Upcoming Workshops, Seminars
May 5 / Rain Garden Planting Day/ Noblesville Hamilton County SWCD is hosting this event which will allow participants to gain hands-on experience installing a rain garden with a variety of plant species. Contact Shaena Smith at 317-773-2181 if you would like to participate.
May 7 / Streambank Stabilization Workshop & Field Day / Friendship
Hoosier Hills RC&D is hosting this workshop from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Details about this event can be found on the flyer by clicking here. Contact Kim Jolly at 812-689-6410 ext. 5 to RSVP and for more information.
May 9 / Native Plant Sale and Auction / Indianapolis Read more about this event in the Weekly Update by clicking here.
May 12 / Backyard Conservation Workshop / Zionsville Trained experts will discuss how to provide food, water and shelter for wildlife on your property. Topics will include native prairie planting, backyard wildlife ponds, rain gardens and barrels, bird and butterfly gardens as well as native tree and shrub plantings. Click here for registration and more information
May 15 / NREC Open House / Indianapolis Read about this event in the Weekly Update.
May 15 / 2009 Indiana Environmental Health Summit: Water Quality and Human Health in Indiana / Indianapolis
This summit will have keynote speakers covering the health implications of microbial contamination, how pharmaceutical use is impacting water and Indiana's challenges to water quality. The agenda for the day and registration information can be found by clicking here.
May 16 / Pond Edge Enhancement System Planting Day / Noblesville
Hamilton County SWCD will demonstration pond edge enhancement system by planting native grass and flower plugs in the water and scattering native seed above the shoreline to preventing erosion, improving water quality, and enhancing wildlife habitat. Contact Shaena Smith at 317-773-2181 if you would like to participate.
May 16 / Hoosier Riverwatch Training / Hazleton Gibson County SWCD will be hosting this training session at the Hazleton Community Center from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided by Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Indiana. For more information or to sign up, contact Ann Ice at 812.385.5033 ext. 110.
May 20 / Rain Garden Planting Day / Noblesville Hamilton County SWCD will be planting a small parking lot rain garden at Forest Park. Join them to gain firsthand knowledge of installing rain gardens and identifying common plant species used in them! Contact Shaena Smith at 317-773-2181 if you would like to participate.
May 30 / Tree ID Tour / North Vernon
Hoosier Historic Hills RC&D is hosting this tour to show participants techniques to identifying trees with a hike through forest plantations and native woodlands. More information about this event can be found on the flyer by clicking here. Contact Rob McGriff at 812-346-2286 with any questions.
June 4 / 2009 State Board of Accounts Training for SWCDs / Indianapolis
Click here to view the flyer containing registration and information regarding this event.
June 9 / Pond Workshop / Terre Haute
Sycamore Trails RC&D and Purdue Extension will help you learn what it takes to raise fish using cage culture. ID and control of aquatic plants will also be covered. The registration flyer can be found by clicking here.
June 25 / Indiana Prime Farmland-Soils Team Mine Reclamation Field Day / Cannelburg Will be held at the Solar Sources Mine. More information, as well as a definite confirmation of both the date and location, will be sent as soon as details are completed. So, save the date for this event that is held every two years to inform SWCD, partners, local officials and the general public about the latest updates on techniques for farming and reclaiming coal-mined soils in Indiana.
June 27 / Northern Indiana Lakes Festival / Warsaw The Northern Indiana Lakes Festival will make a splash in local awareness and appreciation for Indiana lakes through education, experience, and celebration of these precious resources. More information can be found by clicking here
July 11-15 / Soil and Water Conservation Society’s Annual Conference / Dearborn, MI >> Click here for details
July 29 / Conservation in Action Tour / Western Illinois CTIC is hosting this day-long event that will feature how conservation can and does work for today’s agriculture. More information can be found on the Web site by clicking here.
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.
American Water Offers Environmental Grant Program
American Water is continuing to offer their Environmental Grant Program this year for areas served by Indiana American Water. Awards will be given in 2009 for innovative, community-based environmental projects that improve, restore or protect the watersheds, surface water and/or groundwater supplies in the communities they serve. Small, collaborative programs that result in positive and sustainable environmental changes are sought. Watershed cleanups, biodiversity projects and hazardous waste collection efforts are just a few examples of activities that might be supported by the grant.
If your community or organization is planning to launch an environmental initiative that focuses on watershed or water source protection, it may be eligible to receive a grant from American Water. Contact Indiana American Water for a brochure and grant application at 555 #. County Line Rd., Greenwood, IN, 46143. Applications must be postmarked by Friday, June 1, 2009. If you have questions about the grant program, contact Christie Barnhart or Karen Cotton at Indiana American Water. |
For the Week of April 27 - May 1, 2009 |
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In This Week’s Edition . . .
A Report from the Executive Director, Jennifer Boyle
National Volunteer Week. Everyone here at the IASWCD would like to give a special Thank You to all the Supervisors that work tirelessly with all the SWCDs in helping to promote soil and water conservation. So much of what SWCDs and the IASWCD has been able to accomplish could never have been done without the dedication each Supervisor has shown.
