St. Croix County is one of the fastest growing counties in Wisconsin, resulting in a shift from family farms to recreational landowners. Individuals are moving from the city and purchasing small parcels of land for the specific purpose of conservation or recreation. Many of these individuals have a genuine care for the environment and enthusiasm towards wildlife and/or hunting. Although not opposed to farming, they own parcels too small for tilling or have no connections to or knowledge of traditional farming.

Troy and Shelley Meacham are examples of this type of new landowner. Troy and Shelley consider themselves recreational landowners. Both grew up with non-farming backgrounds but have a great desire to be out of the city and to implement conservation projects. Troy is an avid hunter and has a background in prairie restoration and wildlife management. Projects on their acreage were tailored to meet the habitat requirements of many game and non-game animals that both Troy and Shelley enjoy.

The Meachams were equally fortunate to find their land eligible for CRP and Wisconsin CREP because of its cropping history. They decided to enroll land in both programs.

Working in partnership with officials from the St. Croix County FSA office, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Troy and Shelley were able to create a wetland basin and enroll 3 acres around it in the Wisconsin CREP, installing a Filter Strip. The buffer was planted to native grasses and forbs. The remainder of the Meacham's eligible acreage was offered and accepted for enrollment in CRP. Vegetative cover under practice Permanent Native Grass and Legumes in a diverse mixture was established.

In addition, each year Troy and Shelley plant a Wildlife Food Plot on their CRP acreage to provide food and cover for over-wintering wildlife. Adjacent to the native grasses is a shrub hedgerow comprised of trees and wildlife shrubs established by Pheasants Forever.

Cumulatively, these projects benefit ground water recharge from the wetland and provide great nesting cover for waterfowl and upland game birds like teal, pheasants, and wild turkeys. A myriad of grassland songbirds have appeared that were not present before installation of the native grasses and wetlands, including a Northern Harrier that feeds there daily. More wildlife now use the property as nesting and brood rearing habitat or travel corridors. Troy reports harvesting nine rooster pheasants in the fall of 2003 from their 14-acre CRP contract area.

Neighbors adjacent to Troy and Shelley have also enhanced a wetland, enrolled a small parcel into CREP, and planted vegetative cover on the remaining eligible acreage through CRP. Collectively, nearly 25 acres of native grasses and wildflowers and two restored wetlands have been installed on CRP in small areas. These scattered, smaller parcels enhance the value of larger blocks of CRP in St. Croix County, providing suitable habitat for a wide variety of wildlife as well as increased soil and water protection. St. Croix County, Wisconsin, has and will continue to reap the benefits of CRP and the Wisconsin CREP in a multitude of ways.

Small CRP field enhanced with native grasses and flowers makes a lovely addition to the neighborhood.