Upcoming Workshops, Seminars
Feb. 5 / Ripley County SWCD Annual Meeting / Versailles The Ripley County SWCD Annual Meeting was postponed on Jan. 29th and has been rescheduled to Feb. 5th. Click here to view the flyer for this event. Contact the Ripley County SWCD office for more information at 812.689.6410 ext. 3.
Feb. 5 / Habitat Steward Training / Zionsville The Indiana Wildlife Federation and the Zion Nature Center are hosting these training sessions designed to allow participants to learn more about creating and maintaining local wildlife habitat and using this knowledge to lead others in hands-on conservation projects. The certification course focuses on birds, butterflies, mammals, amphibians, insects, native plants and landscaping for wildlife. Training sessions will be held on Thursdays, February 5, 12, 19, 26, March 5, 12 from 6:00-9:00 pm and Saturday, March 7, 9:30-3:30 a.m. Register by calling the IWF office at 317-875-9453, 800-347-3445 or email Jerry Wheeler
Feb. 5, 12, 19/ Wildlife-Friendly Practices Workshop / Carmel Indiana Wildlife Federation is offering a three day workshop designed to provide information on how to implement wildlife-friendly practices into daily work. Information on the program and registration can be found by clicking here.
Feb. 6 / Northern Indiana Grazing Conference / Shipshewana LaGrange County SWCD is sponsoring this grazing conference. The flyer with more information on topics as well as registration information can be found by clicking here.
Feb. 7 / Rain Conservation Workshop / Noblesville Hamilton County SWCD is sponsoring this workshop to show how rain is beneficial to communities and environments. More information on this event can found on the Web site by clicking here. Questions and RSVP can be sent to Tina Moon at 317.773.2181 ext. 101.
Feb. 10 / Wetlands Workshop / Sullivan
Clay, Greene, Sullivan and Vigo County SWCD are hosting this informative workshop on the functions and benefits of wetlands along with regulations, permitting and wetlands programs. The full program information and registration can be found by clicking here.
Feb. 10 / Energy Efficiency in Farming / Portland Blackford, Delaware, Grant, Jay, Madison and Randolph County SWCD have collaborated on this workshop on how to cut energy costs on the farm. More information on this program can be found by clicking here. To register for this event contact Bettie Jacobs at 260.726.4373 ext. 3.
Feb. 10 / Tree Planting Seminar / Shipshewana LaGrange County SWCD is hosting this tree planting workshop. Contact the LaGrange County SWCD for more information at 260-463-3471 ext. 3.
Feb. 10 / Benton County SWCD Annual Meeting / Fowler This meeting will be held at Sacred Heart School Gym at 6:30 p.m. The fee is $6. A snow day has been planned for Feb. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Contact Michelle Scherer at 765-884-1090 ext. 3 for more details.
Feb. 17 / Energy Efficiency in Farming / Muncie Blackford, Delaware, Grant, Jay, Madison and Randolph County SWCD have collaborated on this workshop on how to cut energy costs on the farm. More information on this program can be found by clicking here. To register for this event contact Debra Carpenter at 765.747.5531 ext. 3.
Feb. 18 / Hay Management and Marketing / Shelbyville Shelby County SWCD is helping to host this workshop on establishing a hay crop that meets your needs, harvesting, testing and providing different hay crops for different customers and also marketing the hay crop for profit. More information can be found on the flyer by clicking here.
Feb. 19 /Clay County SWCD Annual Meeting / Brazil The Clay County SWCD Annual Meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Clay County Fairgrounds. Contact Jennifer McKee at the Clay County office at 812.448.1108 ext. 3 to reserve a spot or with any questions.
Feb. 19 / Newton County SWCD Annual Meeting / Morocco Newton County SWCD Annual Meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Beaver Township Community Building. The flyer and reservation information can be found by clicking here.
Feb. 19 / Creating a Legacy: Options for Preservation / Shelbyville Hoosier Heartland RC&D and Central Indiana Land Trust are hosting this first in a three-part series of workshops. This event will cover topics such as the role of land trusts, incentives for conservation easements and the Farmland Preservation Program. Registration and more information can be found on the brochure by clicking here.
