring the ecology.Fence Row to Fence Row In the ‘70s, USDA Secretary Earl Butz encouraged farmers to plant fence row to fence row to feed a hungry world, and “get big or get out” was his advice to farmers.SCS continued on with land improvement ~ removing fence rows, draining wetlands for cropland, working toward better yields for agriculture. As the environmental movement grew, SCS began to move toward broader natural resource protection and less single-minded focus on land improvement for agriculture.

Red Clay ProjectWhen President Kennedy fl ew into Duluth, he noted clay plume fl owing into Lake Superior, or so the story Project, SCS experimented with ways to stabilize the south shore of Lake Superior. Many types of conservout, and many techniques attempted to stabilize the rshorelines. In the end it proved extremely diffi cult to impossible to coordinate the wide range of partners areport was issued in 1980.

State Conservationist W.W. Russell (L) and District Conservationist Harold Porter view new SCS sign Madison, WI May 1970 
1970s 

Water Bank – slowing wetland drainageTh e Water Bank Program was the agency’s fi rst foray into preserving existing 

wetlands, instead of draining them. In addition, Water Bank sites restored the surrounding acres to wildlife habitat. Wisconsin had 1,000 10-year contracts, many of which were renewed for a second decade between 1972 and 1995.

C

~ November 1977 ~

Congress passes the Soil and Water Resources 

Conservation Act to conserve, protect and enhance 

the nation’s natural resources for future uses.

Waterbank project with adjacent nesting cover. 

Pearlie Remployin 1970 KenoshSheboymoved in the MState Cand Calagency’s Americcurrentlfor Adm

Peg Whiteside, was the fi rst woman engineer for the Soil Conservation Service in Wisconsin.

KathbecaDistLang
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Landowner Herman Grass(L) discusses conservation plan with DWI-W-112-9 Sauk County 1977Dam construction continues in Vernon County. Bad Axe soil cemeWI-W-6-11 1974 

Maurice Kroll, SCS aide running a ditch survey with a level WI-L-314-14 May 1970

Th e conservation plan became the basis for all conservation work for the farm, the cooperators agreement and the record of resource concerns.
An alluvual fan from a gully in Rosholt soils caused by spring runoff Portage, WI. WI-L-467-7 April 1972 

Waterways safely remove excess water from a series of diversiPhoto: G. Link

Pollution Abatement. SCS Area Engineer Emerson Christenpollution abatement type practice. Greenleaf, Brown Coun

Concrete slab for barnyard pollution abatement practice. Manure will be picked up from part of this slab and deposited in a stacker. Tongue and grooved 2 by 6 timbers will be nailed to the poles to provide for a manure stacking area. New Franken, Brown Co., WI WI WI-L-506-1 Nov.1972
32

An Adventure in Flood ControlTh e City of Richland Center struggled with the fi nancial and social 

decision to proceed with the Pine River dike project. Th e City was divided. No fl ooding had taken place within the city for decades, so townspeople did not see the need. Many felt those who made their choice to live by the river should not be subsidized to move out of the fl ood-prone area. And some residents in the dike corridor feared they would not be treated fairly by the Government in relocating their homes. Residents on the land side of the dike within the potential fl ooding area were anxious for the project to proceed so their properties would be protected.

Pine River Flood Protection

Hard decisions were made and the project proceed50% of the dike design elevation did occur after onwas completed. Th e residents saw clearly the value to complete the project never waivered again. Signoccurred since the project completion and the dike Development in the area protected by the dike has development of the community.by John Ramsden, State Conservation Engineer

An article from the Richland Center Newspaper, the Richland Observer.

September 1982
Th e project was designed with recreational interests in mind. Th e top of the dike is a biking and hiking path that is handicap accessible and is now a real asset to the city. A landscape plan was an essential part of the project.

Copy of the invitation to the dedication ceremony of the Pine River Watershed Project.

Construction of the detention basin that intercepts stormwaCenter.

