by Mari Radtke
O’Brien County Conservation held its regular meeting Monday July 15 at Prairie Heritage Center. The first order of business is to swear in a new board member, John Putnam. Putnam replaces Jack Wallinga of Sutherland who chose not to return at the end of his term, on July 1, 2024. Wallinga served on the O’Brien County Conservation Board (OCCB) for nearly 3 decades. His knowledge and understanding of the OCCB cannot be undervalued.
Putnam submitted an application to the O’Brien County Board of Supervisors. Two other applicants also were considered, Leeann Langfitt of Primghar and Hope Crowhurst, also of Primghar. The supervisors considered each candidate’s application. The primary deciding factor choosing Putnam seemed to be how he demonstrated involvement in Conservation by attending meetings before his appointment. The application system was adopted in 2022 for all county board appointments in response to controversy to OCCB appointments beginning then and changes in state law since then.
An easement agreement between OCCB and Osceola Rural Water required was considered and is in its last steps. Final language for an easement needs to be chosen. The spirit of the easement is to allow limited public use of the protected land around the wells. Osceola Rural Water approached OCCB about drilling wells on Conservation property near the Little Sioux River. OCCB members are amendable to allowing the wells so long as trails or other public use can be retained by Conservation. According to Conservation Director Mark Wilson the use is agreeable. Spraying within 200 feet of the well is prohibited.
Tjossem Park access was blocked from the west since flooding in late June damaged the bridge on 400th Street. That bridge is now open and Tjossem Park is fully accessible. McCullough Creative is the selected designer for the Prairie Heritage Center display. They will be at the Center in the near future to do measuring and other tasks required to present plans and drawings.
OCCB efforts to develop a strategic plan for the organization is underway. The Board has drafted a mission statement and timeline to develop the entire document.
Public input is being sought, first through a survey process. For those who get the “Little Sioux Wanderings” newsletter there is a QR code that will take an intested person directly to an online survey sight. The newsletter is also online at prairieheritagecenter.org under the link for news. There is a link to the survey from the online newsletter. Or contact the nature center, 712-295-7200 for a written survey. Public meetings for input to the strategic plan have been announced. The first public input meeting is scheduled for Tuesday July 30 at Mill Creek Park Lodge. That meeting is set to begin at 5:00pm until 6:30pm. The second public input meeting is scheduled concurrent with the annual Bison Burger feed. This years event falls on Tuesday August 20 from 5:00 to 8:00pm. The Bison Burger Feed is an annual fundraiser of Little Sioux Valley Conservation Association.
OCCB will develop a vision statement from the public input. The practice will act as a guide to the board and staff in how to allocate its resources to best meet the public’s wishes/needs. The project is expected to reach completion spring 2025.