Aug 12, 2011

NR 51 approved by the Natural Resources Board

A revised version of Administrative Rule NR 51 was approved by the Natural Resources Board (NRB) at their meet on August 10th.  NR 51 is the section of code that defines the administration and implementation of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship grants process. 

The rule has been under review for updates and revisions since 2010, and was put on hold after the new Department of Natural Resources (DNR) leadership was appointed earlier this year.  Gathering Waters Conservancy, several land trusts, and other conservation groups provided public comments on the rule and provided specific feedback to DNR staff.

At the NRB meeting on August 10th, there were no objections to adoption of the revised rule, and it was approved unanimously.  The next step for the rule will Legislative review.  Assuming that the Legislature decides not to hold a hearing, the rule will likely be published and effective as soon as December 1, 2011.

A copy of the revised rule can be found here. 

One of the important changes to the rule is that the Natural Resources Board will now be notified about Stewardship grants that are destined for possible review by the Legislature's Joint Committee on Finance -- this includes any Stewardship grant greater than $250,000.  The NRB will not have direct oversite over these projects, but will be informed about them.