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In This Week’s Edition . . .
A Report from the Executive Director, Jennifer Boyle
PWQ Volunteer Sign Up. The Pathway to Water Quality is an excellent watershed demonstration site, showing how proper management practices at home, on the farm and in business can protect our soil and water resources. It is proudly sponsored by the Indiana Conservation Partnership. It is time to sign up to volunteer for the exhibit at the 2009 Indiana State Fair. The fair runs from Friday, August 7, through Sunday, August 23. And yes, that is an extra five days to staff one of the fair’s best exhibits on the grounds, the Pathway to Water Quality.
- The sign up page is online at: http://iaswcd.org/pwqsignup.
- A job description for all PWQ volunteer assignments can be found online at http://www.iaswcd.org/pdfs/09PWQjobdescriptions.pdf.
- The Pathway to Water Quality Web site provides further information about the exhibit at http://www.iaswcd.org/district_tools/pwq/index.html.
The PWQ Steering Committee is asking that sign up be complete by July 22 in order to send letters and admission tickets back out to volunteers in time for opening day. If you have any questions about the volunteer form, contact Betsy Reitz, PWQ Intern, at ereitz@indianastatefair.com, or 317.927.7551. Thank you, in advance, for your participation!
Congratulations to Monroe County SWCD Supervisor Robert Woodling. Woodling has been selected as the North Central regional winner for the American Tree Farm System’s (ATFS) Tree Farmers of the Year. The National Tree Farmer of the Year will be selected from the four regional winners and announced at the their conference in Washington, D.C. in September. For 26 years, ATFS has honored those members who show an outstanding commitment to responsible forest management through this award. These awardees are recognized for their remarkable efforts to enhance and sustain their forests, and for spreading the practice of sustainable forestry. Best wishes, Robert!
One Last RFF Reminder. River Friendly Farmer Award application forms be must completed, signed and returned to the IASWCD by the Tuesday, June 16. Both the Word and PDF documents are available online >>click here.
Other IASWCD Award Deadlines. >>Click here for details and deadline information on these other IASWCD awards:
- District Showcase Award
- Conservation Farmer of the Year
- Friend of Conservation Award
Congrats NACD (clarification). Susan Schultz, NACD Stewardship & Education Coordinator, asked us to clarify her role in the Dig It! Secrets of Soil exhibit. Project Learning Tree (PLT) honored NACD for their dedication to the mission and goals of the PLT program through their years of exemplary service to the organization. NACD received a Gold Star due to several education projects including Dig It! The Secrets of Soil. Susan and NACD promote the Dig It! soils exhibit currently at the Smithsonian Institution Museum of Natural History. NACD, the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) and the Smithsonian collaborated on the development of the NACD soil education material (www.nacdstore.org). The SSSA www.soils.org was the driving force behind raising the funds for the development of the exhibit. The exhibit will soon be traveling around the country to 10 different cities starting in the spring of 2010. Go to http://www.forces.si.edu/soils for details on the exhibit.
District Dues. Thank you to all the SWCDs that have submitted 2009 dues. A list of the District dues received can be found here http://www.iaswcd.org/whatsnew/districtdues09.html.
2010 Conference Information
Have a good week,
Jennifer
Watershed Moment
by Jennifer Boyle Warner, IASWCD Executive Director
Best wishes to Elizabeth Trybula
Many of you may be aware from the Association’s recent job postings that Elizabeth Trybula has moved on to a new opportunity. The good news for all of us in the soil and water community is that she is not far away.
This summer Elizabeth begins as a graduate student at Purdue University’s College of Agriculture Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering and the interdisciplinary Ecological Science and Engineering Program. She will be specifically working with Dr. Jane Frankenberger, a professor for the Purdue Extension program in soil and water engineering and water management. Frankenberger currently serves as the Extension Water Quality Coordinator (though many of you know her as the director of the Indiana Watershed Leadership Academy). Elizabeth also will work with Dr. Indrajeet Chaubey, an associate professor of ecohydrology who specializes in ecohydrology, nonpoint source pollution and watershed modeling.
She will likely be involved in research that includes modeling to locate Best Management Practices where they can provide the most effective improvements on water quality at the watershed scale. If you would like to get a hold of Elizabeth in the future, you can reach her at her new email address: etrybula@purdue.edu.
The watershed information specialist position here at the IASWCD evolves into the Conservation Development Specialist (CDS). The new CDS will assist local Indiana watershed organizations 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.
Resumes have been reviewed for this position and we hope to have a new person on board by the end of the summer. In the interim, if you have questions concerning the IASWCD’s work with Indiana watersheds, contact me via email or at 317.692.7519. We also extend our sincere appreciation to Elizabeth for her work here at the Association. We look forward to a new relationship with her in her role as watershed researcher at Purdue. Congratulations and best wishes!
Community Mapping Workshop
Register now and get ready to put your hard-hat on! This half-day workshop will provide hands-on experience to give you a solid introduction to community mapping. The course focuses on locating, manipulating and mapping secondary data sources of economic and demographic data.
You will spend at least two hours using a computer to create maps using ArcView GIS software from ESRI. After this intensive workshop, you will be able to:
- Understand a variety of ways in which community assets can be mapped,
- Use GIS mapping and understand how it can be useful for every field of community development,
- Analyze special relationships through mapping with knowledge and communication tools,
- Work with a GIS mapping software application, ArcView, and
- Create several maps that can be used for community development policies or programs.
If you are a city planner, economic developer, or community developer, you are encouraged to build your skills and attend one of these two workshops!
