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For the Week of March 3-7, 2008
In This Week's Edition . . .
A Report from the Executive Director, Jennifer Boyle
American Water Environmental Grant Program. We just received information today from American Water on their Environmental Grant Program. First, the deadline for applications is April 11. Grants will be awarded for innovative community-based environmental projects that improve, restore or protect watersheds, surface water and/or groundwater supplies in communities served by American Water in Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio. If your District is planning to launch an initiative that focuses on watershed or water source protection which would benefit from a modest grant of up to $5,000, you are encouraged to apply. Additional information and grant applications are available by contacting Kristin Ferguson, Corporate Communications, American Water, at kristin.ferguson@amwater.com, 856.309.4688.
Send Us Supervisor/Staff Updates. Please remember to send us changes for your board of supervisors. Most important is the name and email addresses for your new supervisors (and the names/email addresses of those to delete). This information is vital . . . because 99% of our communication is done via email. If an email address changes, let us know. Don’t assume that someone else will tell us, just send us an email. Duplication never hurts. We also want to know when a staff member changes, so we can update that list as well. Thanks for your help!
District News. Welcome to Lisa Jones, the new District Coordinator for the Jefferson County SWCD (replacing Julie Brown). Lisa’s email is: jeffswcd@yahoo.com. We’re glad to have you on board!
The Vermillion County SWCD seeks a qualified watershed coordinator. Interested individuals may request a detailed position description and application information by calling 765.492.3705 or e-mailing tyler-martin@iaswcd.org. The application deadline is March 14, 2008.
Congratulations to two Indiana SWCDs who have new Web sites. Please take time to visit the sites.
Hoosier Riverwatch News . Click here to read the online edition of Riffles & Pools, the volunteer water monitoring program newsletter from Hoosier Riverwatch.
Forestry Notes Available Online. The March edition of NACD's Forestry Notes is now online. Click here to read the newsletter.
NACD President Comments on Progress of 2008 Farm Bill. Click here to listen to NACD President John Redding's comments regarding the 2008 Farm Bill in the March edition of America’s Voice for Conservation.
No Weekly Update Next Week. There will not be a regular Weekly Update next week. The next edition will be published on Wednesday, March 19. If there is something you need to distribute to all SWCDs next week or information the Association needs to share, we’ll pass it along. Just send me an email.
Have a good week,
Jennifer
NACD Action Alert
Contact your Members of Congress to ask for their support of NACD’s FY 2009 Appropriations Priorities: Conservation Technical Assistance, State and Private Forestry and EPA 319 Nonpoint Source Grants.
Background: As you know, NACD’s Appropriations priorities for FY 2009 focus on these three programs which were approved by the board of directors in July, 2007. Below are specific funding levels approved by the board:
- Conservation Technical Assistance: $888.890 million
- State and Private Forestry: $289.021 million
- 319 Nonpoint Source Grants: $210.536 million
Congress is beginning work on FY 2009 appropriations. Committees have also scheduled their deadlines by which Members of Congress must make requests to the Subcommittees for funding allocations. Below are important appropriations deadlines for NACD’s Appropriations priorities:
House Appropriations:
Subcommittee on Agriculture: March 19
Subcommittee on Interior and Environment: March 19
Senate Appropriations:
Subcommittee on Agriculture: March 20
Subcommittee on Interior and Environment: March 28
Keep in mind that individual Members of Congress also have deadlines for their offices to receive requests from constituents. That is why it is important to contact offices now to encourage their support of these programs.
Resources on NACD’s Appropriations priorities can be found on their Web site and include NACD’s request letters and issue papers for each program:
Contacts: Click here for a template letter which can be used to contact Members of Congress. Please be sure to include your contact information, and be sure to personalize the letter on how these programs are used locally. When contacting your Members of Congress, remember that email and fax are the quickest and most reliable method of communication (however, do not use a federal or state fax machine or computer when sending correspondence).
Email information for your Members of Congress can be found at:
House: https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml
Senate: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Fax information can be found by visiting your Members’ individual Web site.
Follow Up: NACD would like to hear about your contacts with Members of Congress. Let them know when you make a contact by emailing Jeremy Peters, NACD grassroots coordinator, at jeremy-peters@nacdnet.org.
Telling the District Story
Eight-page report serves as invitation to SWCD's annual meeting
 As I've mentioned in previous Weekly Updates, there are some very innovative ways Soil and Water Conservation Districts are Telling their District Stories via annual reports. I featured two excellent and different reports in the February 13 edition. This week is no exception.
