Crook County
Natural Resource District

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When is the 2007 tree sale order form due?
A: The 2007 tree sale order form is due March 16th, 2007. We recommend getting your orders in as early as possible as some trees are pre-ordered and only limited numbers are available.  Please see the TREES page for more information about our seedling tree program.

Q: What is a Conservation District?
A: Conservation Districts are democracy in action. A Conservation District is a legal subdivision of the State, organized under the Wyoming Conservation Districts Law. They are organized by a vote of the people within the district and are managed by a Board of (five) Supervisors. These Supervisors are local residents who serve voluntarily, without pay. All are elected by the local citizens and by statute: three are rural, one member is urban and one at-large. Supervisors serve staggered 4-year terms to improve the stability and consistency between elections for conservation district programs. Supervisors may come from many different occupations, but by law all Supervisors must be residents of Wyoming.(As well, all Board members must reside within the same county boundaries in which they are elected to serve.)

District Supervisors have a unique role among agencies managing Wyoming’s natural resources. Serving as the “grassroots” representatives of the landowners and general public in their communities, they provide leadership and direction in resource conservation, development, and implementation of programs.

Conservation Districts develop and implement programs to protect and conserve soil, water, prime and unique farmland, rangeland, woodland, wildlife, energy, and other renewable resources on non-federal lands. Districts also stabilize local economies and resolve conflicts in land use. The MISSION of Wyoming Conservation Districts is to provide leadership for the conservation of Wyoming’s soil and water, protect the agricultural resource base, promote the control of soil erosion, promote and protect the quality and quantity of Wyoming’s water, provide assistance to reduce the siltation of stream channels and reservoirs, promote wise use of Wyoming’s natural resources, preserve and enhance wildlife habitat, protect the tax base and promote the health, safety and general welfare of the citizens of this state through “A responsible conservation ethic.”

  1. Nationally, conservation districts usually operate under the following general policies:
  2. Conservation should be led by local citizens.
  3. The final responsibility for conservation lies with the landowner.
  4. Landowners have legitimate operating goals.
  5. Conservation Districts are responsive to both landowners and operators, and the community as a whole.
  6. The best agricultural land should be maintained for agriculture.

A Conservation District cannot levy taxes and does not have the right of eminent domain. The district may request monies and operation maintenance of the district from the State Legislature through the Wyoming Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Budget or from a special levy not to exceed one mil.

The District can own property, accept donations, sue and be sued, raise funds as profit from work performed and accept and use money provided by the Wyoming Department of Agriculture or others (such as the CCNRD’s Belle Fourche River 319 Grant through the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality) in promotion of the district’s conservation programs.

Districts provide a means for all interested people in the community to work together for the conservation and development of natural resources. A District Supervisor represents the people of the District as a member of the official governing body. The Board of Supervisors had the responsibility for developing and putting into action a program to conserve and develop the natural resources of the district.

Q: How did Conservation Districts start?


A: During the 1930’s, results of the Dust Bowl stressed the need to conserve natural resources, especially regarding soil. Agencies ranging from Land Grant Universities to the Federal Emergency Relief Administration researched and implemented conservation practices throughout the nation. Eventually, the Soil Conservation Service (or Natural Resource Conservation Service as it is known today) was created under the Soil Conservation Act of 1935 to develop and implement soil erosion control programs.

Occasionally, agencies working with conservation ended up competing with each other. Local leadership was needed to coordinate their efforts and tie them into local conditions and priorities. Because of this the President developed a model Conservation District Law for consideration by the state governments.

In March 1941, the State Legislature passed an enabling act which provided for the establishment of Conservation Districts in Wyoming. Conservation Districts were to direct these programs protecting local renewable natural resources. Wyoming now has 34 local Conservation Districts in 23 counties.


Q: What does the CCNRD provide to the citizens of Crook County?
A:

Q: What is the difference between CCNRD and NRCS?

