Upcoming Workshops, Seminars
Feb. 28 / Monroe Co. SWCD Annual Mtg. / Bloomington Teena Ligman, Public Affairs, USDA Forest Service, will present Cooperative Weed Management Areas at the 64th Annual Meeting of the Monroe County SWCD at the St. Paul United Methodist Church. Tickets are $6. Call 812.349.2046 to make a last-minute reservation.
Feb. 28 / Elkhart Co. SWCD Annual Mtg. / Goshen Tom Turpin, Professor of Entomology at Purdue University, will present The Buzz on Insects in Poetry at the 66th Annual Meeting of the Elkhart County SWCD. Click here for details.
Feb. 28 / Bi-County Soil Conservation Workshop / Reynolds Purdue Extension and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts of White and Carroll counties will sponsor the Bi-County Soil Conservation Workshop from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the White County 4-H Community Building in Reynolds. Registration is due Feb. 27 to White or Carroll Extension or SWCD offices.
Mar. 4 / Hamilton Co. SWCD Annual Mtg. / Noblesville Bob Utterback, Farm Journal Economist and regular guest on U.S. Farm Report (formerly AgDay Weekend Marketplace) is the keynote speaker for the Hamilton Co. SWCD’s annual meeting, to be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Click here for details.
Mar 08 / Canada Geese Mgmt Seminars / Across Indiana Sponsored by the IDNR. Click here for details.
- March 5, Clarksville Community Center in Clarksville.
- March 7, Atterbury Fish and Wildlife Area Office outside of Edinburgh;
- March 19, The Garrison South Ballroom, inside Fort Harrison State Park in Indianapolis;
- March 25, Indiana Dunes State Park Nature Center near Chesterton;
- March 26, Potato Creek State Park Nature Center near North Liberty; and
- March 27, Franke Park Pavilion #1 in Fort Wayne.
Mar. 12 / Central Ind. Stormwater Quality Conference / Indianapolis
A workshop for builders, contractors, developers, engineers, property managers, utility companies and MS4s. Click here for the brochure that has the agenda topics and registration form.
Mar. 19 / Emerging Technologies Field Day / Franklin The Johnson County SWCD and the Youngs Creek and Indian Creek Watershed Projects will sponsor the Field Day to allow the agriculture community to connect with the newest technologies available and to understand how they can improve the efficiency and profitability of farming. Lunch is provided (free), but reservations by Mar. 7 are required to 317.346.6102 ext. 106. Click here for the brochure with full details.
Mar. 20 / Lake Co. SWCD Annual Meeting / Schererville Join Indiana’s first state forester, Charles Deam (portrayed by Sam Carman) at the Lake County SWCD Annual Meeting at Teibel’s Restaurant, Schererville. Click here for details including a reservation form.
Mar. 27 / Porter Co. SWCD Annual Meeting / Valparaiso The Porter County SWCD annual meeting at 6:30 p.m. (Chicago time) at Strongbow's Restaurant on Highway 30 features Tom Turpin. Turpin will speak on The New Good Old Days. Tickets can be reserved by calling the Porter County SWCD at 219.462.7515 ext. 111. Cost is $10 for a two-meat buffet.
Apr. 16 / Green Site Planning Workshop / Indianapolis Save the date – workshop for planners, landscape architects, developers, engineers and water quality specialists. Sponsored by the Hendricks and Marion Co. SWCDs. Click here for a draft brochure and registration form.
Apr. 25 / Pond Clinic / Dillsboro
Sponsored by the Dearborn County SWCD covering a variety of pond related topics. Click here for details.
Apr. 27 - May 4 / Stewardship Week / Nationwide
Water is Life is the theme for the 2008 Stewardship Week sponsored by the NACD. Materials for 2008 Stewardship Week are available from the NACD Marketplace.
June 26-27 / Ind. Environmental Education Symposium / Indianapolis
Contact Warren Gartner, IDNR, or Sam Carman, IDNR, for details.
June 30 - July 2 / AWRA Summer Specialty Conference / Virginia Beach, VA Riparian Ecosystems & Buffers: Working at the Water's Edge is sponsored by the American Water Resources Association (AWRA). Click here for details. >>
INDIANA ASSOCIATION OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICTS
President: Jim Droege, Posey Co.
Vice President: Paula Baldwin, Marion Co.
Secretary: Ray McCormick: Knox Co.