Th is concrete internal drainage channel intercepts storm runPine River. 
34

What Shall We Call Th is Th ing?RC&D was a concept initially conceived by Orville Freeman, John F. Kennedy’s Secretary of Agriculture. He was 100 percent in support of the soil conservation district concept ... but he felt problems did not stop at county or district lines. He felt resource issues had an economic impact and could have more of an economic impact if people would work together. After a discussion between Freeman and Donald Williams, the 2nd Chief of SCS, Williams recalls “Freeman turned to me and said “What shall we call this thing?” I said, “Well, we have been talking about resources and conservation and development from the standpoint of labor opportunities and economic opportunities. Really what you are talking about here is the economic side of the results of conservation.” He said, “Okay, let us call them RC&D projects.” Th at was how they were named and that was a start.”

Branching out

Th e immediate priority the Pri-Ru-Ta Council was logging dams. Th e dams, constructed before the tuwere in various stages of failure. Some dams had acatastrophic failure, only to be replaced by poorly ddams. SCS sent in engineers to rebuild the structuProgram funds provided up to a half a million dolltechnical and fi nancial assistance to Pri-Ru-Ta Couthroughout the 1960’s into the late 1980’s. State CRichard Ackley, State Engineer Marvin Knabach, aDuane Wallace were particularly helpful in those eaTh ose old wooden dams are all gone now, replaced culverts or simply removed. Pri-Ru-Ta moved into management, ag product marketing, and livestock remains multi- county resource conservation and rprojects with local sponsors, utilizing diverse fundieconomic and environmental conditions in Wisconby Chris Borden, Pri-Ru-Ta RC&D CoordinatorPri-Ru-Ta is the fi rst RC&DPri-Ru-Ta was one of the fi rst four RC&Ds au1964 by Donald Williams, Administrator of SBennett was “Chief” of SCS, but the title was departmental re-organization; Norm Berg chanChief during his tenure.) From Soil Conservatio

~ September 1962 ~ 

Th e Resource Conservation and Development 

Program is created to advance community 

development and environmental protection 

in multi-county areas.
RC&Ds now serve all of Pri-Ru-Ta was the fi rst RC&D fWisconsin and one of the fi rst fouAll Wisconsin counties are now in 

• Pri-Ru-Ta ~ 1964• Lumberjack ~ 1968• Golden Sands ~ 1972• River Country ~ 1977• Glacierland ~ 1994• Southwest Badger ~ 19• Town and Country ~ 2

Resource Conservation and Development (RC&Ds) Councils launched many lake building and lake improvement projects in the cause of tourism and economic development. RC&D and SCS helped develop lakes and ski hills, with surveying and mapping. SCS used every tool in the toolbox to build up the economy and tourism of northern Wisconsin through RC&D. Pri-Ru-Ta 

Medford WI

River CountryAltoona WI

Southwest BadgerLancaster, WI

LumRhin

Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D)

If one looks at a map of Northern Wisconsin, one sees many lakes, except in Rusk, Price, and Taylor counties. Th e Pri-Ru-Ta Council associated county wealth and development to lakes and tourism. Th ey wanted lakes. Th ey brought in engineers and soil surveyors to help with this endeavor. Yes, some old logging dams were looked at and replaced, most notably, Miller Dam in Taylor County was rebuilt to establish Chequamegon Waters Flowage. Many other lakes and fl owages were built as well, to help the local economy and quality of life.

by Stan Dingle, 1st RC&D Engineer, Pri-Ru-Ta
36

From the beginning, SCS was in the business of making soil surveys, as was the USDA Bureau of Soils, the University of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey. In 1952, Congress designated SCS as the single agency in charge of the National Cooperative Soil Survey.From the 1960 through the 1980s, soil survey crews hopscotched around the state as counties came up with funding. By 1992, most Wisconsin counties had complete or nearly complete soil survey, except for 10 counties in northwestern Wisconsin. A Memorandum of Understanding signed in 1992 led to a massive multi-partnered undertaking, which astonished everyone, and against all odds, completed the soil survey in the fall of 2005 and the digital survey of the state by June 30, 2006.

