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For the Week of May 26-30, 2008
In This Week's Edition . . .
A Report from the Executive Director, Jennifer Boyle
River Friendly Farmer. Applications for the 2008 River Friendly Farmer Award are available online. They are due to the state IASWCD office by Monday, June 16. Each county Soil and Water Conservation District may nominate up to two farmers from their county for the River Friendly Farmer Award annually. Please get these in by June 16!
Farm Bill Delivers on Conservation. While the veto override vote easily won two-thirds majorities in each chamber, there was a procedural error that has created confusion in Congress regarding the Farm Bill's constitutionality. At issue was the omission of Title 3, or the Trade Title, when the bill was delivered to the President.
This procedural error was not noticed until this week when the House was poised to cast its override vote. At this point it is unclear how Congress will proceed in reconciling the omission, however an identical bill was passed today by the House by a vote of 306-110 and the Senate has indicated it will address a corrective measure following the Memorial Day recess. With Tuesday's action in the Senate, 14 of the 15 titles of the bill, including the Conservation Title, are now made into law.
If you have not already done so, please be sure to extend your appreciation for passage of the 2008 Farm Bill into law. Contact your Members of Congress and thank them for the tremendous investment they have made in future conservation of our nation's land and water resources. NACD has provided a summary of the Conservation Title of the 2008 Farm Bill, detailing specific provisions of conservation programs. The summary is available on NACD's Web site.
Project Learning Tree honors Indiana coordinator. Donna Rogler, Indiana coordinator of Project Learning Tree, received a Gold Star Award in recognition of exemplary service to the program. The award is the highest honor given to state coordinators of PLT, the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation. Rogler was presented the Gold Star on May 15 at the 22nd annual PLT International Coordinators Conference in Jackson, Miss. She joined IDNR in 1999 after helping organize the PLT steering committee in New York and working as director of education for the Catskill Forest Association. Rogler also is an instructor in the Indiana Master Naturalist Program and Indiana’s Becoming an Outdoors Woman workshops. Congratulations, Donna!
And finally, 2008 IASWCD Dues. A special thanks to the Districts that have supported the IASWCD with payment of their 2008 dues Adams, Bartholomew, Blackford, Cass, Crawford, Dearborn, Delaware, DeKalb, Elkhart, Fayette, Fountain, Franklin, Gibson, Green, Hamilton, Harrison, Hendricks, Howard, Huntington, Jasper, Jay, Jennings, Kosciusko, Knox, LaPorte, LaGrange, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Martin, Miami, Morgan, Newton, Perry, Posey, Randolph, Ripley, Scott, Spencer, St. Joseph, Switzerland, Tipton, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Warren, Warrick, Washington, Wayne, White and Whitley. Please take the time to read over the important information in the dues brochure on how your dues support SWCD activities in the state.
Have a good week,
Jennifer
2008 SWCD Supervisor of the Year Award Launched
The Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (IASWCD) has launched the 2008 SWCD Supervisor of the Year Award. The award will recognize outstanding and exemplary supervisor achievements and leadership in the protection and enhancement of Indiana's soil and water resources.
According to Jim Droege, IASWCD President, any current District supervisor serving on an Indiana Soil and Water Conservation District board, is eligible to be nominated.
Nominations can be made by any individual, organization, agency or conservation partner. Individuals will be evaluation and selected on a regional basis. Each region winner will then compete at the state level. The state winner will be announced at the 2009 Annual Conference for Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts - the Power of Conservation Building a Sustainable Future.
The deadline to submit nominations to the IASWCD is Friday, September 12, 2008, to Jaclyn Casale, jaclyn-casale@iaswcd.org.
>>Click here for the award application
Clinton County Team takes Indiana Envirothon team honors
The Clinton County 4-H team placed first overall at the 2008 Indiana Envirothon held April 29th at Minnetrista Cultural Center in Muncie. Placing second was the Salem High School FFA team. Western Boone placed third.
 Fifteen teams representing 13 high schools, home educators, FFA and 4-H participated in the 2008 competition. The students were tested on their knowledge of forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology, soils and land use and the current environmental issue, “Recreational Impacts Upon Indiana Natural Resources.”
The Clinton County 4-H team will represent Indiana at the North American Canon Envirothon to be held at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona July 28 to August 3. At the North American Canon Envirothon, students will compete for more than $100,000 in academic scholarships. Teams representing 52 states and provinces are expected to participate.