Treasurer: Jeff Meinders, Ripley 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: Ray Chattin, Knox 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
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For the Week of February 25-29, 2008
In This Week's Edition . . .
A Report from the Executive Director, Jennifer Boyle
 NACD Photo Winner. A picture can be worth even more than a thousand words. Good photographs can lend a helping hand to numerous projects: they strengthen publicity for a fund-raiser, make a newsletter more appealing and reveal the beauty of wetlands to elementary students. The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and the NACD Auxiliary joined forces with the Virginia Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts to host an annual photo contest to recognize individuals who use this tool effectively and creatively.
Indiana is honored to have a winner in the 2007 contest. The first place winner in the Youth Division is Robert Mazzaro, Lake County, Crown Point, Ind., for his photo “Blades of Glory” (seen at the left). Click here to see the other winning pictures. NACD says 2008 photo contest information is coming soon!
District News. Congratulations to Bob Steiner, Jennings County SWCD. Bob has been working most recently with the Sand Creek 319 Watershed Project at the District, and has now assumed responsibility as executive director (replacing Vickie Girt). He has a wealth of experience. His email is: bob.steiner@in.usda.gov.
NACD 2008 Annual Meeting Post Conference Resources. Whether you missed the chance to be in Reno for NACD’s 62nd Annual Meeting or you were there and want to revisit the presentations you attended, there are several recently-added resources available on their post-conference Web site - click here. Also, don't forget the 2008 IASWCD post-conference recap page is available here.
One Last Reminder - Conference Planning. Join us on Tuesday, March 4, here in Indianapolis, for the first planning meeting of the 2009 Annual Conference Committee. We’ll meet at the Farm Bureau building (lunch provided) at 10 a.m. EST to approximately 4 p.m. (or sooner). Our room is Assembly Hall B on the first floor. This invitation is extended to SWCD staff and supervisors, NRCS staff, RC&D staff and DSC staff. Please RSVP to me for a lunch count by March 2. Click here to go to the 2008 Conference Recap Web page. If you need a map to the office click here.
Have a good week,
Jennifer
Watershed Moment
Across Indiana, a variety of grassroots efforts to improve water quality is documented, but it can be difficult to determine who is doing what regionally or statewide due to the diversity of activities. Because many SWCDs are involved in watershed level efforts, IASWCD joined in the work of a collaborative team of individuals to address this challenge, by gathering information on watershed efforts across the state. This team includes representatives from Purdue Extension, IASWCD, state agencies, the Indiana Lakes Management Society (ILMS), recreational organizations and businesses, and educators.
We see direct value in consolidating information from the grassroots level so that Districts and their partners have a clear idea of what’s occurring locally, regionally and statewide.
In order to make sure that your efforts are included and accurate, the team has developed a BRIEF (five minutes), easy-to-use online form that we are requesting you complete to describe your watershed work, and forward to local organizations or partners that may also be involved in water quality restoration and protection.
The form is located online – click here.
We appreciate any time you can provide, and request that you complete the form by March 31st. Information received from the form will be made available online in an easy to use map so that you can connect with individuals, organizations, and service providers unified by their interest in watershed efforts. The team has identified its target deadline to post this information by the end of April.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact: Elizabeth Trybula, Watershed Information Specialist, Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, or Jane Frankenberger, Purdue Extension Water Quality Coordinator.
Indiana Approves Great Lakes Compact
Indiana Becomes Third State to Adopt Historic Protections for Great Lakes
 On February 20, 2008, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels took a historic step to protect the Great Lakes for present and future generations by signing the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact into law. With growing threats to export Great Lakes water out of the Basin, Indiana legislators and Governor Daniels joined together to support adoption of the Great Lakes Compact (Senate Bill 45).
Bill sponsors, Senator Gard (R - Greenfield) and Representative Pelath (D - Michigan City) made passage of the Compact a priority in their respective chambers. The Compact passed unanimously out of the Senate on January 17. The legislation was passed by the House with a vote of 91-8 on February 12. The Great Lakes Compact enjoyed support from multiple Indiana stakeholders including the environmental, municipal, business, industrial and agricultural communities.
The Compact is the culmination of a five-year process of negotiations among the eight Great Lakes States. The Compact will protect Great Lakes water supplies by implementing an effective water management plan, including a ban on water diversions out of the basin and the promotion of water conservation measures within the basin.
