The Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) has received funding for a new Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) Wetlands easement program.
Applications are being accepted Jan. 5-Feb. 13. The purpose of the RIM wetlands program will be to identify and enroll lands that contain drained/altered wetland ecosystems and adjoining buffer where the functions and values can be restored. Focus will be put on sites with depressional basins with restoration potential.
Program guidelines are as follows:
All RIM easements will be perpetual easements, meaning they must stay in conservation cover permanently regardless of change in ownership. The property must contain drained and altered wetlands that can be restored.
Area offered must be a minimum of 20 acres in size, but smaller acres may be considered based on location and connectivity.
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Land being offered must be owned by the applicant or blood relative for at least one year prior to the date of application. Most areas currently enrolled in CRP are eligible; you would still be able to receive all your CRP payments even if you enroll into RIM Wetlands.
The RIM program is designed to permanently protect, restore, and manage natural resources. When enrolled into the easement program, land is still owned by the landowner and a one-time payment is made to the landowner for all the acres enrolled into the program. This payment does not buy the property, but simply certain rights to the land. The and remains in private ownership.