Each participating team in the Indiana contest earned the opportunity to compete at the state level by first competing at one of six regional contests held throughout the state in February and March.
Representatives from Indiana’s Soil and Water Conservation Districts are encouraged to attend the upcoming Indiana Envirothon Steering Committee meeting to assist with planning the 2009 regional and state contests. The Indiana Envirothon Steering Committee will meet at the Natural Resources Education Center at Ft. Harrison State Park on June 3rd at 10 a.m. For more information, contact President Rebecca Lauster.
Nitty Gritty workshop planned
Rolling Up Our Sleeves: The Nitty Gritty Work of Plan Commissions, a workshop for anyone interested or involved in community planning, will take place Tuesday, July 8 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time at the Indiana Farm Bureau building in downtown Indianapolis.
“Nitty Gritty is a great opportunity for local and state officials as well as interested citizens to make better decisions when creating master plans or doing planning and zoning,” said Bob Cherry, who handles industry relations activities for Indiana Farm Bureau. “The added knowledge from professionals who understand how the system works will be useful as participants make plans to change or maintain their communities.”
The one-day session covers the legal framework and tools and techniques associated with effective community planning. The curriculum includes sessions on the basic legal framework of planning, comprehensive planning, zoning, subdivision control and defensible decision-making. Participants also will have extensive opportunities throughout the day to pose real local issues for discussion.
For more information or to register, visit the IFB Web site and click on Public Policy. To obtain a paper copy of the registration form, call 317.692.7812. Single registration is $70 per person. Local government officials will receive one free registration for every three paid registrations from their office, but each participant must fill out a separate registration form. The deadline to register is July 1.
Indiana Conservation State Photo Contest Underway
Do you have an eye for photography? The Indiana State Department of Agriculture Division of Soil Conservation (ISDA-DSC) invites you to participate in the 2008 Indiana Conservation State Photo Contest. Contest winners will have their winning photographs professionally framed and featured in the Indiana Conservation State Photo Gallery exhibit at a venue to be announced in the fall of 2008.
ISDA-DSC is currently accepting photographs in the following categories: Conservation in action, water uses and impacts, faces of conservation, conservation up-close and on the farm. All contest submissions will be considered for future ISDA-DSC publications, Web sites and newsletters, and will be made available to Soil and Water Conservation Districts (Districts) statewide for their use.
Entry form, guidelines and examples can all be found on the ISDA Web site. All images and entry forms must be submitted electronically to cgoode@isda.in.gov or mailed in on CD to: ISDA Photo Contest, 101 W. Ohio St., Suite 1200, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Entries must be received by September 30, 2008 (postmarked by September 25, 2008).
Alternative Agriculture Field Day
Join the Historic Hoosier Hills RC&D Education Committee on Friday, June 13, as they sponsor a motivating field day on alternative agriculture.
The Alternative Agriculture Field Day is an exciting, multi-topic program designed to promote stewardship of our local farms by introducing residents to new ideas about agri-tourism. The RC&D Education Committee has developed an extensive network of professionals and specialists throughout Southeast Indiana who will inspire and share with our participants their experiences, perspectives, and wisdom. The goals of this collaborative effort is to teach residents about the value of locally grown food and provide them with simple ideas they can take back to their own community.
Registration begins at 8:45 a.m. at Walhill Farms. The field day will last from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Cost for the workshop is $20 which includes lunch and materials. If you are interested in attending call Historic Hoosier Hills RC&D at 812.689.6410 ext 5. For more information, >> click here / to register >>click here.
Is it too late to respond to the Census of Agriculture?
Districts: if your ag customers have not responded to the Census of Agriculture:
- It’s not too late to respond! We want to make sure that every farm and ranch in the United States is counted. So while the “official” response deadline was Feb. 4, the National Agricultural Statistics Service will actually accept responses through June 14.
- If your customers have a Census report form they can return it by mail, or for the first time, they can also respond online via a secure web site at www.agcensus.usda.gov.
- Additionally, if they received the Census and are not farming, they should indicate this on the form and return it. The USDA needs to hear back from everyone that received a form, whether farming or not, to ensure we have the most accurate information possible.
What if I did not receive or lost my Census of Agriculture form?
- If you need more information, or need help completing your Census form, call toll-free 888.424.7828 or visit www.agcensus.usda.gov.
INDIANA ASSOCIATION OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION Districts
OFFICERS:
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
Project Assistant: Jaclyn Casale, 317.692.7325 |
