REINVEST IN MN RESERVE (RIM)

Background: The Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) Reserve Program, one of the first such programs of its kind in the country, began in 1986 and is managed at the state level by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. It protects and improves water quality, reduces soil erosion, and enhances fish and wildlife habitat by retiring private marginal cropland from agricultural production, planting permanent native vegetation, and restoring previously drained wetlands. Other benefits include flood control and groundwater recharge.

How it works: Landowners are paid a percentage of the assessed value of their land to voluntarily enroll it in a conservation easement. A variety of land types are eligible, including wetland restoration areas, riparian agricultural lands, marginal cropland, pastured hillsides, and sensitive groundwater areas. After land is enrolled, it is managed under a conservation plan, which generally includes items like wetland restoration (for areas with drained wetlands), native grass plantings, and tree plantings.

RIM Reserve has several different arms under which it enrolls land: "regular" RIM Reserve; the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP); and Permanent Wetland Preserves (PWP), which enrolls existing at-risk wetlands. Most recently, RIM Reserve funds have been used to leverage federal funds through CREP in the Minnesota River basin.

The state funds this program primarily through bonding. The RIM Reserve Program provides direct payments to landowners for conservation easement acquisition. Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs), which administer the program locally, receive funding through grants from BWSR for administrative and technical support. That grant program is called the RIM Service Grant.

Program information: The program enrolls easements at a payment rate based on a county assessor’s average market value of land in the township. In addition, RIM Reserve provides funds to help share the cost of establishing appropriate conservation or wildlife habitat practices on easement lands. Landowners may need to pay a small portion of conservation practice establishment cost if cost exceeds program maximums.

Who is involved: RIM Reserve has formed the basis for local partnerships among Soil and Water Conservation Districts, environmental groups, conservation groups, and state and federal agencies. Minnesota’s 91 SWCDs implement the program locally, using knowledge of local resources to manage each easement to get the most environmental benefit. RIM Reserve is supported by a broad coalition of conservation, environmental, and farming groups.

For more information contact Rich Perrine at (507) 235-6680 or email:  richard.perrine@mn.nacdnet.net.

Eligible Land:  (1) Cropland or pastureland located next to streams, ditches, lakes or wetlands. (2) Any land that contains legally drained wetlands that can be restored to their pre-drainage condition. 

Common Questions About RIM:  Who controls access to the easement area?
Access is controlled solely by the landowner. No public access is allowed unless granted by the landowner. The landowner also retains all rights (hunting, recreation, etc.) except for the conservation easement rights, which are purchased by the state.

Who is eligible to enroll land?  Anyone who has owned the land for at least one year and can provide evidence of a good and marketable land title can apply. 

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