The Dearborn County SWCD annual report is in the mail inviting individuals to their upcoming March 13 annual meeting. The eight-page publication is a two-color visual, contemporary design that is yet another example of how a District can tell their story. Kris Vance, coordinator for the Tanner Creek and Hogan Creek Watershed Projects, said the District printed approximately 2,500 through a local vendor at a cost of about $800. Extra copies will be distributed to local libraries, council meetings, city and county offices, and sent to local elected officials.
Congratulations to Kris, Rita, Jennifer and Vickie for a great publication, and to the Dearborn County SWCD Supervisors. Click here to view their annual report. If you have questions, contact Kris via email or at 812.926.2406 ext. 3.
Contractor Certification Training Workshop
NRCS engineering staff, in cooperation with the Indiana Land Improvement Contractors Association (INLICA), will conduct training workshops to inform contractors how to become certified to checkout certain NRCS practices. Opportunities will be available to certified contractors to get paid for checkout of practices. Practices include Grassed Waterways, Subsurface Drains (Tile for waterways), Water and Sediment Control Basins (WASCOBs), Underground Outlets (Tile for WASCOBs), Grade Stabilization Structures (Rock Chutes), Pipelines (for livestock) and Structures for Water Table Control.
Where/When: Each workshop will run from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (Eastern Time). There will be three workshops at the following locations:
Tuesday, March 25, Milroy (north of Greensburg)
Location: Dutch Mill Buffet, 8500 South State Road 3, Milroy, IN 46156
Wednesday, March 26, Wabash
Location: Ugaldes Family Restaurant (at Wabash Inn), 1950 S. Wabash St., Wabash, IN 46992
Thursday, March 27, Princeton
Location: Dick Clark’s Family Restaurant, 702 North Prince Street, Princeton, IN 47670
The cost per attendee is $40 and includes lunch and training materials. Please have all reservations and money to Donna Clark, INLICA executive director, by Tuesday, March 18. The address is: Donna Clark
INLICA, 2055 S.125 W., New Castle, IN 47362. A reservation with payment is required. If you have questions on reservations email Donna or call her at 765.529.4615.
USDA Value-Added Producer Grant Applications Available
 The USDA is now accepting applications for the 2008 Value-Added Producer Grant. These grants are for agricultural producers big and small to help fund business plans, marketing projects or working capital expenses.
The following groups may apply:
- Independent Producers
- Agriculture Producer Groups
- Farmer or Rancher Cooperatives
- Majority-Controlled Producer-Based Business Ventures
Since the Value-Added Producer Grant began in 2001 more than 900 grants have been awarded. The deadline for the Value-Added Producer Grant is March 31, 2008. Additional information and eligibility requirements are available on the USDA Web site. The site also offers an application checklist, template and additional tools provided under the Applicants link. Grants will only be awarded if projects or ventures are determined to be economically viable and sustainable.
EPA Seeks Applications for Smart Growth Assistance
Is your District interested in working with growing communities and developers on more sustainable practices? The Development, Community and Environment Division (DCED) in the U.S. EPA Office of Policy Economics and Innovation is seeking applications from tribal, local, regional and state governments who want to develop in ways that meet environmental and other goals. EPA is offering technical assistance from national experts on policy analysis or public participatory processes to help applicants overcome roadblocks by providing evaluation tools and expert analysis. Development practices that reflect the principles of smart growth protect sensitive watersheds, minimize water quality impacts, reduce air emissions by increasing transportation choices, lower greenhouse gas emissions through more compact development patterns and encourage clean-up and sustainable redevelopment of brownfields.
SWCDs are eligible to apply for this technical assistance opportunity. The application deadline is May 8, 2008. Click here for more information and application guidelines.
Fourth Grade Foresters Program
The IASWCD recently received information on a new civic project called Fourth Grade Foresters which is promoting the observance of Arbor Day (April 25th) all across America. The project’s goal is to assure that every 4th grade student goes home with a 12- to 18-inch evergreen tree to plant and care for.
The project, kicked off last year by Free Trees and Plants.com, has four major goals.
- To revitalize observation of Arbor Day in America's schools on the official Arbor Day proclaimed in their own state.
- To send every fourth grader home with a tree of their own to plant and care for.
- To support employment of workers with disabilities. (Each tree is individually packaged for distribution by workers with disabilities.)
- To bring schools, private individuals and businesses together to have direct positive impact on the urban forests of their communities.
The cost per tree is $1.59. For additional information about this program, contact Sarah Henne, Program Coordinator, at 402.475.5507 or Fourth Grade Foresters, 1701 South 17th St. Ste2D, Lincoln, NE 68502. Editor’s Note: this is not an endorsement of the program. We are passing information along to you.
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