The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) is committed to a leadership role in protecting, improving, and managing surface waters and affiliated ground water resources within the District, including their relationships to the ecosystems of which they are an integral part. In fulfilling its mission, MCWD is looking to use every available tool to protect and enhance water resources. Land owners have the opportunity to contribute by conservation easements, selling their property or a habitat restoration agreement.
Land protection is one of many tools MCWD uses to meet clean water goals. View our current or past projects.
The health of a water body is a reflection of the land use in the area of land that drains to it, or its watershed. As the intensity of human land use increases, water quality goes down and habitat is degraded.
Traditionally, water quality protection tools have operated just before polluted water reaches its downstream destination (a lake, river, or stream).The Land Conservation Program works to protect land at critical watershed drainage areas and restore degraded habitats upstream. By doing this we reduce the need for expensive infrastructure downstream, reducing costs for taxpayers and developers.
The result is a green infrastructure of open spaces and natural areas that not only takes advantage of the free water quality services provided by Mother Nature, but also provides a number of other benefits
- Wildlife habitat
- Improved air quality
- Carbon sequestration
- Increased property values
The Land Conservation Program helps the District accomplish its goals by protecting and restoring key uplands and wetlands.
When a willing landowner sells or donates a fee title or a conservation easement over his or her land, the key upland and wetland areas identified by the Land Conservation Program are protected forever and native vegetation is restored. Water quality, healthy aquatic habitat, wildlife, neighboring landowners, and downstream communities all benefit.