A Soil Scientist’s Career Excerpts fTh e starting salary was $2,974/year (in 1949). Th e r

looked favorable however there was no life or health time. Th ere were nine fi eld soil scientists, a state soicreated assistant state soil scientist position. Being twinter I was assigned to developing soil conservatiocrops were planted I laid out conservation strips and install other conservation practices. My initial soil survey training consisted of a two day conditions in late March in the rain... In June I was County for training and to help complete the soil suwith a University of Wisconsin soil survey crew. Pemonth detail was $3.50/day.In June of 1950, due to lack of funding, the soil poswas abolished and I was transferred to Durand in WTh e District Conservationist there was Hal Smith wadministrator. I worked on the soil survey of indiviconservation planning in Buff alo, Pepin, and Trempmapping was done on 1936 photos in some countie1938 photos for farm planning.Since Buff alo County was about 2/3 mapped, State DeYoung decided to complete the county starting in All other counties in the area were given a ration of survey per year. We would stay in private homes as that time.During the winter months we wrote the soil reports Counties. Th e SCS had not completed the format survey report. Th us we had no published guidelinetwo soil survey reports. A.J. Klingelhoets, new state helpful in suggesting and editing sections of the repwere typed and retyped many times as changes in codeveloped. Buff alo County was fi nally published in Pepin County in March of 1964.

“While the farmer holds the title to the land, actually it belongs to all the people because civilization itself rests upon the soil.” Th omas Jeff ersonSoil is the foundationSoil surveyor R.E Reinke recording soil data. Wis-1232, 1947Photo: Chet Gee
Th e Year of Soil 2006In June, 2006, Wisconsin accomplished a monumental task. By that date, the entire state of Wisconsin had a complete soil survey, available on line with free, easy public access. In late fall, 2005, the soil mapping of the last 10 counties in northwest Wisconsin was completed. Th ose maps were fi nalized and digitized for a remarkable website called Web Soil Survey.Soil mapping the entire state was not an easy task. USDA began mapping over 100 years ago, with the Racine County soil survey completed in 1906. Th e modern soil survey with larger scale maps began in the 1960’s, and soil scientists with USDA’s old Soil Conservation Service toiled on, making soil surveys and publishing them in large books, county by county, at a pace that would fi nish the state in about 2020. Many counties realized the value of knowing the potential and limits of the soil for land use planning and kicked in money to speed along their surveys. In 2000, the State of Wisconsin agreed to accelerate the pace even more, with $4.6 million to help the NRCS fi nish the far northwest counties and produce a digital on-line state wide soil survey.

Year of Soil

2006 was proclaimed by Governor Jim Doyle to be the Year of all Wisconsin soil surveys were completed - digitized, certifi ed aSurvey. A grand Soil Survey Celebration was held in the State 
38

By the 1970s, innovative farmers were testing out all kinds of reduced tillage methods to save fuel, time and soil. SCS began working with the farmer-innovators: those who loved to experiment with hopes of saving time or money.Th e No-till Revolution

Th e No-Till Revolution needed teproceed – SCS sold the concept to wrote conservation plans, but we nfrom the University of Wisconsin and better chemicals and equipmeindustry. Farmers’ big fear was geat for growing a weed patch where be. We started with less drastic pras switching from moldboard plow or off set disk, which left a little ressurface; then to till-plant systems warea was tilled and planted at the sthen to no-till. It was a slow procfarmers’ mindsets, but by the 80’sconservation tillage was going full Training was a huge process. At oworkshop in Eau Claire, we were pexpected several hundred people, when 1500 showed up. Th is was 70’s when milk prices were down converting to cash grain. Sure sign of success: You knsold when you saw the moldout in the yard as a lawn orby Jim Enlow, State AgronomisState Resource Conservationist
1980s

In the early 80s, SCS worked hard on wind erosion control and buff ers with limited success – a very tough sell.

Conservation tillage was economically cost eff ective.

Grassed waterways are an important conservation practice to convey runoff from terraces, diversions, or other water concentrations without causing erosion or fl ooding. Th ese waterways also protect and improve water quality.

Th e amount of residue left on the fi eld is measured by utilizing a residue rope.
40

Conservation Comes of Age 1985 Food Security Act was landmark legislation for conservation, establishing the concepts of Conservation Compliance, protection for fragile lands, and an option for land retirement. Several enduring conservation programs were created, including Sodbuster, Swampbuster, and the Conservation Reserve Program. Th is legislation completed the change in course of SCS to resource protection from land improvement. It also began the focus of SCS workload on programs and compliance.