 Coverage of our Stewardship Week Event. Read/hear more about our Stewardship Week event coverage from the Brownfield Radio Network at: http://tinyurl.com/d9yfx5. Dave Russell, farm broadcaster did interviews with our President Paula Baldwin, and ISDA Director Anne Hazlett. You also can read comments the Association has made about the event on our Twitter Web site by clicking>> IASWCD. The news release and photos you can download are on our Web site >>click here.
Right: Conservation partners stand beside the Olin Sims Living Legacy tree dedicated Monday at the IASWCD state headquarters. From the left are Roger Kult, Assistant State Conservationist for Operations, Indiana USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Gene Schmidt, First Vice President, National Association of Conservation Districts; Paula Baldwin, President, Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts; and Anne Hazlett, Director, Indiana State Department of Agriculture. The tree is a White Oak donated by Zimmerman Farm Nursery, Vermillion County.
H1N1 Virus (formerly called the swine flu) Information. The ISDA has put together a list of links with information regarding what is now being termed the H1N1 virus and Indiana. Click here: http://www.in.gov/isda/2520.htm.
State Soil Conservation Board Results. SWCD information begins on page 43 of this document available at http://www.in.gov/isda/files/April_2009_Attachments.pdf.
NREC Open House. The NREC is hosting their first ever open house on May 15. Sample activities will be offered throughout the day. Staff will be available from noon until 6:00 p.m. and will cover Go FishIN, Project WILD, Hoosier Outdoor Heritage, Project Learning Tree, Project WET and Hoosier Riverwatch programs. Please RSVP if you plan on attending by emailing nrec@dnr.in.gov or calling 317.562.1338.
Have a good week,
Jennifer
Watershed Moment
Indiana Watershed Networking Sessions: Integrating Watershed Planning and Implementation at the Local Level
Click here to see an AGENDA.
Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable, relevant tools for integrating watershed planning and implementation at the Local Level. Learn how to go beyond your basic watershed plan and move into strategic action resulting in change. Jill Hoffman, from Empower Results, will cover topics such as getting membership active, connecting with other organizations to increase impact, getting your message to the community, and much more.
When and Where
May 12 - Delaware County Fairgrounds, Muncie
May 13 - Rensselaer Public Library, Rensselaer
May 14 - Ellettsville Fire Department Station #7, Ellettsville
Sessions will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with registration starting at 9:30 a.m.
REGISTER TODAY - Click here to REGISTER NOW
Registration will close at 5 p.m. on Monday, May 4. The registration fee is $15 and includes lunch and snacks.
Networking sessions are a product of a partnership between IASWCD, IDEM and CTIC.
NRCS Resource Guide Available
>>Click here for the Field Guide to the 2008 Farm Bill for Fish and Wildlife Conservation by Randy Gray, former NRCS National Biologist. This guide could be a great resource for use both with our partners, and non-traditional program participants. It was prepared for fish and wildlife conservation practitioners so they can better understand the 2008 Farm Bill and how it can be used in cooperation with USDA, landowners, and producers for the conservation of fish and wildlife habitat and other ecosystem services.
The guide includes information on:
- What is the Farm Bill?
- Delivering Fish and Wildlife Conservation Through The Farm Bill
- Organizations (NRCS, FSA, SWCDs, TSPs, etc.)
- Providing Conservation Planning Technical Assistance
- Providing Wildlife Habitat
- Fish and Wildlife Benefits of Conservation Programs and Practices
- NRCS Conservation Practice Standards
- Farm Bill Conservation Program Descriptions
- Conservation Easements
- Grants and Other Programs
- Conservation Innovation Grants
- Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative
- Title V Trade and Tax Provisions
- Endangered Species Recovery Act
- Tax Credits for Conservation Easements
- Resources
- Farm Bill Acronyms
Another fact sheet available from the NRCS is How NRCS Manages Funds: Audits and More. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has seen an increase in audits and reviews as the agency has taken on additional funds for conservation. Why Audits or Reviews? Proper stewardship of resources is the responsibility of managers and their staff. Audits are conducted to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used for the intended purposes, and that agencies are managing these dollars correctly. >>Click here for this fact sheet
Job Positions Available.
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Conservation Development Specialist. Newly posted as of 4-15-09: The Conservation Development Specialist (CDS) assists local organizations (primarily Indiana Watershed Initiatives and Soil and Water Conservation Districts) with growth and organizational development. Specifically, the CDS will infuse the Indiana conservation delivery system with information and expertise related to proper, creative leveraging of local/state/federal funds, fundraising, private donor relationships, capacity building, and grants development. >>Click here for the complete job description.
- Indiana Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative. Click here to read about two positions the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts is seeking: one (1) full time Technical Coordinator and one (1) part time Program Coordinator or the equivalent in contractual services to carry out the Indiana Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative (CCSI).
Publications Links
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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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