The South Dakota Farm Bureau is working with NRCS to make changes to their proposal that would allow offsite methods for wetland determinations. Farm Bureau Executive Director Wayne Smith says they don’t like agency’s plan because it would use aerial photography rather than onsite visits. He says there is a lack of accuracy and consistency.
He says those criteria must be independent of each other to make a wetland determination according to NRCS guidelines. Smith says they’re continuing to talk with high level officials with NRCS and hope to convince them to follow the U.S. Army Corp’s of Engineers manual more closely as they work on defining wetlands.
The plan NRCS is following covers the Prairie Pothole Region which includes South and North Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota. Other groups concerned about the offsite methods are the Nature Conservancy, The National Wildlife Federation and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.