Feb. 21 / Vermillion County SWCD Annual Meeting / Cayuga Vermillion County SWCDs Annual Meeting will begin with registration and breakfast buffet at 8:00 a.m. at the Cayuga American Legion. Guest speakers will be discussing the Newport Chemical Depot. Reservations must be received by Feb.13th. Contact Tyler Martin at 765.492.3705 to make a reservation or with any questions.
Feb. 23 / Elkhart Co. SWCD Annual Meeting / Goshen Contact the Elkhart County SWCD office by Feb.13 with reservations to 574.533.3630, ext. 3.
Feb. 25 / Tri-State Conservation Farming Expo / Auburn St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative is hosting this conference which will cover topics like ag energy and conservation policy, cover crops, pest management, reducing input costs and more. The full program and registration information can be found by clicking here.
Feb. 26 / So You Have Decided to Sell Your Land- What Next? / Noblesville
Hoosier Heartland RC&D and Central Indiana Land Trust are hosting this second section in a three-part series of workshops. This event will cover topics like the effect of utilities and zoning while selling land, how to structure the sale and utilizing conservation tools. Registration and more information can be found on the brochure by clicking here.
Feb. 26 / Ripley County SWCD Annual No-Till Breakfast / Holton Click here to view the flyer for this event. To make a reservation or for more information contact Ripley County SWCD office at 812.689.6410 ext. 3.
Feb. 27 / Smart Farming for the Future / Lakeville St. Joseph County SWCD is hosting this workshop on nutrient management, conservation tillage, organic farming and other topics. View the flyer for this workshop by clicking here. To register contact St. Joseph County SWCD at 574.291.7444 ext. 3
Feb. 28 / Project WET Training Workshop / West Lafayette Project WET will be showing hands-on demonstrations of the lessons and activities that are a part of their Curriculum and Activity Guide. More information on this even and registration can be found by clicking here.
Mar. 4-5 / Water Quality Trading Workshop / Easton, MD More information on this workshop hosted by Conservation Technology Information Center can be found in the weekly update by clicking here.
Mar. 5 / Northern Indiana Soil Management Seminar / Goshen
Elkhart County SWCD is hosting this seminar covering topics on cover crops, nutrient management, and pesticides. Credits are available for Certified Crop Advisors, Commercial Pesticide Applicators, and Private Applicators. Call the Elkhart County SWCD, at 574-533-3630 ext. 3, for more information or to receive a registration form.
Mar. 11 / Cover Crop Workshop / Fowler
Benton County SWCD will be hosting this cover crops workshop. Contact Michelle Scherer at 765.884.1090 ext. 3 for more information.
Mar. 13-14 / Leadership in Change / Indianapolis Registration is currently underway for this two-day workshop by the Leadership Institute which is designed for supervisors and targeted towards leadership skills. More information on the topics that will be covered at this event and registration information can be found by clicking here.
Mar. 24 / Cover Crop Field Day / Greensburg Decatur County SWCD is hosting this field day which will showcase a variety of test plots featuring several types of ryegrass, clover, winter peas, oats and other cover crops. If you have any questions call the Decatur Co. SWCD office at 812-663-8685 ext. 3.
Mar. 26 / Lake County Annual Meeting / Schererville Lake County SWCD will hold their Annual Meeting at Teibel’s at 6:30 p.m. A tentative snow date of Mar. 31 at the Farm Bureau Building has also been scheduled. Contact Lake County SWCD at 219.663.7042 with any questions.
Mar. 28 / Keeping Your Land and Making a Profit / Greenwood
Hoosier Heartland RC&D and Central Indiana Land Trust are hosting this third workshop in a three-part series. This event will explore alternative options for landowners to use their land to generate income and will provide ideas, resources and tools to help landowners keep their land healthy and productive. Registration and more information can be found on the brochure by clicking here.
April 22-24, 2009 / Celebrate the Good Earth Festival / Indianapolis The State's Largest Classroom at the Indiana State Fairgrounds will host this festival, as well as tours for school children this fall.
>> Click here for more information. Call 317.927.7585 for more information about the field trips.
