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LDCD Board Meetings Board meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of the month at the district office 621 W. Fetterman and are open to the public. Apr. - Oct - 7:00 pm Nov. - Mar - 5:00 pm
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Welcome to the Lake DeSmet Conservation District www.ldcd.org (Users of browsers other than Internet Explorer please click here.) |
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Crazy Woman Canyon |
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Working to conserve and enhance natural resources in Johnson County since 1946. Address: 621 W. Fetterman, Buffalo, WY 82834 Phone: 307-684-2526 FAX: 307-684-5972 |
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Reese Irvine - New Range and Wildlife Specialist Lake DeSmet Conservation District would like to introduce their new Range and Wildlife specialist Reese Irvine. Reese will be filling a joint position between the Lake DeSmet and Powder River Conservation Districts. Reese grew up in Lander, WY where he was heavily involved in 4-H and FFA. He attended Laramie County Community College where he studied Ag Production and Ag Economics. Reese then transferred to the University of Wyoming and received his Bachelors of Science in Range Management with minors in Reclamation as well as Farm and Ranch Management. Prior to moving to Buffalo, Reese spent three years as a Range Technician for Grand Teton National Park. His new position is a cooperative effort between multiple agencies and non-profit organizations to help administer NRCS programs and funds through the Sage Grouse Initiative. Reese has strong ties to agriculture through family and friends. He enjoys hunting and fishing as well as leather work and saddle making. Reese is excited for his new position and to work with area producers to improve sage grouse habitat through healthy rangelands. Reese can be contacted in the Buffalo office at 684-2526 ext. 118 |
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Looking for information for your new home on the range? Check out: Range and Wildlife Page and the Buying Johnson County Land Page |
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Last Modified on April 13, 2012 |
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MISSON STATEMENT The Lake DeSmet Conservation District is dedicated to the development and implementation of programs to provide leadership and technical assistance for the conservation of Johnson County’s natural resources, agricultural heritage and resource base, to promote the control of soil erosion, to promote and protect the quality and quantity of Wyoming’s waters and all other natural resources, to preserve and enhance wildlife habitat, to protect the tax base and to promote the health, safety and general welfare of the residents of this County through responsible conservation planning. |
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For WEB site issues please contact Jim Hurley |
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Notice: The Clear Creek Level II Storage Study has started. If you have any questions, Please contact our office (307-684-2526).
Notice: 2012 Tree Orders have ended for this spring. The District will be calling you when your trees arrive beginning the middle of April. Thank you for your participation in our Tree Program this year.
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2011 Leopold Conservation Award This year’s Leopold Conservation Award, went to Ryan Fieldgrove (above), who ranches in northeast Johnson County. He says his first idea of conservation came when he realized that the most successful ranches seemed to be those with grass left over each year. Read the full article on Ryan’s award winning conservation work here. Here is a You Tube Video of Ryan Fieldgrove discussing his family's conservation practices on their ranch. These innovative practices include, among other efforts, the use of goats to control the invasive leafy spurge and their participation in a sagebrush restoration program. |
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ANNUAL EVENTS |
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AG DAY 2012 Buffalo Ag Day is tentatively scheduled for May 10th this year. Conservation Cost Share Funds Lake DeSmet Conservation District will continue to take applications through August 1, 2012. The LDCD Natural Resource Cost Share Program was created to financially assist landowners in addressing natural resource concerns that will make a positive difference on the land. The focus of the program is to implement priorities identified by the Local Work Group (LWG). For application forms, please stop by the district office. |
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Local Area Conservationists Recognized Dave Fraley, Lake DeSmet Conservation District Supervisor and Nikki Lohse, Lake DeSmet Conservation District Manager were recently recognized at the Wyoming Association of Conservation District State Convention held in Lander. Dave Fraley was recognized as the Outstanding District Supervisor of the Year for Wyoming, while Nikki Lohse was recognized as the Outstanding District Employee of the Year for Wyoming. Dave owns and operates Fraley Land & Livestock located southeast of Buffalo. Dave was born and raised in Johnson County and has been involved in the agricultural industry all his life. He attended Sheridan College where he received a degree in Agriculture. He is married to Robbin and they have four children. He is an active |
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Nikki Lohse (holding folder) works to assess the Sage Grouse burn monitoring control site. |
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Dave Fraley |
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member of the Guardians of the Range and active in his Church. Dave has served on many boards throughout his years. He served on the Johnson County School Board and was a member of the Johnson County Weed & Pest District Board for 16 years. Nikki Lohse has been employed by the Lake DeSmet Conservation District since 1991. Nikki and her husband Tom ranch southeast of Buffalo. They have one daughter, Catie. The complete article on their awards is available here. |
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Society for Range Management Wyoming Section has awarded the Lohse Ranch Tom Lohse Buffalo, Wyoming Excellence in Grazing 2011 |
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Tom Lohse, rancher, livestock producer, and wildlife manager, operates southeast of Buffalo, on the Falxa unit. Tom Lohse is married to Nikki and they have one daughter, Catie. Tom operates ~40,000 acres of rangeland in the Powder River Breaks. This unit transects the Powder River on the east end encompassing riparian habitat along the Powder River, as well as an open expansive landscape on the west end of the unit. His ranching operation is intermingled with private, State and BLM lands. Tom is truly a manager of the land for his livestock, which is reflected in his livestock and in the optimal natural resources visible through his grass management and livestock management. Read the complete article here. |
LONG RANGE PLANNING: WE NEED YOUR INPUT!!In 1998, the Lake DeSmet Conservation District conducted a resource inventory and public survey for resource concerns and issues by watersheds in Northern Johnson County. This document provides a directional tool for the District to utilize in prioritizing their programs and services for northern Johnson County. The District is now in the process of updating our Long Range Plan for 2013-2018. We need your input to help prioritize our conservation efforts in northern Johnson County. LDCD programs and services address diverse natural resource concerns on private lands, through voluntary participation. Please take this opportunity to voice your opinion on natural resource concerns and help the District prioritize our efforts for the next five years by filling out and returning this survey. A copy of the survey is available here. |
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Pesticide and Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day Pesticide and household hazardous waste collection will be MAY 19th. For more information, click here. |
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The Sage Grouse Initiative(SGI) is offered in 11 Western states under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Wildlife Incentives Program (WHIP). The purpose is to provide assistance to agricultural producers to implement practices that will alleviate or reduce threats to sage-grouse habitat. For more information go to www.sagegrouseinitiative.com or call Reese at 684-2526 ext. 118. |