 Although NRCS and CCNRD are located in the same office (The USDA Service Center), there is a distinct difference in what we do. We are cooperating agencies and work together on many practices, yet we are separate agencies.    NRCS partners with many agencies and organizations.  Its closest partnership, which began over 70 years ago, is with conservation districts. NRCS staff works with conservation districts work with at the local level to provide technical assistance to farmers and ranchers as they voluntarily apply conservation measures to their private lands.  The biggest difference between the two agencies is that NRCS is a federal agency and CCNRD is a local agency, a legal subdivision of the County. Each of us has separate budgets and the ability to do very different things. For example, NRCS provides mostly technical assistance and receives their money annually through the federal budget. They often have stricter deadlines and less flexibility on a local level.   On the other hand, the CCNRD is run by a board representing Crook County residents on a local level, and is able to apply for various grants and provide information and education on natural resource topics.  The NRCS values the input from the local level and uses this to provide better services to landowners.  CCNRD board members assist in NRCS planning by participating in local work groups and CCNRD is also able to promote many NRCS programs and uses NRCS staff as a technical resource when planning workshops, and educational events.  In turn, NRCS uses these education events, newsletter articles and workshops as an outlet to promote their program and spearhead educational needs.

 

Q: What is the Belle Fourche River Watershed Plan and why should I care?
A:The Belle Fourche River Watershed Plan was written and developed by local citizens of Crook County with the guidance from the Crook County Natural Resource District (CCNRD). The process began in 1998 when the two sections of the Belle Fourche River (BFR) and one section of Donkey Creek are listed as impaired on the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality's (WYDEQ) 303 (d) list due to exceedences of fecal coliform bacteria. In order to AVOID regulatory action and address this issue on a local level, a local advisory group made up of landowners in Crook County was developed to write a watershed plan. The state of Wyoming is unique in United States because of the fact that Conservation Districts have worked with local citizens to write and implement watershed plans, instead of TMDL's or Total Maximum Daily Loads. Most other states were not given this option and in fact the regulatory agencies prefer what we are doing because it's "on-the ground implementation." The watershed plan has five purposes designed to address the fecal coliform impairment and work with landowners in Crook County to clean up the river. The main components of the watershed plan are: Water Quality Monitoring, Addressing Agricultural, Recreational, Urban and Wildlife Impacts within the watershed and Information and Education.

Of course writing the watershed plan was no easy task. It involved many years of meetings, revisions, preliminary monitoring and testing and local dedication. In 2004 the watershed plan was approved by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) and the since the impairment listing of the Belle Fourche River and Donkey Creek worked through EPA section 319 grants to implement the watershed plan. To read the plan or download a brochure, please visit our PUBLICATIONS page.

Q: What does the watershed coordinator do?
A: The Crook County Natural Resource District (CCNRD) Watershed Coordinator was hired to help implement the Belle Fourche River Watershed Plan. The position is funded completely through the EPA section 319 grant and involves many tasks. The main components of the watershed coordinator position are to develop information and education programs such as workshops, visits to local schools, and public meetings. The watershed coordinator also works to implement a cost share program for best management practices including septic systems and does yearly water quality sampling. The position is directed by the CCNRD board of supervisors and a local landowner advisory group. To learn more about this position please call Yarrow at the office, 283-2501.

Q: What types of educational programs can you offer to the schools in the County?
A: Right now, we mostly offer educational programs involving watersheds, water quality and water quality sampling. There are many opportunities for us to grow and we hope to offer more educational and outreach programs. Right now Yarrow has a 2-day (1 hour or so per day) class prepared to teach middle school or high school students how we sample. We also have water sampling kits for younger age groups including macroinvertebrates and an Enviroscape Watershed model.

Next year we plan to have a COUNTY WIDE EARTH DAY event, which is in the development stages. We also plan to participated in National Water Quality Monitoring Day in October.

Please contact Yarrow at the office if you are interested in learning more or scheduling a time for her to visit your school.

Q: When are you going to start water quality monitoring?
 

A: A new Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) for water quality monitoring on the Belle Fourche River and Donkey Creek has been approved by the landowner advisory group and WDEQ. For 2006 sampling will begin on May 10th and continue through September 20th. Yarrow will be sampling every Wednesday at approximately 10 sites covering the entire reach of the impaired sections of the Belle Fourche River and on point on Donkey Creek. In 2007 and 2008, we will start sampling the first week of May and finish the last week in September in order to cover the recreation season.

We are sampling mostly for a member of the fecal coliform group, E. coli, and use an in-house method called Colilert to analyze the results. We also collect data on Turbidity, pH, Specific Conductance, Temperature and Total Suspended Solids. For more information about sampling, please contact the office at 283-2501.

Q: What are the regulations in Crook County for installing a Septic System?


