RIM: 25 years of restoring wildlife habitat

OWATONNA - Blue-winged teal were landing on the pond at daybreak Saturday even before Jim and Karen Killen settled into their blind.

"I was throwing out decoys and the birds were trying to come in," Jim Killen said.

No matter. The ducks kept coming.

"We shot six in the first 10 minutes," said Killen, 77, of Owatonna, a well-known wildlife artist and conservationist. They ended the morning at 8:30 a.m. with seven.

Not bad for slough that had been a corn field a decade ago.

Killen's wetland, which had been drained and farmed, is among 230,000 acres (359 square miles) enrolled in the state Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) Reserve program since it was launched 25 years ago in 1986. The program, acclaimed by conservation groups as a godsend, pays landowners to take marginal cropland out of production and restore wetlands and grasslands -- prime wildlife habitat.

The goal is less erosion, cleaner water and more fish and wildlife habitat. In the Killen's case, his 120-acre parcel of restored wetlands and grasslands is used by waterfowl, pheasants, deer and other wildlife.

Three days before the duck opener, 100 conservation leaders representing virtually every conservation group in the state gathered atop a knoll on Killen's property to celebrate the 25th anniversary of RIM.

"We can be very proud of what we have accomplished," said Dave Zentner of Duluth, who was on a citizens committee that helped develop the RIM program. "But there's much more to be done."

Private versus public

Back in 1986, Gov. Rudy Perpich, concerned about a decline in the state's hunting and fishing economy, appointed a citizens committee to investigate. Perpich wanted a permanent legacy, not something similar to the federal Conservation Reserve Program, which pays landowners to take farmland out of production, but only temporarily.

The group came up with RIM Reserve, which pays landowners for permanent conservation easements -- meaning the land never can be farmed or developed, even if sold. But those private lands aren't open to public hunting, a criticism some have made.

Kevin Lines, conservation easement program administrator for the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR), which administers RIM, said there's a reason to target private lands.

"That's really where the effort needs to come if we're going to look at preserving our natural resources in the 21st century, particularly in the agricultural areas, where you have 95 to 97 percent in private ownership," he said.

"The lands we're working on aren't for sale," he added. "Ducks raised on private wetlands, which is where most of them are raised, provide recreational opportunities on public waters and hunting spots."

Though the lands aren't open to public hunting, surveys show that two-thirds of the landowners allow non-family recreational use.

"You have to stop and ask," Lines said.

Landowners, meanwhile, can get up to 90 percent of the fair market value of the land in easement payments.

Cost of conservation

The citizens committee recommended the state spend $60 million yearly for 10 years -- a mark that never has been attained.

"Funding for RIM has always been a problem," Lines said.

So far, the state has invested $170 million -- including bonding and general fund money -- in the RIM program. But since 1998, those state dollars have leveraged another $260 million of federal dollars through the Wetlands Reserve Program and Conservation Reserve Program.

In recent years, dollars from the Outdoors Legacy Amendment have been a major funding source. In the past three years, RIM has received $29 million from the Outdoor Heritage Fund, which has been matched by $43 million in Wetland Reserve Program money under the federal farm program.

Still, the state has sent federal dollars back to Washington in recent years because it hasn't come up with enough matching dollars. Lines says the deal is a good one for Minnesota: The feds kick in $1.6 dollars for every $1 spent by the state.

This year, the Legislature has agreed to $20 million in bonding, and with the heritage money and federal matches, about $53 million will be spent to acquire easements on 16,000 acres.

But given the financial crisis in Washington, some wonder if WRP funding will continue in a new farm bill.

Lines said that despite successes the past 25 years, the need for conservation remains.

"We've identified 2.5 million acres that should be under a conservation plan or not farmed," he said.

Meanwhile, Killen has experienced first-hand the benefits of the RIM program. His son and grandson hunted ducks on his land last weekend -- showing that future generations will reap the benefits.

"I feel very privileged to be part of it," Killen said.

Doug Smith • dsmith@startribune.com