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For the Week of June 9-13, 2008
In This Week's Edition . . .
A Report from the Executive Director, Jennifer Boyle
IASWCD Policy Changes. On Thursday, June 5, the IASWCD Board of Directors adopted a new policy regarding the resolution process. The language is below. Most important to note is that resolutions will sunset after five years. Therefore, if you want a resolution that is currently in the policy book to remain (and is not yet completed or has had no action taken), you must put forth that resolution again for a new vote. This year, it will affect all resolutions adopted up to the year 2002. You will find the policy book on our Web site >> click here.
IASWCD Resolution Process Adopted June 5, 2008
Resolutions may be submitted by any local Soil and Water Conservation District(s) (SWCD) or IASWCD committee. Resolutions will be reviewed by the Resolutions ad-hoc committee and given recommendations for Adopt; Do Not Adopt; or No Recommendation. These recommendations along with the resolutions will be provided to all 92 local Soil and Water Conservation Districts. All resolutions will then be voted on at the Annual Business meeting.
All resolutions formally adopted will remain in effect for five years. Resolutions will sunset five years after adoption and thereafter no longer reflect IASWCD positions, unless otherwise reinstated by a new vote. Therefore, the resolution must again go through the process as stated above. The IASWCD will maintain a log of all resolution sunset dates and make this available to the SWCDs.
Required Criteria for any IASWCD Resolution:
- The resolution should have regional/state/or national significance.
- The resolution should address an issue that is timely and/or pressing concern to Indiana SWCDs
- The resolution should delineate desired outcomes/goals/timeline of action.
- The resolution should be in line with the goals, priorities and mission of the IASWCD.
The resolution should be in line with the goals and priorities of IASWCD staff resources.
District News. The Bartholomew County SWCD and the Clifty Creek/Hawcreek Watershed Project offices have temporarily relocated to the USDA’s North Vernon Service Center. You may reach them at 812.346.3411. The address is 2600 N. State Road 7, North Vernon, IN 47265-0480. Email addresses remain the same. Melissa Sporleder, District Coordinator, will notify us when their address changes. If other SWCD offices have temporarily relocated, please let us know. If you need help that we can put a call out in the Weekly Update, please let us know.
District Exchange. Gretchen Rea, Fayette County SWCD, is interested in talking to you if your SWCD has held a workshop or clinic on buffer strips. Fayette County may undertake the topic and would like to learn from the experts first instead of having to reinvent the wheel. You can contact Gretchen via gretchen.rea@in.nacdnet.net or at 765.825.4311 ext. 3.
River Friendly Farmer. Applications for the 2008 River Friendly Farmer Award are due to the IASWCD (email please to Jaclyn) by the close of business Monday, June 16. To date, we have received 15 applications. If you have questions about those received, contact Jaclyn at 317.692.7325. >>Click here to see the applications we have received as of this afternoon. The application is available online.
Reminder: Deadline for the Leadership in Change Workshop. June 13 is the deadline to register for the June 26-27 Leadership in Change workshop: >>Click here to register.
Wood-Land-Lakes RC&D. The Summer issue of Wood-Land-Lakes RC&D's newsletter is online >> click here. If you would like to receive an electronic copy, contact Lisa Ledgerwood, RC&D assistant.
And finally, 2008 IASWCD Dues. A special thanks to the Districts that have supported the IASWCD with payment of their 2008 dues Adams, Allen, Bartholomew, Blackford, Benton, Cass, Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Delaware, DeKalb, Dubois, Elkhart, Fayette, Fountain, Franklin, Gibson, Grant, Green, Hamilton, Harrison, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Huntington, Jasper, Jay, Jennings, Kosciusko, Knox, LaPorte, LaGrange, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Martin, Miami, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Noble, Orange, Perry, Posey, Putnam, 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
IASWCD Legislative Committee promotes Clean Water Indiana
 Beginning June 20, county fairs will start up across Indiana and continue through the summer, along with numerous field days and other events that engage Soil and Water Conservation Districts and the public. These activities all lead up to this fall and Organization Day for the Legislature on Tuesday, November 18, followed by the opening day of the 2009 Indiana General Assembly on January 6, 2009.
These public events are excellent opportunities to talk about Clean Water Indiana (CWI) and why it is so important for the 2009 Indiana General Assembly to include funding in the next biennium budget for the program. The Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (IASWCD) Legislative Committee has worked hard this spring to develop some key materials to help you in this task.
The promotional materials are available to download from the IASWCD Web site in Microsoft Word, Publisher or Adobe PDF file formats. One promotional piece, a 24 x 36-inch CWI poster (>>click here to view), will be mailed to each SWCD office next week. The poster is printed in color on 60# eco-solvent semi-gloss paper and laminated so it is ready to use on displays.
The most important internal document for you as staff and supervisors will be the CWI talking points. This piece provides important background information on the purpose of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, why we need the Clean Water Indiana program because of soil and water erosion problems in Indiana, and why funding is critical. The other materials include:
- A Statement of support signup sheet: to place at public events to gather signatures (can then be mailed to legislators to show support for Clean Water Indiana), and
- Post cards you can download, print and add personalized labels for citizens to mail in your county to state legislators asking for their support for Clean Water Indiana funding.
