At their monthly meeting, the Washington County Conservation Board spent a substantial amount of time discussing their budget plans for the coming fiscal year. According to Conservation Director Steve Anderson, their budget parameters are established by the Washington County Board of Supervisors, and it falls to the conservation board to work within those parameters to maximize efficiency. Anderson says the a lot of their focus was on utilizing the various funding and grants they’ve received for trail improvements.

He explains, “There was quite a bit of discussion of all the projects that we have going forward. This biggest of which is, during the course of the next fiscal year, there’s going to be quite a bit of effort put forward due to that Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) funding, and the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) Grant, to make progress on the Kewash Nature trail there on the Washington end.” In addition to the trail projects, the board also discussed the possibility of purchasing a skid loader. Anderson believes the conservation board and supervisors will touch on that during their budget sessions as well.