Administered oath of office to newly elected commissioners Kevin Holl, Troy Hibbs, and Tracy Rosedale.  Their terms begin now and end January 3, 2013.

Elected officers for 2009:
                Mark Hilleman, Chairman
                Kevin Holl, Vice Chairman
                Sigourney Odor, Secretary/treasurer

Appointed Assistant commissioners for 2009:
                Jay Benson                  Donald Buck
                Bill Degner                   Diane Pixler
                Glen Wiley                    Dan Beane
                Jim White

Sponsored the annual contractors' meeting January 13.

Reviewed the Cost Share Policy and left it unchanged.

Updated the list of committees and the legislative contact list.

Made plans to attend Commissioner Orientation January 13 and Legislative Conservation Partnership Day January 28.

Welcomed the Marshalltown High School Envirothon team, who shared a presentation of their work in the various areas of the competition.  This team placed first in Iowa in 2008, and 21st out of 54 in the International event.

Melody Bro, Union Grove Lake Watershed Coordinator, provided an update on that water quality project.

Conducted the annual review of average costs of conservation practices, adjusting the approved amounts for several items to reflect current prices.

Reviewed EEO and Civil Rights topics.

Decided to discontinue the use of Soil Stewardship materials, due to declining participation.

Made plans to attend the CDI regional meeting, and organize a presentation about education of teachers and children.

Approved local poster contest prizes.

Accepted an offer to purchase the box scraper.  It had been used only one time in the past two years.

Heard reports from the CDI regional meeting, and made plans to include commissioner development activities at future meetings.

Selected Ryan Rice and Brandon Clough as our 2009 Scholarship winners.  Ryan's application was sent to the Regional competition.

Reviewed committee assignments because of a concern about complying with Iowa's Open Meetings Law.  All future committee meetings will be conducted as part of regular commissioner meetings.

Appointed Troy Hibbs as Co-Treasurer.

Clarified the rules for the new summer construction incentive, to permit construction of conservation practices between June 15 and October 15.

Congratulated Marshalltown High School Red team and East Marshall High School for earning the right to compete in the State Envirothon contest, which includes the top 15 teams from all of the regional events.

Welcomed Assistant State Conservationist Aquanda Jones.

Reviewed current rules for the Summer Incentive program that was announced this month.  No additional money was provided to fund this incentive.

Reviewed the financial position of the District, and accepted the annual audit report.

Watched the video, "The Work of Our Hands", as the monthly commissioner development activity.

Learned the results of the Regional and State scholarship competition.  Our entry was not selected for any of these additional scholarships.

Selected George Haywood as 2009 Conservation Farmer Award winner in the Iowa Soil Conservation Awards Program owner/operator division.

Selected Craig Kjormoe's five-row windbreak for the annual Izaak Walton windbreak award.

Nominated Troy Hibbs for the Division of Soil Conservation Ken Wagner Award, for commissioners under 40 years of age.

Nominated Kevin Holl for the Outstanding Commissioner Award.

Agreed to support Iowa's new Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund by donating to the Iowa Water and Land Legacy coalition.

Heard report of storm damage and erosion resulting from recent heavy rains.

Conducted the annual tour of conservation practices, visiting a recently completed grassed waterway and basin terrace, as well as a few different examples of solutions for overfall problems:  a blind inlet, two aluminum drop structures, and a rock chute.

Welcomed DSC Field Representative Paul Valin to the meeting.  He brought us current information about the programs available through the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and the status of the 2010 budget.

Made plans to attend a field day on July 16 commemorating the completion of a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program site in Marshall County.  Secretary Northey will be there to dedicate the sign.

Increased the price for the rental of the fabric layer machine to 65 cents per foot of fabric used.  This includes fabric and the use of the machine.

Viewed the poster, "In the Time It Took to Form One Inch of Soil", now framed and displayed in the office lobby.

Heard report from the LICA field day.  The event included several good equipment and technology demonstrations, and was attended by over 700 people.  Iowa legislators and leadership staff members from NRCS, IDALS and DSC attended.  Secretary Bill Northey conducted the sign dedication ceremony and learned how to drive a bulldozer.  We posted a few photos on the website.

Reviewed the incentives offered by the annual Buffer Initiative program.

Made plans to attend the CDI fall regional meeting in Boone on August 26.  Conservation Farmer Award winners George and Elaine Haywood will be honored as regional winners.

Received a new Maintenance Checklist that will be given to each cost share recipient to help them know how to take care of their conservation practices.

Approved the updated Cooperative Working Agreement between USDA-NRCS, the State of Iowa, and the District.

Learned about a new statewide pool of money to repair conservation practices damaged by storms.

Heard details on the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).  Included this as the front page story in the September newsletter.

Heard report from CDI Regional meeting.  All five commissioners attended, and won an award.  Learned about the status of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship budget.  CDI Executive Director Deb Ryun is leaving for a job in Wisconsin.

Began the evaluation and update of our comprehensive Resource Conservation Plan.

Visited the site of a soil loss complaint, and responded to the landowner.

District Conservationist Dana Holland is now in charge of Marshall and Story Counties under a combined Management Unit.  He supervises the employees in both offices and completes all administrative duties for both counties.

Made plans to attend CDI Annual Conference in Ames in December.

Collected items to be included in the silent auction to raise funds for CDI scholarships.

Observed Soil and Water Conservation Week by posting Governor Culver's proclamation in the office.  Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey issued a press release.

Learned about the recommended conservation practices to protect a newly constructed waterway:  compacted soil, dormant seeding, and installing fabric check strips.

Attended CDI Annual Conference.

No regular meeting is scheduled.