Environmental Quality Incentives PEQIP became America’s primary cost-sharing progconservation replacing the old Agricultural Conserin Wisconsin, erosion control and livestock practicprimary resource concerns. Over 65 percent of the were dedicated to livestock practices in 2009, a typ

Th e Farm Bills 

Later farm bills built on the 1985 Farm Bill:• 1990 Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade 

(FACT) Act of 1990

• 1996 Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform 

Act of 1996 extended the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and formed the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

• 2002 Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, 

added Conservation Security Program (CSP) to reward stewardship. 

• Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 

A stream crossing provides a path for livestock to travel to diff eren

and reducing streambank erosion.
New Programs 

NMP FOTG NRI 

CAMPS FOCS ACP LTA 

EQIP 

A New Language Computerization and offi ce automation ushered in a new language and major cultural change in SCS. Word processing, email and simple offi ce tools became common in the late 1980s. However, the huge potential of geographic-based data for conservation fi eld offi ces 

began to blossom in the 1990s. Two early custom database applications, CAMPS (Computer Assisted Management Planning System) and FOCS (Field Offi ce Computing System) began the march to automated conservation planning and contracting.Th e ability to digitize soil maps and link them to soil data revolutionized soil surveys. SCS became custodian of the soils layer, an essential layer used in Geographic Information Systems (GIS).Th e adoption of new technologies including GIS and digital elevation modeling revolutionized both the production and delivery of soil survey information. Soil scientists now map directly on tablet computers instead of drawing on aerial photos with pencil and paper. Interactive websites allow anyone to access and utilize the extensive soils data and maps anywhere in the US.

Acronyms and Programs GalAt the same time, new programs sprouted out dubbed with acronyms that created an agency have added confusion for many farmers.In 1980, SCS was responsible for 10 program was responsible for 34 program areas. Th e 200a dramatic increase in fi nancial assistance for cthrough NRCS. 

Graph: courtesy of Douglas Helms, NRC

1.000 2.000 3.000 4.000 5.000 6.000 

7.000 8.000 9.000 

1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1

Total asistance, TA + FA, $Billions Te

Financial Assistance, FA, $Billions

$ Billions

USDA Funding 1936

Conservation Technical Assistance (TA) and Fi

provided by USDA in year 2009 

*Th e increase in funding in 1986 refl ects 

Reserve Program through the USDA Far
42

Conservation technology responded to consolidation in the dairy and livestock industry and growth of animal feeding operations. Manure management became a critical concern in Wisconsin.In the 70’s and 80’s gas shortages pushed farmers to cut fuel costs, and avoid daily manure hauling. Dairies began to expand, with more cows on fewer acres. In the 1990s, with consolidation and expansion in the dairy and livestock industry, and growth of confi ned animal feeding operations (CAFOs), NRCS responded to growing concerns about water quality and manure management. Th e Nutrient Management Practice Standard called for balancing fertilizer and nutrients with actual crop needs, not yield hopes.State non-point source laws and stronger well codes pressed farmers and conservationists to adopt new and better technology to protect water quality. NRCS conservation practice standards for manure management were constantly being revised – trying to keep pace with the livestock industry’s needs. It also reprised the more holistic, 1930’s style planning, where-in the number of cattle, feed sources, and acres became key to the “new” Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP).

A broader mission . . . NRCS

Contour strips and manure spreading in Dane County, WI

Milking parlor and 300 cow dairy barn
1990s 

1996 ~ A Geography of Hope wproviding a new direction of strestoration of the land.

Excerpts from the Geography of Th e Nation in 1935 made a national commof private land in the Soil Conservation Acthe depth of the Dust Bowl, recognized thAmericans rested in the hands of farmers akeep their land from eroding away.Th e land, water, air, plants and animals stilfor its health, and that responsibility remaiIndeed, no other agency speaks for the heaprivate land.

A vision for the next century...We in NRCS have a vision...... that farmers, ranchers, and all other privat they have the care of the land in their hand... that our working land produces far more t produces healthy soil, clean water, wildlife h to enrich the lives of rural and urban citize... that local action and voluntary incentives  promising foundation for eff ective land ste... that the environment is a shared responsib and private, federal state and local....Th at our nation will advance the state of harmony between lacall conservation.

