About the coalition and MRBI

The Friends of the Big Bureau Creek Watershed is a project partner collective created to strengthen and develop local resources by expanding partnerships and supporting broader education and outreach efforts to improve water quality, improve habitat, and reduce flooding damage within the Big Bureau Creek Watershed.

This coalition is an integrated partnership of diverse groups that unites government, non-profit, and community entities and individuals into a cohesive effort to address the natural resource concerns through a coordinated outreach effort and to implement solutions through various state and federal funding opportunities.

The coalition initially will serve as a communication and technical assistance network in support of the USDA-NRCS Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI), which offers increased funding to priority watersheds. The Big Bureau Creek Watershed is located within one of Illinois' high priority areas due to its high levels of excess nutrient run-off and sedimentation. Click here for a map of the watershed and its sub-basins.

The purpose of the MRBI is to improve the health of the Mississippi River watershed by working with producers to voluntarily implement conservation practices that

• avoid, control, and trap nutrient runoff;
• improve wildlife habitat; and
• maintain agricultural productivity.

The Big Bureau Creek Targeted Subwatershed Initiative was one of 19 projects selected nationwide through a competitive process under the MRBI Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI). This was the only Illinois project selected in 2011. The $204,000 requested for FY2011 was approved (total request for FY2011-2014 was $2,098,000).

Areas of support provided by the coalition include:

Communication and Educational Outreach
The outreach effort is focusing on building relationships within the watersheds, increasing public awareness of local natural resource concerns (i.e., water quality in terms of excessive nutrients, soil erosion and suspended sediment) and promoting the MRBI-CCPI conservation practices on behalf of NRCS. Planned efforts include development of outreach materials, 1-on-1 farmer outreach, workshops on the conservation practices, and field demonstrations to highlight the implementation of practices in context of a productive farm operation.

Technical Assistance
Technical assistance will be provided to interested farmers for development of conservation activity plans, potential practice opportunities, completion of application paperwork, and practice implementation oversight.

Water Quality Monitoring
Depending on the level of MRBI-CCPI in-kind and matching funding, a three-tiered and in-stream water quality monitoring strategy will be used to show that the conservation practices adopted by producers yield measurable results in terms of water quality. At a minimum, the monitoring strategy will use existing load reduction models and gather data pre- and post-practice implementation to establish a water quality baseline and then look for early indicators of improvement.

Practices being supported under the MRBI-CCPI are enhancements and activities under the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) that capture, avoid and trap excess nutrients and sediment and the following Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) practices:

• Agricultural Waste Facility Related Practices
• Comprehensive Management Plan
• Cover Crop
• Drainage Water Management Systems
• Irrigation Water Management Plan
• Livestock and Rotational Grazing System Practices
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Nutrient Management & Waste Utilization
• Nutrient Management Plans Written
• Residue & Tillage Management, No-Till/Strip Till/Direct Seed
• Riparian Forest Buffer, Filter Strip, Grassed Waterway
• Water Control Structure Practices
• Wetlands