County to seek federal funds for conservation

By KENT THOMPSON
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Monday sent Humboldt County Conservation Director Todd Lee on a big game hunt. The county is quite frankly hunting for funds.
Members of the Board of Supervisors attended a state association of counties meeting in Des Moines last week and found out about additional federal funds that are slated to be directed to the state and could be used for conservation and recreation projects.
The details about the funds were rather sketchy, but it was reported that Iowa will be in line for $600 million initially, and could be eligible for another $600 million in 2023.
Lee outlined three projects for possible funding. Number one is the Joe Reasoner Dam in Humboldt. Members of the Humboldt County Conservation Board, Board of Supervisors and Humboldt City Council met Wednesday night to discuss the matter. Humboldt's Bret Harklau proposed new tainter gates and crest gates on top of the dam. He said that portion of work could be done for a few million dollars. There was a question if the structural integrity of the dam would withstand the changes being described. Lee also suggested connecting the Three Rivers Trail with the Prairie Rivers Trail in Webster County, which is slated to be connected from Kennedy Park to Badger in 2023. It would take just an additional five miles of trail to connect it to the Three Rivers Trail in Humboldt County. Lee also proposed paving 3.25 miles of the Gotch Park Trail in Humboldt and the rural countryside. The county attempted to receive state funding for that last summer but were unsuccessful.
Read more about the county seeking state funds in this week's Humboldt Independent. Read more about the Reasoner Dam in the Feb. 24 Independent.