October, 1994, SCS is reborn as NRCS, and the raindrop logo restored.

Th e NRCS website evolved to become the primary mode of information communication for the agency.

www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov

Pat Leavenworth became the fi rst woman to serve as Wisconsin State Conservationist in 1994. Pat’s tenure was strongly shaped by the burgeoning role of the agency in implementing the new Farm Bill programs through frequent budget shortfalls. Building partnerships, customer service and outreach to under-served groups, particularly the Tribal Nations of Wisconsin, were her hallmarks as State Conservationist.

Earl Cosby became the fi rst African American State Conservationist for Wisconsin, serving from 1990 to 1994. He worked to implement a state reorganization and to launch Total Quality Management in Wisconsin before moving on as State Conservationist in Georgia.
44

Farm Bill programs and funding in the 2000s put more focus on land use and water quality with programs and practices to:• Preserve farmland• Restore wetlands and wildlife habitat• Reduce chemicals, nutrients and energy use 

Preserve, Restore, Reduce

Th e Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) accelerated toward large scMarsh, a 1,700 acre restoration in Marquette County, was drainnow restored waterfowl and wetland habitat. Wetlands Reserve Program

Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program

Turtle VTh is WetWalwortquality whabitat fbirds an

Th e Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) allows NRCS to help land trusts and other organizations to purchase agricultural easements on prime farmland, thus relieving the pressure on the farmer to develop the land, and securing the agricultural heritage that defi nes Wisconsin. 

“Farmers have only temporary control over their land. It can be 

theirs for a lifetime and no longer. Th e public’s interest, however, goes on and on, endlessly, if nations are to endure.  Hugh Hammond Bennett
2000s 

Reduce – nutrients, pesticides

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program

Environmental Quality Ince

As a dairy and livestock state, nutrient management is the ongoing challenge to clean water. Th e NRCS Nutrient Management Standard 590 set the bar for the state goals and legislation for water quality.

Th e Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) retored thousands of acres of wildlife habitat for species in decline, including in-stream and streambank restorations, new for NRCS.

Conservation Technical AssisConservation Technical Assistance (CTA) is what sets NRCS “We cannot depend on windshield surveys and offi ce planninmagnitude of safeguarding our farmland and controlling fl oEnvironmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is the pstructural and management practices on agricultural land. become the big tent that agriculture needs to encompass the corganic, specialty crops, grazing, energy, tribal agriculture.

Carrying out an eff ective nationwide soil conservation program is not a simple matter in a large country of diversifi ed characteristics and interests.” Hugh Hammond Bennett
46

Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative

Emergency Watershed Program

Torrential rains that fell in Vernon County in August 2007 are hof many constructed in the 1970’s. 

Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) provided many Wisconsin farmers with the key to the good life, an economically viable and environmentally sound farm operation. Photo: Barbara Jansen

Conservation Stewardship Pro

Th e Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) off ered an entirely conservation farmers who care for the land. 

Energy conservation and renewable energy production is again changing the face of agriculture, with NRCS program assistance.

Energy Conservation
Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Council2001 - Th e Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Council (WTCAC) was organized in March 2001 to identify tribal conservation issues and to advise NRCS on more eff ective ways to deliver USDA programs to assist the eleven Indian Nations of Wisconsin. Th is Conservation Advisory Council, authorized in the 1995 Farm Bill, was the fi rst such council formed in the country.

Jean Buff alo-Reyes, the fi rst chairperson of the WTCAC.

NRCS’s work with Wisconsin tribes began mainly in the 1990s and blossomed in the next decade. Dozens of successful projects have been accomplished with over $1.6 million in funding for tribal conservation projects through the 2002 Farm Bill alone. Projects range from simple well closures to protect groundwater, to broad campaigns to combat invasive species, to constructed practices to re-establish wild rice beds and sustain native food sources. Because of the uniqueness of tribal agriculture, NRCS worked to adapt existing conservation standards to these needs, such as Wild Rice Seeding, Pest Management for Aquatic Invasive Species, and Tree Drops for Fish Habitat.

