Army Compatible Use Buffer Program

(ACUB)

The National Guard Bureau (NGB) and the State of Minnesota, acting through the MN. Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) entered into a Cooperative Agreement to implement an Army Compatible Use Buffer program for Camp Ripley. 

The ACUB program approved in 2004 is available to acquire developments rights from volunteer property owners to reduce the number of residential houses and commercial enterprises within a 3 mile border around the perimeter of Camp Ripley.

Landowners are paid a per acre sum to agree to leave the land open.  They retain the right to use the property as they are presently, but agreeing to not plat and develop the land with more building sites.  Farming, hunting, and normal agricultural activities may continue.  The Conservation Easement is conveyed to the state through the three participating Soil and Water Conservation Districts in Morrison, Crow Wing, and Cass Counties.

Several agencies are involved with the ACUB program and facilitate different aspects of it, such as The Nature Conservancy, DNR, Mn Land Trust, Trust for Public Lands, etc.

Through the BWSR program, the model of Re-Invest in Minnesota process is used.  BWSR has acquired over 5,000 easements state wide through RIM, and therefore already had a mechanism and staff in place to facilitate the process.  To date, nearly 25 landowners have enrolled and over 3,700 acres are under easement.

The payment rates are based on the assessed value of agricultural acres by township and BWSR pays 50% of that rate.  This program has had over 100 landowners sign up on the Interested Landowner contact list.  Funding is an annual allocation and an unknown year to year but Camp Ripley has been fairing very well in competition to the other 31 military bases around the country developing an ACUB program.  The success is largely due to having partnering agencies who have a proven record of knowing the landowners and ability to work on the program locally.

The following link will take you to map showing the priority areas being targeted by the ACUB program. 

For more information or to sign up as an interested landowner, the following contacts and numbers are available.

Morrison Soil and Water  Conservation District:                                       Lance Chisholm or Helen McLennan at (320)616-2479

Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District:                                    Keith Pohl at (218)828-6197

Cass Soil and Water Conservation District:                                                 John Sumption (218)547-7399

Camp Ripley contacts:                                                                                   Marty Skoglund or Jay Brezinka at (320)632-616-2722