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In This Week’s Edition . . .
A Report from the Executive Director, Jennifer Boyle
Envirothon Update. The East Central Regional Envirothon Contest scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, at the Kuhlman Center, Wayne Co. Fairgrounds (Richmond) has been cancelled. If you have questions, contact the coordinator, LuAnne Holeva, 765-966-0191, ext. 3. >>For more information on the Indiana Envirothon, click here.
Environmental Speaker at Ball State. For those who might be interested in hearing Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. speak on Our Environmental Destiny, he will be at Ball State's Emens Auditorium on tonight at 8 p.m. Admission is free. Additional is available by clicking here.
Reminder: SWCD Annual Meetings. Changes and updates have been made to the list of SWCD Annual Meetings that can be found by clicking here.
Have a good week,
Jennifer
NEW UPDATED INFORMATION: NRCS Net Conference 2008 Farm Bill and Published Rules
USDA apologizes for the technical problems for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP), and Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) Program net conference. It has been rescheduled for Thursday, February 19, 2009.
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) net conferences are to review key changes in conservation programs brought about by the 2008 Farm Bill and published rules. USDA has revised all the net conference information and are providing the information below. Please disregard any previous emails and correspondences before this current letter.
All net conferences will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST). All call-in information for the seven net
conferences will be the same, 1-800-857-3202, password 6240511.
USDA has increased the number of lines for the net conferences, in order to allow as many groups to participate as possible, but expect participation to exceed the available lines. They ask that you coordinate your organization's participation to minimize the use of multiple lines.
Watershed Moment
Elizabeth Trybula
IDEM Seeking Public Comment on Draft Watershed Management Plan Checklist
(2009) Revision
IDEM's Office of Water Quality, NPS/TMDL Section, has revised the 2003 version of the IDEM Watershed Management Plan (WMP) Checklist. This revision was undertaken to improve the existing document in response to suggestions and comments received by Section 319 grant applicants, consultants and watershed planning stakeholders.
Because the WMP Checklist is used by a variety of stakeholders, IDEM wishes to gather input on these revisions before the document is finalized. If you wish to submit comments on the revised WMP checklist, please mail, email or FAX your comments by the close of business on March 16, 2009. The revised WMP checklist can be found at www.in.gov/idem/6135.htm. Send all correspondence to Sky Schelle.
USGS Posts Inundation Map Information as Downloadable Rasters
In October 2008, the USGS, in cooperation with FEMA and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Water, released Open File Report 2008-1322, Flood of June 7–9, 2008, in Central and Southern Indiana. The flood inundation maps published in Appendix 2 of the report are now available as down-loadable GIS files. The files contain flood-peak water surface elevation data and water depth data and related metadata. These raster data layers are in ERDAS IMAGINE format with an img file extension. The layers can be exported to different types of raster data using appropriate GIS software packages. The files are available at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1322/.
EPA’s Nonpoint Source News-Notes, Issue #86 (February 2009)
Issue #86 is now online at www.epa.gov/newsnotes. The newsletter’s cover page includes hyperlinks to each section, articles and announcements below.
Some articles that may interest you in this issue:
- Green Infrastructure Municipal Handbook Grows
- Document Explores Success of Reverse Auction for Stormwater Control
- Portland Launches a Stormwater Marketplace
- Stormwater Treatment Wetland Pays off in Philadelphia
- Recent Partnership Limits Phosphorus in New Jersey Fertilizer
- Florida Combines Local Buy-in with Enforceability to Improve Water Quality
- Multifaceted Approach in Washington State Improves Water Quality
NACD Stimulus Update
Late last week, Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, with the House passing by a margin of 246-183 and the Senate passing by a margin of 60-38. President Obama was expected to sign the measure into law in a ceremony yesterday.
Specific spending levels for programs related to NACD’s proposal include:
AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations, $290,000,000
The conference agreement provides $290,000,000 for the Watershed and Flood
Prevention Operations program instead of $350,000,000 as proposed by the House and
$275,000,000 as proposed by the Senate. Of the total amount, $145,000,000 is for purchasing and restoring floodplain
easements under the authorities of the Emergency Watershed Protection Program.
Funding is provided for conducting a floodplain, restoration enrollment process that
encompasses multiple regions of the country and that will provide the greatest public and
environmental benefits.
Watershed Rehabilitation Program, $50,000,000
The conference agreement provides $50,000,000 for the Watershed Rehabilitation
Program as proposed by the House instead of $65,000,000 as proposed by the Senate.