July 11-15 / Soil and Water Conservation Society’s Annual Conference / Dearborn, MI The conference includes workshops, concurrent sessions, symposia, posters, plenary sessions, and technical tours designed to raise the awareness of conference participants to recent developments in the science and art of natural resource conservation and environmental management on working land—the largely privately-owned land comprising working farms, ranches, forests, and rural and urban communities. >> Click here for details.
IASWCD wants to encourage all District employees to utilize the great features of the USDA AgLearn Web site. AgLearn contains a vast collection of great information that can help District employees learn new skills, stay up-to-date in technology advances and more! This can be a great resource for Districts. Instructions on creating an AgLearn account can be found by clicking here.
Publications Links
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For the Week of February 2 - February 6, 2009 |
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In This Week’s Edition . . .
A Report from the Executive Director, Jennifer Boyle
Recap for the 2009 Annual Conference. You will find a recap of the 2009 conference on our Web site >>click here that contains the speaker PowerPoint presentations we have permission to post (to date). Hopefully we will receive permission to post all of the presentations soon. As they come in, we will put them up on this page in PDF form so they are easy to download. The recap page also contains:
The minutes from the Annual Business Meeting also will be posted when they are completed.
Conservation Day at the Statehouse. It was a successful day at the statehouse last Tuesday, January, 27, when members of the Indiana Conservation  Alliance convened at the Indiana Statehouse to celebrate Conservation Day. Despite the snow, we had a great crowd of participants from member organizations, as well as legislators and staff. Thanks to IASWCD Vice President Ray McCormick, South-NW Region Director Kenny Cain, IASWCD Legislative Committee Co-chair & Knox County Associate Supervisor Ray Chattin and IASWCD Natural Resources Committee Co-chair & Vermillion County SWCD Supervisor Les Zimmerman, who were there on behalf of SWCDs.
They spoke to legislators and our Clean Water Indiana legislative platform that includes HB 1204: a bill the Association introduced to prohibit Clean Water Indiana funds from reverting to any fund at the end of a fiscal year so the money will remain available for use for the purposes of the fund. They also talked about the Association’s push for the administration to continue to fund the CWI program with an additional $500,000 in general fund appropriations as was  passed during the 2008/2009 budget cycle
(under HB 1001 / Budget bill). The Association also is asking for an increase in the ISDA Division of Soil Conservation’s annual budget from $1,968,750 to $3,490,750 (a $1,522,000 increase). The increase in the Division of Soil Conservation’s budget would provide support for their Resource Specialists, along with their contract and equipment expenses. This would free up funding in the current Clean Water Indiana program to allow the State Soil Conservation Board to direct more dollars for on-the-ground conservation on all working lands, as intended by the law.
Pursuit of No-Till Excellence. This was sent to SWCD offices last week, but I wanted to draw attention to the article by Barry Fisher again on the Pursuit of No-Till Excellence. Click here to download this article that would be an excellent publication to include in your SWCD annual report or upcoming newsletter.
Watch for a New Insider Format. The GrantStation Insider Newsletter you receive is working on a new distribution method. Starting February 16th, instead of sending out the e-newsletter in its current form, they will replace the weekly mailing with a more compact synopsis. This synopsis will contain a link that takes subscribers to a page on the GrantStation Web site that will display the entire content of the newsletter. The hope is that this change will make the Insider distribution system more efficient for subscribers.
Dirt: The movie. A documentary on soil is one of the feature selections at the 2009 Sundance film festival. The following Web site gives some interesting background. >>Click here to check it out It has a well done introduction of the documentary.
SWCD Annual Meetings. A list of SWCD Annual Meetings can be found by clicking here.
Have a good week,
Jennifer
Watershed Moment
Elizabeth Trybula
IDEM Seeks Water Quality Reports and Data from External Partners
The IDEM Office of Water Quality (OWQ) is preparing to update water quality assessments for Indiana watersheds. They are requesting any existing and readily available water quality reports and/or assessments, using samples collected on or after January 1, 2001, or new data if you had previously submitted during the 2008 solicitation. Reports on water, sediment, biota, biological communities and habitat that assess the quality of Indiana lakes and streams would be most useful.