Invasive trees and brush were cleared and oak savannah prairie restored to bring these sacreoriginal setting through a WHIP project with the Ho-Chunk Nation.
48

Dates in Conservation Hist

August 25, 1933 ~ Th e Soil Erosion Service (predecessor to the Soil Conservation Service) was established as a temporary organization in the U.S. Department of the Interior.

September 19, 1933 ~ Actual operation of the Soil Erosion Service began under the direction of Hugh Hammond Bennett.

October 10, 1933 ~ Th e Coon Creek Watershed Demonstration Project, near Coon Valley, Wis., was the fi rst soil erosion control project established by the Soil Erosion Service. R. H. Davis was appointed Regional Director. Actual work started November 1933.

October 16, 1933 ~ Walter C. Lowdermilk entered on duty as Vice Director of the Soil Erosion Service. Lowdermilk authored the book, Conquest of the Land through 7,000 Years.

May 11, 1934 ~ First great duststorm.

June 30, 1934 ~ 2,200 persons employed in the Soil Erosion Service

March 6, 1935 ~ Secon

March 25, 1935 ~ Th e Soil Erosion Service wTh is transfer included all funds, personnel, an

nine of the original 40 erosion control projecDepartment of the Interior, were in operation

April 27, 1935 Th is act directed the Secretarestablish an agency to be known as the Soil Cpermanent agency of the USDA.

June 30, 1935 ~ 6,622 employees in SCS.

February 27, 1937 ~ Franklin Roosevelt urged passage of state legislation to create soil conservation districts. Th e Wisconsin Soil Conservation District Law, (Chapter 92) passed in 1937 led to the establishment of conservation districts along county lines.
June 30, 1937 ~ 13,245 employees in SCS.

1962 ~ Agriculture Act established the National Resource Conservation and Development Program (RC&D)

January 1, 1970 ~ Th e National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was signed into law to protect, maintain, and enhance the environment, and mandating these goals within federal agencies.

October 1972, Clean Water Act becomsurface water quality protection for the 1982 - Th e Wisconsin Soil Conservati92) was revised, abolishing conservatioLand Conservation Committees (LCCgovernment.

October 20, 1994 ~ SCS was renamed the Natural Resources Conservation Service to refl ect the broader mission of the agency. About 12,000 employees in NRCS.

2002 Farm Bill ~ Major changes for grconservation on working lands.

August 1954 ~ Th e Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act is enacted to help communities protect, improve, and develop watersheds.

Water Bank Act of 1970 ~ fi rst major eff ort to 

preserve wetlands in the important migratory waterfowl states.

Dec. 23, 1985 ~ Food Security Act was sto include a conservation title. Establish

Nov 15, 1952 ~ All soil survey activities of USDA placed under SCS. Compliance, Sodbuster, Swampbuster.

April 14, 1996 ~ Farmbill established Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) anHabitat Incentives Program (WHIP).

2006 ~ Th e entire digital soil survey of 
50

State Conservationists 

Marvin F. Schweers 1937-1962 

William W. Russell 1962-1971Richard Akeley 1971-1975Jerome C. Hytry 1976-1980

Cliff ton A. Maguire 

1980-1989

Duane Johnson 

1989-1990

Earl Cosby 

1990-1994

Patricia S. Leavenworth 

1994 - present
Final Words...

“Th e success of that demonstration project rang the bells around the world and they were not the bells that tolled the doom of progress, but rather those that tolled for better things for the land that people live by.”  H.H. Bennett. July 1953

“Wisconsin Conservation History” is a wthe SES/SCS/NRCS legacy in this state fWatershed beginnings to our present arraprograms, watershed initiatives, RC&D resource inventories. Th is will be one of of Wisconsin’s great conservationists - tholives for healthy natural resources, healthy communities. Our third workforce genertake over the reins in Wisconsin. I am coprofessionals have ample diversity and skcarry the agency into the next hundred yeforeseen and unforeseen challenges and nWith them rides much hope for continuewhere the bells will toll for “better things live by.”Yours in conservation,Patricia S. LeavenworthState ConservationistJuly 2010
A Legacy of Conservation

Celebrating 75 years of 

Helping People Help the Land

2010

"Everything we do, all we share, even whatever we amount to as a great and enduring people, begins with and rests on the sustained productivity of our agricultural land." 

Hugh Hammond Bennett