Partnerships

Clark County SWCD and Plant a Tree for You and Me

Melanie Davis, Administrative Coordinator for the Clark County SWCD, could take credit for the Plant a Tree For You and Me project but she doesn't. What she will take credit for is suggesting that the Clark County SWCD model their program after the Plant a Million Trees project sponsored by the Hoosier Heartland RC&D and multiple Central Indiana SWCDs. So . . .the Plant a Tree For You and Me . . . that's plant 100,000 trees . . . in Clark County . . . by 2012 project was born!

Right: Trees planted on the farm of Jane Irby, Clark County. Irby has planted many trees as a result of the Plant a Tree project, having purchased hundreds of trees through the SWCD tree sales.

Note: that is 100,000 trees in Clark County alone. They were thinking small in the beginning. The Clark County SWCD was working on their District business plan and was concerned with improving the county's air quality, fighting forest degradation and increasing carbon sequestration. Someone suggested that surrounding counties may be concerned with these issues, too. So, they contact surrounding counties, and guess what? They were! So, before you knew it, Clark County had a full-blown multi-county partnership going!

Left and Below: Photos show a riparian buffer along the Silver Creek Watershed in Clark County. Over 1,400 trees were planted this fall as part of the Plant a Tree project along this property in Sellersburg. Sylvia Hottel, Silver Creek Watershed Coordinator, talks to the ICP tour group about the trees planted in the buffer and the property they are on which lies between rural and suburban soon-to-be developed land near Sellersburg. The buffer consists of two management zones to provide streambank erosion control, shade, filter pollutants and maintain suitable habitat for aquatic organisms. A third zone is critical where the control of sediment, nutrients, pesticides or nonpoint source pollutants is necessary.

In the beginning there were four counties in the partnership: Clark, Floyd, Jefferson and Scott. Initial meetings began in the fall of 2006 with these decisions made:

• They needed help (persons on the committee aside). No matter how efficient each of them thought they were, a four-county project with the potential to grow could get out-of-hand, so a facilitator was needed.
• They decided to make the project self-supporting. They would solicit sponsors, and would have an outside organization administer any funds received.

They asked the project expert, Historic Hoosier Hills RC&D, to join the group, because they could assist on both counts. HHH RC&D agreed to become part of the organization. They were excited and feverishly began to work to unveil the project as part of an Arbor Day event in April 2007.

Right: As one of the Indiana Conservation Partnership's four District Showcase winners for 2008, ICP representatives toured Clark County on Nov. 13. They had the opportunity to see first-hand the results of the Plant a Tree Project.

One of the first agenda items for the group that day was to plant a tree in memory of NACD's immediate past president Olin Sims, Wyoming, who died last year in a farm accident. Thanks to the Clark County SWCD and the Plant a Tree Project Partners for this wonderful and fitting tribute to Olin Sims!

Front row: Amil Kleinert, Supervisor, Clark County SWCD Board; Jane Hardisty, State Conservationist, NRCS; Jennifer Boyle, Executive Director, IASWCD; and Beth Mason, North Central Region Representative, NACD.

Back row: Pat Larr, Clark County District Conservationist, NRCS; Melanie Davis, Administrative Assistant, Clark County SWCD; Sam Hagest, Supervisor Chair, Clark County SWCD Board; Phil Collins, Urban Conservation Specialist, Clark County SWCD; Tami Kruer, Executive Director, Clark County SWCD; Dana Coots, Supervisor, Clark County SWCD Board; Sylvia Hottel, Watershed Coordinator, Silver Creek Watershed Improvement Project.

Along the way, project members created a logo, crafted a brochure and searched for a printer. Nicholson Printing in Jeffersonville made a great deal including donating one of their graphic artists to develop the artwork for their brochure and letterhead. The printer also donated a huge discount on the brochure printed it on recycled paper.

When approaching sponsors, the group was met with amazing results! Koetter Woodworking and the Forest Discovery Center joined the project as the exclusive hardwood manufacturer sponsor. They allowed the group to host their kickoff event free of charge at the Center and to plant the first tree on their Center grounds. McCoy's Nursery graciously donated five trees to the project (one for the Center and four to plant in each of the other counties). Meijer's Jeffersonville, EarthFirst of Kentuckiana and Southern Indiana Botanical Society made cash donations. Others offered discounts on pro-ducts and services.

Right: Walls in the Forest Discovery Center are adorned
with a wooden mural ("Seasons in Wood") created using an age-old artwork technique called marquetry. The mural was designed and constructed by the Center's master woodcraftsman, Dan Diekhoff.

With a Web site up and running during the summer of 2007, they developed a system to record trees planted for the project (it's really complex . . . you fill out a form and submit it), and they started advertising!

Left: Student Council representatives from Utica Elementary School, Jeffersonville, pose with Clark County Commissioner Mike Moore (back row). The students are proud of their participation in the Plant a Tree project and are showing off one of the trees planted on school grounds.

Now, 16,372 trees and three new partners (Harrison, Crawford and Ripley counties) later, this project can be classified as a success. What is in the future? More tree sales, definitely! More workshops (they are in the works. Expanding the project's educational focus. Gaining new partners, hopefully!! The possibilities are endless when you are Planting a Tree For You . . . and Me!

For more information on this project, contact Melanie Davis, Clark County SWCD, at 812.256.2330, ext 3.

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