The conference agreement provides funding to rehabilitate aging flood control
infrastructure. The agency is directed to prioritize funding for projects that are at greatest
risk of failure and present threats to public safety. The agency is further directed to
prioritize funding for projects that can obligate and expend funds both cost effectively
and rapidly. Finally, the agency is directed to fully fund the cost of completing
rehabilitation projects initiated with the dollars provided in this conference agreement.
INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
Management of Lands and Resources $125,000,000.
The conference agreement provides $125,000,000 for management of lands and resources
instead of$135,000,000 proposed by the Senate; there was no House proposal. The conference
agreement provides flexibility to the agency in determining the allocation of this funding among
various program activities and sub-activities. The conferees encourage that selection of
individual projects be based on a prioritization process which weighs the capacity of proposals to
create the largest number of jobs in the shortest period of time and which creates lasting value for
the American public. While maximizing jobs, the Bureau should consider projects on all Bureau
managed lands including deferred maintenance, abandoned mine and well site remediation, road
and trail maintenance, watershed improvement, and high priority habitat restoration.
Wildland Fire Management $15,000,000.
The conference agreement provides $15,000,000 for wildland fire management as
proposed by the Senate; there was no House proposal. The funds should be used for high
priority hazardous fuels reduction projects on Federal lands.
Forest Service
- Wildland Fire Management, $500,000,000
- $250,000,000 is for activities on Federal lands
- $250,000,000 is for State and Private forestry activities
The conference agreement provides $500,000,000 for Wildland Fire Management instead of $485,000,000 proposed by the Senate and $850,000,000 proposed by the House. This
includes $250,000,000 for hazardous fuels reduction, forest health protection, rehabilitation and
hazard mitigation activities on Federal lands and $250,000,000 for cooperative activities to
benefit State and private lands. The conference agreement provides flexibility to the Service to
allocate funds among existing State and private assistance programs to choose programs that
provide the maximum public benefit. The Conferees encourage the Service to select individual
projects based on a prioritization process which weighs the capacity of proposals to create the
largest number of jobs in the shortest period of time and to create lasting value for the American
public. The bill allows the Service to use up to $50,000,000 to make competitive grants for the
purpose of creating incentives for increased use of biomass from federal and non-federal forested
lands. To better address current economic conditions at the state and local level, funds provided
for State and private forestry activities shall not be subject to matching or cost share
requirements.
After approval by the President, agencies will begin the process of reviewing projects ready for implementation and making allocations to states.
NACD will continue to provide updates as more information becomes known about spending under the economic stimulus.
Telling the District Story: Increasing District outreach without spending a dime
Connie Cleek,
 We were very well represented in our area during our recent annual meeting. The Paper of Montgomery County published a 16-page insert on our activities during the past year. The Journal Review (the other county newspaper) also published a whole section (16 pages) dedicated to our programs and activities. They both had several articles their reporters had written and a few articles that we obtained. They interviewed our Farmer of the Year and River Friendly Farmer award recipients.
All this coverage was free to our Soil and Water Conservation District. Both papers solicited sponsors for these publications that included many farm businesses, banks, car dealers and agricultural contractors. They make enough money from the advertising to cover their costs plus extras, and the Montgomery County SWCD receives the benefit of the outreach.
In addition to the papers, we contacted the local radio station (WCVL) to announce the annual meeting two weeks before. They also came to the meeting and broadcasted live during the meeting. This gave them a chance to interview board members, staff and award winners.
We are suggesting to other Districts to contact their local paper and radio stations and just ask them some questions. Tell them what you would like to do. You will be surprised that they are also looking for news to cover in the local community. We are putting our District in front of all 38,000 residents of Montgomery County and it does not cost us a single dime.
We plan to continue the partnership we are foraging with these media and strive, with their support, to expand our communications to the general public of Montgomery County.
For more information on this outreach effort, contact Connie at the Montgomery County SWCD, 765-362-1194, ext. 3. >>Click here to read about other District stories featured in our Telling the District Story Web pages.
Purdue Research Park Company Receives Approval For Faster, Cheaper Soil Testing
A device manufactured by Purdue Research Park-based InMass Technologies Inc. has been approved for use in identifying wetlands and other soil conditions.
The National Technical Committee on Hydric Soils approved the use of the company's IRIS Tubes to determine whether soils meet the federal standard to be classified as "hydric," which is part of the definition of a wetland.
"In the past, determining whether soil was hydric was a time-consuming and expensive process requiring expensive equipment and extensive field time," said Byron Jenkinson, co-founder and chief research officer for InMass Technologies. "In addition, the results were often inconclusive."
Jenkinson said the technology his company created gives a definitive result in the testing process.
