Preserve, Protect and Enhance Water Quality and Other Natural Resources

Our mission is to encourage sustainable use of our natural resources by engaging people in soil and water conservation in northern St. Louis County. With local elected leadership, we offer programs that fit our people and our land.    The North St. Louis SWCD is a local government agency that offers these services to land owners and users in the northern part of St. Louis County, Minnesota:

• Water & Soil – Exactly what is a wetland? Wonder how to stop soil erosion? Confused by all the agencies and who does what? Contact us and we will help you sort it out. You can have our staff assist you with your project. We offer free technical assistance and design services.
• Forestry – You can have our Forester walk through your property and provide ideas of how you can best meet the goals you have for your property. Learn about programs that could provide you tax relief. You can have a Forest Stewardship Plan written for a fee to provide you with a guide for managing your wooded acres.
• Aquatic Invasive Species – Watercraft inspectors check to ensure that boaters and anglers follow clean, drain, dispose laws and may deny access if necessary. Decontamination stations provide a free and thorough process of removing aquatic plants and animals. Decontamination is provided at locations in Gilbert, Cook, Tower, and Ely from May – September annually. If you take your watercraft (boat, canoe, kayak, jet-ski etc.) from lake to lake, you can have our staff decontaminate your boat to reduce the risk of spreading aquatic invasive species to other lakes. If your boat stays on one body of water the entire season, you can opt to have it decontaminated before storing it for the winter.