9:30 a.m. Registration
(Refreshments will be available)
10:00 a.m. Welcome and Introductions
Sarah Diedrick-Kasdorf, Director of Outreach & Member Engagement, Wisconsin Counties Association
Scott Feldt, County Administrator, Kewaunee County
10:10 a.m. How Did We Get Here?
Kewaunee County Conservationist Davina Bonness and Tucker Burch will provide a comprehensive overview of the issues surrounding groundwater in Kewaunee County: well test results, effects of manure applications, DNR workgroups, the formation of a Groundwater Taskforce, creation of a manure irrigation ordinance, passage of NR 151, etc.
They will discuss how all of these various issues influenced and impacted how Kewaunee County addressed groundwater issues. The presenters will provide a variety of perspectives (county, state, technical, political) on all issues impacting groundwater.
Noon: Lunch Break
Lunch is on your own. There are several dining options in and around the Holiday Inn.
1:00 p.m. Working with Farmers to Gain Compliance
Travis Engels, Kewaunee County Conservation Specialist, will outline the various ways that Kewaunee County interacts with the various players involved in groundwater issues with regard to the implementation of NR 151: working with Crop Advisers (CCAs) on nutrient management plans (NMPs), manure haulers on spreading (gallons per acres and spreading schedules), farmers on best practice, etc. The point is to work with those players to gain compliance through building trust so that honest and respectful conversation can take place in lieu of an adversarial relationship.
2:00 p.m. Verification is Important
Davina Bonness, Kewaunee County Conservationist, will outline the county's recent initiative in reviewing NMPs and comparing them with spreading schedules and specific fields to determine whether fields are being identified in more than one NMP and whether the private landowner is aware that their fields have been included in those NMPs. Verification is key to gaining public trust as to whether state and local regulations are being followed.
3:00 p.m. Adjourn