"IRIS Tubes answer the question, 'Is this site hydric?'" he said. "The ability to cover large areas for relatively little cost, followed by easy-to-evaluate results in weeks instead of months, makes this an easier, faster and less expensive method than other processes to determine if soil is hydric."
Environmental engineers, soil scientists, mine and land reclamation experts, and land developers can use IRIS Tubes to determine the depth of soil saturation, analyze organic carbon in soil, locate water tables, and analyze and monitor contaminated soil and water.
The technology also can inform homeowners how their septic systems are functioning.
The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service lists several other applications for hydric soils on its Web site, including assessment of potential habitats for wildlife, conservation planning and land-use planning.
The National Technical Committee on Hydric Soils includes scientists from the USDA, NRCS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. EPA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Forest Service and academic researchers.
Purdue Launches Renewable Energy Web Site
Purdue University Extension has powered up a Web site on cleaner, greener energy. The Renewable Energy site offers an array of resources on environmentally friendly energy sources and conservation. The site is located at www.extension.purdue.edu/renewable%2Denergy/. Web site visitors can learn about installing wind turbines and solar panels, ethanol production and cutting energy costs, among other topics, said Klein Ileleji, a Purdue Extension agricultural engineer.
"The Web site provides information on various sustainable energy technologies and energy efficiency, based on research conducted at Purdue and other universities and government agencies," Ileleji said. "When you go to the Web site you'll find pages devoted to wind and solar energy, biofuels, and corn ethanol co-products, as well as on-farm energy efficiency systems. There also are topical pages that include Purdue Extension publications, tools and spreadsheets that are used for analysis of various renewable energy systems, and links to other Web sites."
Renewable energy is a research emphasis within Purdue Agriculture. Studies have been conducted, or are under way, on grain and cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel, dried distillers grains with solubles, wind farms and solar heating. Additional research has been done at Purdue‘s Energy Center at Discovery Park and the Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering. Links to those Purdue research facilities and others are available on the Web site.
Interest in renewable energy is growing, said Chad Martin, Purdue Extension renewable energy specialist.
"We get a lot of requests at Purdue for information regarding large-scale and small-scale wind developments at the local county level and from regional groups," Martin said. "We have a number of resources available on the Web site and will add more, as our capacity grows in this area."
Farmers should find the Web site a valuable information source, Martin said. "Another area of interest, particularly in our agriculture community, is the grain drying energy audits that we help producers conduct," he said. "We work with producers to determine what they are actually spending per bushel to dry grain. Of course, grain drying is a big-ticket area within a modern farming operation. It consumes a tremendous amount of energy, so helping people get an understanding of where they are and where they can make efficiency improvements is beneficial to the industry."
The Web site also has an events page, with a comprehensive listing of renewable energy workshops, conferences and activities in Indiana and across the Midwest. "You hear a lot about green jobs and energy independence," Ileleji said. "With this Web site we‘re hoping to be on the cutting edge of the sustainable energy revolution."
Partner Proposals Sought to Target USDA Farm Bill Funds
USDA has announced that up to $58.4 million in financial assistance is available to agricultural producers and entities through the new Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP), established in the new Farm Bill to promote ground and surface water conservation and water quality improvement.
AWEP projects will be selected through a competitive request for proposals. Eligible partners must identify a target geographic area in their proposal. They must also identify specific practices to be funded and agree to help promote these practices. Eligible partners include Federally-recognized tribes, states, units of local government, agricultural or silvicultural associations or groups of such producers like irrigation associations or an agricultural land trust. Once an area is selected, producers who are engaged in livestock or agricultural production are eligible to have conservation contracts under the program. Producers in selected project areas will apply for assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) at their local USDA Service Center.
“AWEP is designed to address water quantity and quality issues at a regional level,” according to Jane Hardisty, state conservationist for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “The intent of AWEP is to leverage federal investments in natural resources conservation with the services and resources of other partners. By combining available resources, we can deliver more conservation assistance on private working lands.”
The types of practices that might be funded under AWEP could include:
- Water quality or water conservation plan development, including resource condition assessment and modeling
- Water conservation restoration, including conversion to the production of less water-intensive agricultural commodities
- Water quality or quantity restoration or enhancement projects
- Irrigation system improvement or irrigation efficiency enhancement.
Hard copy proposals must be postmarked by March 2, 2009. USDA published a Request for Proposals for AWEP in the Federal Register on Jan. 14, 2009. To access the regulations, click here to go to the Federal Register. For additional information about AWEP, and links to the Federal Register announcement, visit the NRCS AWEP Web site at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/awep/.
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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