Land & Water Conservation

Plan Development Assistance

Land and Water Resource Management Plan Guidelines (74 page PDF)
Land and water resource management plans must be approved by the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection upon the recommendation of the Land and Water Conservation Board (LWCB). These guidelines were developed through cooperation between the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection, the counties, and other partners. The guidelines are designed to assist counties in meeting specific criteria necessary for approval.

Land and Water Resource Management Plan Review Checklist (4 page PDF)
The DATCP planners use this checklist to review land and water resource management plans, and assure all plans meet the requirements in s. 92.10, Wisconsin Statutes, and ss. ATCP 50.12 and ATCP 50.30(3), Wisconsin Administrative Code.

Land and Water Resource Management Plans – Challenging Areas in Plan Development (2 page PDF)
This fact sheet provides information and helpful tips on meeting the planning requirements for development of 1) a workplan, 2) the monitoring and evaluation section, 3) the priority farm strategy, and 4) the implementation strategy for agricultural performance standards.

Models

DATCP provides support to counties in developing land and water resource management plans beyond the information found in the plan guidelines. The assistance walks counties through review of the plan to ensure checklist requirements are met, and provides additional sources of information for plan development.  DATCP has selected model sections developed by other counties to meet various components found in the checklist. 

Public Participation in Plan Development (1 page PDF)
Counties are required to appoint and consult with a local advisory committee when developing or revising their land and water resource management plan. In addition, they are required to hold a public hearing on the plan and provide landowners affected by the plan to present information related to the accuracy of these findings.

Land and Water Resource Management Plan Revision Resource Data (2 page PDF)
When revising the land and water resource management plan, it is important to update the resource assessment information. While the 2003 Land and Water Resource Management Plan Guidelines provide a listing of resource websites, some counties utilize additional resource information found at sites such as those listed below.

• Census of Agriculture
• Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Service
• DNR Wisconsin Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan
• DNR Basin Plans
• The “Who’s Who" of Citizen-based Monitoring in Wisconsin
• US Geological Survey Data
• Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey
• USDA NRCS

Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Ordinance
County and local governments have the ability to adopt ordinances that require permits. These ordinances often help to implement some of the actions identified as a part of the land and water resource management plan. Ordinances that require permits for manure storage structures and to regulate livestock facilities are examples of some of these ordinances. This link provides a map of Wisconsin counties that have adopted manure storage ordinances.