Reinvest In Minnesota (RIM) Reserve
The Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) Reserve Program strives to protect and improve water quality by encouraging landowners to retire environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production. The program reimburses landowners for enrolling their land in a permanent conservation easement, and then provides assistance to restore the area to grass, trees or wetlands. Other benefits of the program include reduced soil erosion and sedimentation, enhanced fish and wildlife habitat, food control and groundwater recharge. The program is managed on the state level by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR). Locally, soil and water conservation districts implement the program.
Eligible Lands:
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Sensitive groundwater: Lands where there is a significant risk of groundwater degradation from activities conducted at or near the land surface (e.g. sinkholes and areas adjacent to public supply wells.)
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Riparian lands: Lands adjacent to public waters, drainage systems, wetlands or locally designed priority waters identified in a comprehensive local water management plan.
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Wetland restoration areas: Lands containing legally drained wetlands that are feasible to restore to their pre-drainage condition.
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Marginal agricultural cropland: Lands that are classified as highly erodible and have been cropped two of the five years prior to the date of application.
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Other environmentally sensitive lands: Lands such as pastured hillsides, agricultural woodlots and living snowfences, which provide protection of water and soil resources and furnish important fish and wildlife habitat.
Brown County is home to 58 perpetual RIM easements totaling 1,746 acres. Brown SWCD is also in the process of enrolling 1 perpetual RIM Wetlands easement totaling 74 acres. That will make a grand total of 1,820 acres enrolled in permanent RIM easements in Brown County!
1986: The Brown County RIM First Acres Ceremony was held at the Runck Dairy Farm.
More information: