So what went wrong in the effort to build a new dam on the Shell Rock River at the outlet of Albert Lea Lake?

At one time, this was a united effort. Officials from Freeborn County and the Shell Rock River Watershed District were 100 percent in favor of a bridge-dam structure on County Road 19 with recreational amenities. In fact, both entities approved hiring an engineering firm to draft the plans. Everyone was confident the land acquisition would go through. Then it didn’t, and everyone began pointing fingers.

This is what went wrong: They should have worked with a land trust.

The county commissioners approved the plan in January 2007. In May 2008, landowner Lloyd Palmer grew tired of waiting and sold to neighbor Greg Jensen instead. That is 16 months that the Shell Rock River Watershed District had to close the land deal.

Government is not known for moving fast. That is where land trusts come in. Anyone who works in conservation and recreation knows of the key role land trusts play in these sort of deals. The Minnesota Land Trust, Ducks Unlimited, The Trust for Public Lands are private, nonprofit organizations that can move swiftly to purchase the land, then resell it to entities — such as Freeborn County and the Shell Rock River Watershed District — interested in land conservation.

Furthermore, there should have been a purchase agreement in place prior to approving moving forward in January 2007 with the hire of an engineering firm. Why draft plans for land that hasn’t been secured?

Instead, about $300,000 have been squandered, and it is possible a $250,000 state grant could be lost. County officials and watershed district officials are blaming each other and so are their supporters on both sides. The fact is, they were in this together, and they are all to blame for lack of vision and lack of common knowledge when it comes to conservation deals.

The Minnesota Land Trust’s Web site is http://www.mnland.org/.