Calendar

Board of Supervisors Meeting

The Benton County Board of Supervisors meets Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. at the Benton County Service Center. Agendas can be found online or on the bulletin board of the Courthouse, on the first floor outside of the Treasurer's Office.

Items to be placed on the Board's agenda should be submitted to the Auditor's office by 8:30 a.m on Monday.

Benton County REAP Committee

County committees have several important functions. Briefly, these include:

1. The signature of the county committee chairperson is necessary for all city, county conservation and private/public cost share grant requests.
2. County committees are in the best position to educate county residents on what REAP has done for their county, along with the values and benefits of REAP.
3. County committees should prepare a plan for their county showing what they want REAP to accomplish in the future, and where they want to see REAP money expended.

As county committees are reestablished and as their chairpersons are selected, they will be added to a list that can be accessed from this page. If your county is not listed, check with your county conservation board to see if a committee is in the process of being established. Otherwise, check back here from time to time to see if your county is listed.

Committee Duties
REAP is a local, grassroots program. It is your local conservation program, guided by your local interests for your local needs. To make REAP work the best for you, your county needs a REAP county committee, and you should be a part of it.

According to the actual REAP law, the duties of the county committee include:

• Coordinate the program, plans and proposed projects developed by cities, county conservation board and soil and water conservation district for funding by REAP.
• Review and comment upon all REAP projects before they are submitted for funding.
• Propose a five-year plan that includes a one-year proposed expenditure plan and submit it to the DNR.

These duties can be easily met without a great deal of effort. Critically important to the success of REAP, the rest of the citizens in your county need to know of the benefits of REAP.

Educating Iowans about REAP, how it works, how it is funded, how they benefit is critical to REAP's support by the Legislature, the Governor, and the four state departments that help operate REAP. REAP county committees are in the best position to carry out this important duty.

Additional information about REAP county committees can be found in the Iowa Code: 455A.20.

We will discuss the 5-year plan as well as go over any REAP submissions: 

Benton County Enhancement Committee Five-Year Plan

The Benton County Resources and Enhancement Committee has established the following nine goals. These goals will serve to help coordinate Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) in Benton County, Iowa.

Benton County REAP Goals

1. To promote and increase lifetime environmental/conservation education by promoting awareness to the environmental issues and concerns in the county.
2. Inventory, protect, improve, and expand wetlands, streams, and river habitats.
3. Inventory, protect, and improve timber resources.
4. Inventory, monitor, and protect unique natural resources such as but not limited to prairie remnants, fens, wetlands, savannahs, and pahas.  
5. Inventory, monitor, and protect unique historical and archeological sites.
6. Coordinate, develop, and improve trail systems throughout the county.
7. Promote programs that reduce, reuse, and recycling.
8. Promote the protection of Benton County’s natural and historical resources in an effort to encourage tourism and economic development that are compatible with our landscape.

Conservation Board Meeting

Monthly meetings are held at the Benton County Nature Center. Board meetings are regularly scheduled for the second Monday of each month, unless otherwise noted or posted. Other meetings are called as needed.

Summer months, meetings will be held at 5:30pm, winter months meetings will be held at 5:00pm. Unless otherwise posted. 

Adventure Camp

Benton County Conservation Adventure Camp 

August 9th - 11th for kids going into 6th, 7th and 8th grade

$80 per child - includes travel, food and lodging

Join us on a 3 day, 2 night trip to Eden Valley Refuge in Clinton County. Adventures include: a pontoon ride on the Blue Heron to explore the Mississippi River, view birds and find mussels, paddle on the 13 passenger voyager canoe, go caving and rock climbing and much more! Participants will meet at the Benton County Nature Center on August 9th and travel together to Eden Valley Refuge. Kids will learn valuable camping and survival skills along the way. If you are interested in signing up for this event,  please visit https://www.mycountyparks.com/County/Benton.aspx or call us at 319-472-4942 for more information. All registrations must be done online and be made ONE WEEK PRIOR to start of camp.

Board of Supervisors Meeting

The Benton County Board of Supervisors meets Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. at the Benton County Service Center. Agendas can be found online or on the bulletin board of the Courthouse, on the first floor outside of the Treasurer's Office.

Items to be placed on the Board's agenda should be submitted to the Auditor's office by 8:30 a.m on Monday.

Adventure Camp

Benton County Conservation Adventure Camp 

August 9th - 11th for kids going into 6th, 7th and 8th grade

$80 per child - includes travel, food and lodging

Join us on a 3 day, 2 night trip to Eden Valley Refuge in Clinton County. Adventures include: a pontoon ride on the Blue Heron to explore the Mississippi River, view birds and find mussels, paddle on the 13 passenger voyager canoe, go caving and rock climbing and much more! Participants will meet at the Benton County Nature Center on August 9th and travel together to Eden Valley Refuge. Kids will learn valuable camping and survival skills along the way. If you are interested in signing up for this event,  please visit https://www.mycountyparks.com/County/Benton.aspx or call us at 319-472-4942 for more information. All registrations must be done online and be made ONE WEEK PRIOR to start of camp.

Adventure Camp

Benton County Conservation Adventure Camp 

August 9th - 11th for kids going into 6th, 7th and 8th grade

$80 per child - includes travel, food and lodging

Join us on a 3 day, 2 night trip to Eden Valley Refuge in Clinton County. Adventures include: a pontoon ride on the Blue Heron to explore the Mississippi River, view birds and find mussels, paddle on the 13 passenger voyager canoe, go caving and rock climbing and much more! Participants will meet at the Benton County Nature Center on August 9th and travel together to Eden Valley Refuge. Kids will learn valuable camping and survival skills along the way. If you are interested in signing up for this event,  please visit https://www.mycountyparks.com/County/Benton.aspx or call us at 319-472-4942 for more information. All registrations must be done online and be made ONE WEEK PRIOR to start of camp.

Board of Supervisors Meeting

The Benton County Board of Supervisors meets Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. at the Benton County Service Center. Agendas can be found online or on the bulletin board of the Courthouse, on the first floor outside of the Treasurer's Office.

Items to be placed on the Board's agenda should be submitted to the Auditor's office by 8:30 a.m on Monday.

Board of Supervisors Meeting

The Benton County Board of Supervisors meets Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. at the Benton County Service Center. Agendas can be found online or on the bulletin board of the Courthouse, on the first floor outside of the Treasurer's Office.

Items to be placed on the Board's agenda should be submitted to the Auditor's office by 8:30 a.m on Monday.

Monarch Tagging

Contribute to monarch citizen science by catching monarch butterflies on their amazing migration back south! Participants will get a chance to catch monarch butterflies, tag them for monitoring and test their health. This program is free, weather dependent and family-friendly. Participants should meet at the beach parking lot. Please call 319-472-4942 to register or email [email protected]

Board of Supervisors Meeting

The Benton County Board of Supervisors meets Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. at the Benton County Service Center. Agendas can be found online or on the bulletin board of the Courthouse, on the first floor outside of the Treasurer's Office.

Items to be placed on the Board's agenda should be submitted to the Auditor's office by 8:30 a.m on Monday.

Monarch Tagging

Contribute to monarch citizen science by catching monarch butterflies on their amazing migration back south! Participants will get a chance to catch monarch butterflies, tag them for monitoring and test their health. This program is free, weather dependent and family-friendly. Participants should meet at the beach parking lot. Please call 319-472-4942 to register or email [email protected]