A: According to Resolution No. 9-2004, any Small Wastewater Treatment Facility (septic system or drainfield) in Crook County must be inspected by a County Designee. This inspection must happen BEFORE the installation is complete. In Crook County, this person is now employed through the Growth and Development Office.  Please call Fred Duncan at: 307-283-1540.

The steps involved in permitting a septic system are outlined in a document developed by CCNRD.  Click here to download this document.  We have also created a flow chart developed by CCNRD in coordination with Ralph Goodson. To download this document click here.

For a list of contractors/installers in the area who are familiar with this process, please call the office.

Q: What are the regulations in the state of Wyoming for installing a Septic System?


A: In the State of Wyoming, there are minimum standards for the design and construction of small waste water treatment facilities (septic systems or drainfields). It is the homeowners responsibility to assure that septic system installers comply with the proper design and siting requirements.

The Water Quality Division (WDEQ/WQD) Rules & Regulations that pertain to the installation of septic systems are presented in Chapter 11, Part D. To download this document click here.

WDEQ/WQD offices issue permits for septic systems in the following counties in Wyoming: Big Horn, Carbon, Crook, Hot Springs, Niobrara, Platte, Washakie, and Weston.

Permits for septic systems MUST be filled out and accepted prior to being inspected in Crook County by the County Designee (see below). This application is quite extensive and usually the contractor and/or installer can help you fill it out. For a copy of the permit applications stop by our office, or click here  for a website where you can download the same information. You can also visit our PUBLICATIONS page to download the same documents.

Q: How can I find out if I am eligible for your cost-share program?


A: Go to publications, open up the Belle Fourche River Watershed Map and locate your property. If you are in the UPPER Belle Fourche River Watershed continue to step 2. If not, most likely you are not eligible. However, you can call the office and talk to Yarrow to discuss it further. OR if you have questions on how to read the map or are not sure, call the office and Yarrow will help you.

If your property is within the UPPER Belle Fourche River Watershed, do you believe there is a water quality concern?

( Mostly likely if the answer is YES, you live on or near the Belle Fourche River or a tributary of the BFR?)

If the answer is YES go on to step three. If the answer is NO, mostly likely you are not eligible. However, you can still call the office and talk to Yarrow.

If your property is within the UPPER Belle Fourche River Watershed and you believe there is a water quality concern, the next step is to figure out which part of the cost-share application you are eligible for:

Do you have a septic system that you feel is failing or in need of maintenance-- and is this septic the potential cause of your water quality concern? Can you demonstrate there is a water quality concern? If the answer is YES, the next question is has any part of your septic system been installed prior to 1986?  If YES, is your property a single family dwelling ONLY(not a business)? If YES, YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE SEPTIC SYSTEM COST-SHARE PROGRAM! Click here to download the DEQ Cost share application for septics installed prior to 1972 or Click here to download the WDA Cost Share application for septics installed prior to 1986.

Do you have an Animal Feeding Operation (AFO), Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO), or winter pasture that you feel could be a potential water quality concern? If so, YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES COST-SHARE PROGRAM!

Click here to download the application.

Q: What is your cost-share program all about?


A: Two sections of the Belle Fourche River (BFR) and one section of Donkey Creek are listed as impaired on the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality's (WYDEQ) 303 (d) list due to exceedences of fecal coliform bacteria. In order to address this issue on a local level, the CCNRD along with a local advisory group (made up of local citizens) developed a Belle Fourche River Watershed Plan.  The overall goal is to eventually remove the BFR from the impairment list. In order to do this, CCNRD has written and obtained an EPA Section 319  grant dedicated to implementing the BFR Watershed Plan.  One of the main tasks in this grant is providing a cost-share program for best management practices (BMP's) to eligible landowners in the UPPER Belle Fourche River Watershed Plan.

One way to reduce the amount of fecal coliform entering the river is to implement BMP's that are designed to remove non-point source pollution from waterways.   The purpose of this cost-share program is to demonstrate BMP's that will assist in reducing water quality impacts from non-point sources such as:

The CCNRD has approximately $70,000 in cost-share funds available to landowners in the Upper Belle Fourche River Watershed area of Crook County.  These funds will use best management practices (BMP's) to address water quality concerns.  The total project costs will be matched at a 50% rate with non-federal cash or in-kind contributions. Please contact Yarrow at the office for details about this program and eligibility criteria.