Again, we encourage you to take advantage of these materials and use them at your county fairs this summer and any other events this fall sponsored by the District. All of the materials are available on our Web site at http://www.iaswcd.org/district_tools/cwi/index.html. If you have any questions, contact IASWCD Legislative Committee Co-chairs, Paula Baldwin or Ray Chattin, or Jennifer Boyle, IASWCD executive director.
We all live downstream campaign
 Indiana will have 82 of its 92 Districts participating in the Division of Soil Conservation's (DSC) Conservation Marketing Initiative this year. The theme of this initiative is We All Live Downstream. Districts will host 103 events focused on one or more of the following conservation practices: Nutrient management, No till/strip till, cover crops, buffers and pasture/livestock management.
The DSC is providing participating Districts “We All Live Downstream” coordinating folders and bags to utilize during their event. DSC has also put together many tools and templates for Districts to use if they choose to. Customizable “We All Live Downstream” postcard and poster templates event listings, technical resources and handouts, speaker lists and more can be found on the DSC's Clean Water Indiana Web page at: http://www.in.gov/isda/2362.htm.
2008 Farm Bill information
Detailed information on the 2008 Farm Bill is available on the House Agriculture Committee's Farm Bill home page at http://agriculture.house.gov/inside/FarmBill.html. The official Farm Bill name is H.R. 2419, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. Documents that can be found on this Web site include:
- Complete Legal Language of Conference Reports, containing the full Farm Bill language, all 673 pages.
- Joint Statement of Managers, providing explanation on how the House and Senate versions of the bill were resolved in conference, and some explanation of intent. This document is 423 pages.
- A one page fact sheet or overview of the entire bill.
- Title by Title fact sheets, including Title II Conservation.
The next step in the process will be agency rule writing for individual programs. This process takes around 90 days, and will result in the fine details of the Farm Bill programs. This information will be shared as soon as it is available.
USDA releases additional funds for wildlife habitat
With the passage of the 2008 Farm Bill comes additional funding for this year’s Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP). An additional $391,000 is available through July 16, 2008.
The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) is a voluntary program for developing and improving wildlife habitat. Through WHIP, USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical assistance and up to 75 percent of the cost to establish and improve fish and wildlife habitat. WHIP agreements between NRCS and the participant generally last from 5 to 10 years.
Landowners, government organizations, and not for profit groups interested in the program can receive up to $50,000 for wildlife habitat projects. “Because changes in the 2008 Farm Bill limit the WHIP program to private landowners, this may be the last chance for cities and towns to take advantage of this program,” said NRCS State Conservationist Jane Hardisty. “These changes with take effect October 1 with the beginning of a new federal fiscal year.”
For more information about WHIP and eligibility requirements, >> click here.
Elkhart River Watershed Urban Cost-Share Program
Would you like to install a rain garden or rain barrel at your house? Interested in pervious concrete for a driveway or parking lot? How about a green roof? If so, you may be eligible for a grant that would cover up to 75% of the cost.
A new cost-share program is available to homeowners, businesses, non-profits, and public entities in urban areas of the Elkhart River Watershed. This includes Goshen, parts of Elkhart, Nappanee, Millersburg, Kendallville, Ligonier, and surrounding areas. The program will provide financial assistance to install approved stormwater management practices. The cost-share program can pay up to 75% of the cost of the practice.
The first round of applications begins immediately and ends June 30, 2008. Interested parties should contact the Elkhart County SWCD at 574.533.3630 ext. 3 or eric.kurtz@in.nacdnet.net. Information and application forms are also available at www.elkhartriveralliance.org and www.elkcoswcd.org Applications will be taken after June 30 if funds are still available.
This cost-share program is sponsored by the Elkhart River Restoration Association and the Elkhart River Alliance through an EPA 319 grant.
Farm Service Agency Privacy Issues: A Note from NACD
Section 1619 of the newly enacted Farm Bill provides for certain protections of producer information. These provisions were designed to protect against public disclosure of producer and farm specific information. They were included in the law as a result of a February 15, 2008, court decision requiring the disclosure of data. The USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSAs) news release on the April 28, 2008 release of data can be found here.
Since passage of the Farm Bill, FSA has issued direction to field offices regarding the restricted release of data, maps and other information necessary for Districts to assist in the delivery of conservation programs. NACD continues to speak with FSA, NRCS and Capitol Hill regarding these provisions and seeks greater clarification of a process to allow Districts to continue their work at the local level.
Krysta Harden, NACD chief executive officer, will continue to keep SWCDs up-to-date on this important issue as it progresses.
2008 SWCD Supervisor of the Year Award
The Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (IASWCD) 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.
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
Showcase Your District / Exchange Great Conservation Ideas and Activities
The Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts invites SWCDs to Tell Your District Story to the Association and members of the Indiana Conservation Partnership. Complete the application in order to be selected as one of four Districts to be part of the Showcase Tour that will take place over the next six months. The deadline to submit your application electronically is July 1 to Jaclyn Casale. If you have any questions, contact Jennifer Boyle, 317.692.7519, or DeeDee Sigler, 317.692.7374.
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 |