The Great Lakes governors, including Daniels, endorsed the Compact in December 2005. To become law it must be adopted by each state legislature and receive the consent of the U.S. Congress. Minnesota and Illinois were the first states to adopt the Compact in 2007. With Governor Daniels signature Indiana became the third state to adopt the Compact. Legislation is currently pending in Michigan, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Wisconsin continues to work towards legislation and hopes to have a bill introduced in 2008.
The Great Lakes are the world's single largest source of fresh surface water. They represent 95 percent of the fresh surface water of North America. The water of the Great Lakes represents a critical resource for Indiana, providing drinking water for people in the region, supporting numerous industrial uses, navigation, energy production, recreation and tourism, and important fish and wildlife habitat. Although seemingly abundant, less than one percent of the Great Lakes water is renewed each year, leaving the Lakes vulnerable to depletion.
Large-scale diversions from the Basin along with mismanagement of water within the basin could pose serious environmental harm to the entire Great Lakes system. Lowering water levels could result in impacts to power generation, agriculture, industry, property values and tourism. Legislatures across the Great Lakes region are reviewing the Great Lakes Compact as water shortages around the United States are increasing due to insufficient water conservation policy and drought conditions, and as the specter of water diversion out of the Great Lakes have propelled the issue into the 2008 Presidential campaign.
The Center for Absentee Landowners Reaches Out
The Center for Absentee Landowners is an emerging new partnership for conservation Districts. Of the 3.4 million owners of private agricultural land in the United States, 42 percent do not operate any of the land they own and lease out all or part of the land. Eighty-five percent of absentee landowners are not actively engaged in decision-making on the farm, and a majority of the landowners have never been a farm operator. These factors suggest that future gains in the adoption of conservation practices will require efforts targeted specifically to increasing conservation adoption on rented lands.
The Center for Absentee Landowners works to inform and assist absentee landowners with understanding and implementing conservation programs on their land. The Center is designed to help absentee landowners understand the different available programs, which agencies to contact and the tools needed to implement conservation. Funding for the Center is currently provided by a three-year USDA Conservation Innovation Grant, a national grant with the goal of developing outreach to absentee landowners about conservation programs.
NACD’s 2008 Annual Meeting featured a breakout session focusing on absentee landowners. A presentation from the session, titled Top 10 Reasons Why Marketing to Absentee Landowners Works, is available to you as a resource. For more information about the Center for Absentee Landowners, click here to go to the Center’s Web site.
Center Releases Urban Stream Repair Practices for free download
 In an effort to ensure that every community is equipped with the guidance needed to repair streams as part of larger watershed restoration efforts, the Center for Watershed Protection is now making Manual 4: Urban Stream Repair Practices of the Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual Series available permanently for free download.
This manual focuses on practices used to enhance the appearance, stability, structure, or function of urban streams. It includes guidance on how to set appropriate restoration goals for your stream, and how to choose the best combination of stream repair practices to meet them.
This manual, released in 2004, now joins manuals 1, 2 and 3 in the manual series that are now available for free download.
Indiana Wildlife Federation Workshops
Wildlife Friendly Development Certification Workshop
 The Indiana Wildlife Federation (IWF) in partnership with the Holladay Properties, AmeriPlex Indianapolis is hosting a one-day workshop designed to provide landscape architects, environmental engineers and land use specialists with the information necessary to obtain certification for Wildlife Friendly Developments. Click here for more info including the registration form.
Maximizing Your Habitat Workshops
IWF is hosting several one-day habitat workshops around the state. They are designed to help property owners get the most our of their wildlife habitat areas. Choose a location near you and sign up today by visiting www.indianawildlife.org or call 800.347.3445.The dates/locations are:
- March 22, Lafayette, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Lilly Nature Center, Celery Bog Nature Area, West Lafayette
- April 5, Terre Haute, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Dobbs Park, Native American Museum, Terre Haute
- May 3, Warsaw/North Webster, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., North Webster Community Center, North Webster
Workshops are free to IWF members. Non-members pay only $35 which includes a one-year IWF membership.
Habitat Stewards™ Training
The Denver Siekman Environmental Park in Rising Sun (Ohio County) is offering National Wildlife Federation’s
Habitat Steward™ Training on the following dates:
- 9:00 – 3:00 Saturday March 29
- 9:00 – 3:00 Saturday April 12
- 9:00 – 3:00 Saturday April 26
- 9:00 – 3:00 Saturday May 10
- 9:00 – 3:00 Saturday May 17
For additional Information email Janie Eldridge or call her at 812.438.1230.
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