Education or assistance the importance of water quality
Information on how current laws vs best practices and if the ways to report abuse.
Perhaps information about conserving land and water resources at a home in the city?
Increase programs to promote improved ag land practices. Increase emphasis on urban stormwater practices.
We have participated in Farmland Preservation and Nutrient Management in the past. Not sure what else would benefit us.
Technical assistance/resources to rural residential property owners for how to maintain/upgrade vacant land acreage to best support wildlife.
Increasing public awareness of what contaminants are of greatest concern and are most common and what will have the most impact on improving water quality
I would like to learn more about the current as well as historical trends in the quality of water and soils from around the county. It would help me become more aware and enable me to do my part in helping improve water an soil quality.
Make more education available to teach us to appreciate the environment. We need to start kids off right, with a reverence for nature. Adults too need such education to see beyond the busy-ness of their days, to consider how their decisions and actions are affecting the future.
Agency Collaboration
Work closely with all municipalities and the state and not against each other.
Through our legislators, force the DNR to get aggressive on Carp.
They should get involved with the local townships in the southeastern part of the county on the Rock River Flooding problem
More of what the healthy waters group and alliance are doing and more focus on manure management
Enforce regulations evenly. Some large farms seem to be focused on short gains and not take a long view of conservation. While some small farms try their best and take pride in doing things correctly.
Keep supporting Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil and Water. That group is doing as much good for our agricultural conservation efforts as anyone.
I think an area to work on could be providing low cost rainwater collection systems for homeowners to reduce the use of ground water for plant and lawn irrigation. It is an easy low cost way to maximize an underutilized water source which most people could implement and therefore contribute to water conservation and land used by building to prevent excessive watershed.
Field technician for collaboration on watershed improvement programs. Town Hall meeting to provide scientific facts and address questions from various community segments. Collaboration with municipalities, towns, and other County Departments to maximize effectiveness of combines resources.
More grants to start and continue conservation (ie pay for cover cropping etc) and more field days/events
Well Testing
More water testing
Testing of well water
Monitor
More water and soil testing for FREE
More observation of water and agricultural runoffs
Develop a plan to protect ground water
Have a person in the department dedicated to water
More testing of water and soils. More observation of land and water
More well testing and with that more communications to residents of results. Continue working with the Lake Districts and Associations to get the word out on rain gardens, lake buffers, etc. maybe help with riprap for shorelines.
Water testing kits
Development
Stop all building of new business or home. We have a lot of builds sitting empty, we need to use them
We live in a municipality that is required to meet water and sewer standards, but we pay for it.
Stormwater and/or natural landscaping requirements for residential developments on parcels greater than 5 acres. Stormwater requirements for residential developments on parcels less than 5 acres. These 2 requirements should include an enforceable maintenance agreement recorded at the Register of Deeds. Rural subdivision should require a Developer's Agreement and a Stormwater Maintenance Agreement with the County. These documents should be recorded with the Register of Deed.
There are still too many home septic systems, milk houses and barnyards draining into roadside ditches, fields and drainage ditches. No seems to be responsible for enforcement
General Agriculture
Assistance with sub surface drainage
Encourage small farm atmosphere
Run off into creeks, streams and rivers
Weed control
Keep fertilizer out of streams
Assist with or mandate better farm practices
It could get my neighbor to stop using the road ditch as a manure pit.
Support for landowners/farmers to improve practices.
Recommendations of businesses and farms that have implemented conservation efforts to speak with real people who have implemented positive change
Stop dumping liquid waste all over it is disgusting and then it is spilled on roads and people have it on their vehicles that gets spread even more.
We have a creek running through our property. We would like to improve it so it's not just a drainage ditch with tiles running into it. It's a daunting task for us personally and if we had some assistance, both financially and manually, we'd stand a better chance of getting something done. Also, a big one for me would be help with invasive species, like garlic mustard and buckthorn and boxelder trees. They are taking over our beautiful Wisconsin woodlands!!
Purchase and rent out equipment like no-till drills and roller crimpers. Promote livestock grazing and crop diverity. Manure management in no-till systems.
Rain run off from fields. In the spring the water is clear and you can see the bottom of the river. After that not.
Miscellaneous
Rain barrels
Fish planting in rivers and lakes
No sure
Focus on all areas of the County
Better water quality
Camping more and improved dump stations
Not even aware of any that are currently available to us
Coming up with ways to lessen the algae on the lakes to make it easier to try fishing.
One concern is invasive weeds that go totally uncontrolled in road side ditches weeds are getting really hard to mange and road ditches grow wild
Provide equitable grant writing opportunities, soiI efforts and water quality efforts equitably across the county
We love the tree and shrub program and buy many every year! Additional tax breaks for conservation properties, possibly consider restoring streams to natural paths instead of straight lines between properties.
The staff at Dodge County Land and Water Conservation is fabulous. They treat the farmer more like their partner rather than advasary. Continue on with cover crop programs and carbon credits programs.
