Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 04/16/2018

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Environmental Policy Board (EPB) 5. 2. Meeting Date: 04/16/2018 By: Chris Anderson, Community Development Information Title: Anoka County Cooperative Weed Management Partnership Purpose/Background: The purpose of this case is to update the EPB on a potential partnership opportunity amongst public entities within the county (e.g. municipalities, watershed organizations, National Park Service, Department of Agriculture, etc.). The Anoka Conservation District convened a meeting recently to discuss the concept of forming a Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA) that was county -wide. The primary role of the CWMA would be twofold, focusing on education as well as administering grant funds to tackle noxious weeds on both public and private lands. Observations/Alternatives: The CWMA's primary emphasis would be mapping the occurrences of noxious weeds with the greatest focus on the noxious weeds that are on the "Eradicate List" (see attachment). However, that does not mean plants such as Buckthorn, Purple Loosestrife, or Spotted Knapweed wouldn't be of relevance. But, plants on the Eradicate List are less established (or maybe not yet even present in the state) and therefore represent a greater opportunity to eliminate them altogether. The Anoka Conservation District (ACD) has secured $20,000 in funding through the MN Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) that will be available through a competitive grant process for managing noxious weeds. A working committee was formed to establish criteria for evaluating and ranking potential requests. This task is intended to be completed within the next month or two. Another outcome of participating in the CWMA is more unified education within the county. This could include trainings for public works staffs for proper identification as well as more consistent information provided to the public via newsletters, websites, and social media. Also discussed were opportunities for the creation of a 'tool kit' to provide tools for property owners to actively manage noxious weeds on their property (similar to what Ramsey already does with Weed Wrenches). Staff will continue to participate in these discussions with other public entities within the County. The ACD would act as the Fiscal Agent and Grant Administrator and would handle all necessary reporting. Should the City determine to participate, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) would need to be executed. This is a non -binding agreement that would not obligate the City to any specific actions; however, Staff has not yet received a copy of the DRAFT MOU. Funding Source: This is being handled as part of Staffs regular duties. Action: No action is required; this item is for discussion and informational purposes only at this time. Attachments