- June 23, 2009, 1 – 5 p.m. (registration begins at 12:30 p.m.) Kokomo Ivy Tech Campus
- June 26, 2009, 8 a.m. – Noon (registration begins at 7:30 a.m.) Bloomington Ivy Tech Campus
The cost for this course is $90 for one person or $150 for two people from the same community or organization. Both participants must register within the same business day to receive the discount.
June 15 deadline approaching for ISDA’s Farmers’ Market Cost-Share Reimbursement Program!
Farmers’ Market Directors or Market Masters are encouraged to apply before the June 15 deadline for ISDA’s Farmers’ Market Cost-Share Reimbursement Program. This program provides grants up to $500 to Indiana farmers’ markets to increase consumer awareness and overall appeal of Indiana farmers’ markets.
Funds are utilized from the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 that authorized the USDA to provide state assistance for specialty crops.
For more information on the Farmers’ Market Cost-Share Reimbursement Program, an application and eligibility, go to the ISDA Web site under Indiana Farmers’ Markets.
USDA encourages landowners to look at options with GRP
USDA conservation agencies in Indiana encourage landowners to look at their options within the Grassland Reserve Program, a conservation program that was continued in The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill).
The Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) is a voluntary program that helps landowners and operators protect, restore and enhance eligible grassland, including pastureland, shrubland and rangeland. This conservation program emphasizes support for working grazing operations, enhancement of plant and animal biodiversity, and protection of grassland and land containing shrubs and forbs under threat of conservation.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) jointly administer this program.
“Though GRP is on a continuous sign-up basis, to be ranked for fiscal year 2009 funding, applications must be sent to USDA’s national headquarters by June 26, 2009,” said NRCS State Conservationist Jane Hardisty. “This means that interested landowners need to contact their local USDA Service Center now to get their applications ready in time.”
The 2008 Farm Bill requires a grazing management plan for participants. The Bill also provides priority for enrollment of expiring acreage from the Conservation Reserve Program, limited to 10 percent of the total acres enrolled in any year.
USDA requires a minimum acreage of 18 continuous acres to apply in GRP. Landowners can apply for GRP assistance through rental contracts or conservation easements.
Rental contracts can be 10, 15 or 20 year contracts; and the rates are $16.50 per acre per year. For rental contracts, applicants must provide proof of ownership or control of the land for the length of the contract.
Easements are permanent and will be considered at the appraised value, not to exceed $5,000 per acre. Only landowners can apply for easements on their property.
For more information on the GRP, go to the NRCS Web site.
Water quality credit trading workshop set for August dates
Together with its partners, Environmental Trading Network, the International Certified Crop Advisers, and the Water Environment Federation, the Conservation Technology Information Center will host a Water Quality Credit Trading Workshop at Crowne Plaza, Indianapolis Airport, on August 26 and 27, 2009.
Water quality trading is a market-based approach to improve water quality. It is an innovative, voluntary tool that connects industrial and municipal facilities (point sources) with agricultural producers or other landowners (nonpoint sources) to economically achieve water quality improvements and to accommodate growth. It is a flexible and cost effective approach for maintaining, restoring, or enhancing water quality.
Through this interactive, two-day workshop, CTIC and our partners aim to increase awareness of water quality trading and improve understanding of the voluntary process among agricultural producers and their advisors, wastewater treatment representatives, and potential "aggregators" (organizations that serve as a kind of broker, facilitating trading).
Expert speakers will include EPA representatives, water quality trading policy and program design experts, credit aggregators, wastewater treatment plant representatives, and agriculture interests. They will introduce the concepts, benefits and challenges of trading and the steps involved in developing a trading program. The training will include breakout sessions to give participants specific skills to develop or participate in a trading program. Case studies from other states will be highlighted so participants can learn from existing trading programs.
Plan to attend the workshop on August 26 and 27. Registration will be available soon. If you have questions, please contact CTIC at 765.494.9555 or ctic@conservationinformation.org.
President to announce Summer of Service campaign
Opportunity to raise awareness about volunteer monitoring and watershed stewardship
President Obama will soon announce a Summer of Service campaign
which offers a new and exciting opportunity to help you build up your
roster of volunteers and raise awareness about volunteer monitoring and
watershed stewardship. This week the President will encourage
nonprofit organizations with a need for volunteers to register at www.serve.gov. On June 22, the President and his Cabinet will officially
launch the Summer of Service and encourage Americans to volunteer for
their communities. The President will direct potential volunteers to www.serve.gov to find local opportunities for service.
EPA is using this opportunity to promote volunteer monitoring and
watershed stewardship. It is our hope that this Presidential initiative
will encourage many more people to work to protect their watersheds.
Consider registering your program at www.serve.gov. You may be
contacted by a number of volunteers eager to help your organization.
Think through what opportunities you might have for this summer,
including monitoring workshops and events, debris cleanups, riparian
restoration, community education, storm drain marking and other
activities. If you want to sign up, you should do so as soon as
possible, as a surge of web traffic is expected starting this week by
both organizations and individuals looking to get involved in
volunteering this summer. However, if you?re not quite prepared for a
whole new cadre of volunteers, or for reporting the results of your
summer volunteer activities at www.serve.gov, you may not want to sign
up at this time. One of the goals of this effort will be sustainable
volunteerism, so if you?re not ready to sign up this summer, you can
always do so later on.
Go to www.serve.gov to register your program or for more
information. If you have questions about this initiative, feel free to contact Alice Mayio at mayio.alice@epa.gov. |