The information received will be prioritized and reviewed for potential use in updating Indiana water quality assessments. Updated assessments will be reported in the 2010 Integrated Water Monitoring and Assessment Report (formerly known as the 305(b) Report) and will be used to evaluate impaired waters for inclusion on Indiana’s 303(d) List of Impaired Waters. Both the Integrated Water Monitoring Assessment Report and the 303(d) List of Impaired Waters will be submitted to USEPA in 2010.
The deadline to submit data and information for consideration in the 2010 305(b) assessment and 303(d) listing cycle is May 1, 2009. More detailed information regarding submission criteria can be found online here. Questions regarding this solicitation may be directed to Jody Arthur, 305(b)/303(d) Coordinator in the Office of Water Quality at IDEM at 317-234-1424 or 800-451-6027.
IDEM seeks nominations for Governor’s environmental excellence awards
Indiana businesses, agricultural producers, governments, individuals, technical assistance organizations, educational groups and nonprofit organizations who can demonstrate extraordinary efforts in pollution prevention and environmental management are encouraged to apply for the 2009 Indiana's Governor's Awards for Environmental Excellence.
Awards will be given for three categories, Energy/Renewable Resources, Pollution Prevention and Five Years’ Continuous Improvement. These awards are open to all Indiana facilities, state and local units of government, individuals, and technical assistance organizations that implement exemplary environmental projects with measurable results. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) is accepting applications until 5 p.m. on Monday, April 20. Winners will be invited to a banquet to celebrate their accomplishments.
For additional information on how to apply, contact Anthony Sullivan at (800) 988-7901 or by e-mail at asulliva@idem.IN.gov. For a nomination form, visit IDEM's Web site at www.IN.gov/idem/5147.htm#how
News from GrantStation Insider
GrantStation Webinars Scheduled for February
Making Time to Write Grants
The number one reason people give for not applying for a particular grant is that they don't have the time. This 90-minute webinar is full of practical advice that can help you organize your approach to grant seeking by teaching you how to create the time to do the job and do it well. Cynthia Adams, CEO of GrantStation, will cover everything from big picture thinking and how it can drive your grantseeking efforts, to how to use volunteers effectively. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, February 18, 2009, at 2 p.m. EST. The registration fee is $89 per person. Visit the website listed above to register.
Grant Writing: Getting Off to a Good Start
If you are new to grant writing, this 90-minute webinar will help you identify the information you need to collect and the files you need to establish to begin developing compelling grant proposals. Cynthia Adams will use a PowerPoint presentation and the GrantStation website as visual training tools. A 30-minute question and answer session provides the opportunity to ask tough questions, and share the challenges you face as a beginning grant writer. The webinar will be held on Thursday, February 19, 2009, at 2 p.m. EST. The registration fee is $89 per person. Visit the website listed above to register.
Watch for a New Insider Format
We are working on a new distribution method for the GrantStation Insider.
Starting February 16th, instead of sending out the e-newsletter in its current form, we will replace our weekly mailing with a more compact synopsis. This synopsis will contain a link that takes subscribers to a page on the GrantStation website that will display the entire content of the newsletter. We hope that this change will make the Insider distribution system more efficient for our subscribers.
Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
OFFICERS:
President: Paula Baldwin, Marion Co.
Vice President: Ray McCormick: Knox Co.
Secretary: Jeff Meinders, Ripley Co.
Treasurer: Brian Campbell, Elkhart Co.
REGION DIRECTORS:
Board Roster / Region Map
North-Northwest: Larry Strole, Newton Co.
South-Northwest: Kenny Cain, Montgomery Co.
North-Northeast: Tom Crowe, Allen Co.
South-Northeast: Bobby Hettmansperger, Wabash Co.
North-Southwest: Bob Weaver, Johnson Co.
South-Southwest: Alan Weyer, Dubois Co.
North-Southeast: Brad Dawson, Dearborn Co.
South-Southeast: Brad Ponsler, Jennings Co.
IASWCD STAFF:
Executive Director: Jennifer Boyle, 317.692.7519
Watershed Information Specialist: Elizabeth Trybula, 317.692.7514
Communications Manager: DeeDee Sigler, 317.692.7374
Project Assistant: Jaclyn Casale, 317.692.7325
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