For the Week of July 7-11, 2008 >> click here for the printer friendly version

In This Week’s Edition . . .

• Treasurer’s Conservation Assistance Program
• District News
• 2009 North Central Region Meeting Survey
• NACD eNotes subscription reminder
• NRCS Volunteer Voice - the voice of Earth Team Volunteers newsletter online
• July edition of Riverwatch newsletter available online
• Reminder: Leadership in Change Workshop August 1
• Thank You to Districts who have paid IASWCD dues
• Watershed Moment:
  Dates for summer watershed networking sessions announced
  Section 319 grant solicitation
• IDEA seeks nominations for District employees recognition
• NRCS flood update
• Storm recovery help continues with new Indiana Office of Disaster Recovery
• Funding Opportunities from GrantStation
• Upcoming Workshops / Seminars
• Your IASWCD officers, board and staff

A Report from the Executive Director, Jennifer Boyle

Treasurer’s Conservation Assistance Program. Last week, State Treasurer, Richard Mourdock, announced details of the Treasurer’s Conservation Assistance Program (T-CAP). Click here to go to the Treasurer’s Web site for specifics on this program. If you have questions about this program, Tammy Lawson, Division of Soil Conservation Director, encourages you to work with ISDA’s designated Resource Specialists to get your questions answered on proposed T-CAP projects. 

Brief program details: The Treasurer’s office has designated $50 million to fund low interest loans to individuals who are contracted with the USDA under ECP, EWP, EQIP, CRP and CREP in disaster declared/contiguous counties. The loans will cover the remaining percentages not covered under cost-share. To be eligible, the individuals must present the appropriate USDA contract to their lending institution of choice and the bank paperwork must be submitted by Dec. 31 to the State Treasurer’s office. These loan agreements will be one-year in duration from the start of the loan which may be after Dec 31. Farmers do not need to be affected by the recent disaster but the proposed project and land must be within the designated counties.

District News. Click here to view the position announcement for the watershed coordinator for the Whitewater River Watershed Project. The closing date for the position is July 18, 2008. To apply, submit a resume with a cover letter highlighting water resource or agriculture experience and any other specialized skills relevant, along with listed qualifications and three references to the Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District, 823 S Round Barn Road, Richmond, 47374. Send email to: sheryl.brown@in.nacdnet.net.

2009 North Central Region Meeting Survey. Click here to complete a survey on the 2009 North Central NACD meeting next summer. It will help with the planning process. Deb Ryun, executive director, Conservation Districts of Iowa, is asking for responses back by July 30. The survey will take just a few minutes to complete. Thank you, in advance!

NACD eNotes. The National Association of Conservation Districts keeps members and partners informed of current events and association activities through our weekly eNotes electronic newsletter. To have the free newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, click here>>.   

NRCS Volunteer Voice. Click here to read the latest issue of Volunteer Voice, the eNewsletter for the voice of NRCS Earth Team volunteers.

Riverwatch Newsletter. Click here for the July 08 edition of Riffles & Pools, the eNewsletter of Hoosier Riverwatch.

Reminder: Leadership in Change Workshop August 1. Join SWCD supervisors and staff August 1-2 at the Holiday Inn Lakeview, Clarksville, for the Leadership in Change workshop. This workshop prepares supervisors for leadership in a rapidly changing environment through better leadership skills. I hope as many of you in Southern Indiana will take advantage of this great opportunity. For more information, visit the ISDA Web site. Registration is available by clicking here.

And finally, 2008 IASWCD Dues. A special thanks to Districts that have supported the IASWCD with payment of their 2008 dues: Adams, Allen, Bartholomew, Blackford, Benton, Brown, Cass, Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Decatur, Delaware, DeKalb, Dubois, Elkhart, Fayette, Fountain, Franklin, Fulton, Gibson, Grant, Green, Hamilton, Harrison, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Huntington, Jasper, Jay, Jennings, Kosciusko, Knox, LaGrange, Lake, LaPorte, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Martin, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Noble, Orange, Parke, Perry, Porter, Posey, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Ripley, Scott, Spencer, St. Joseph, Switzerland, Tipton, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash, 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

Watershed Moment

by Elizabeth Trybula, IASWCD watershed information specialist

Dates for summer watershed networking sessions announced

Save the Date for one of the two upcoming Watershed Networking Sessions to be held in Michigan City on August 14 and in Indianapolis on August 20. The focus of these networking sessions will be on integrated urban best management practices for storm water management. More information, including registration details and session descriptions to come in next week’s update! Click here >>

Reminder: 319 Grant Solicitation Announced

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) is now seeking applications for projects that will work on a watershed level to reduce nonpoint source pollution in Indiana's lakes, rivers and streams. Funding for selected projects will be provided by Clean Water Act Section 319 grant funds and match is provided by grant recipients and partners. Details on application requirements, application materials and timelines can be found at: http://www.in.gov/idem/5225.htm. Questions may be directed to Doug Campbell, Solicitation Coordinator, at 317.233.8491.

The Indiana District Employee Association (IDEA) would like to again recognize District employees at the 2009 Annual Conference banquet. The District Employee recognition has been one way to honor four people for their outstanding service, one each of the following categories: Administrative/Secretarial, Technical, Educational and Multi-task (for SWCD offices with only one person doing all jobs: secretarial, technical and education).

Every SWCD office and the chairperson of each District will receive an application form. The form also is available on the IASWCD Web site at the District Tools & Resources page >>click here. Forms will be available by emailing your Regional IDEA Director or District Employee Recognition Chairman Sharon Watson at sharon.watson@in.nacdnet.net. An award panel will review the applications and the awards will be presented at the 2009 Annual Conference.

Following is the criteria for the nomination process and awards:

• Nominations are open to all District employees in Indiana.
• Anyone can nominate a District employee including Supervisors, Partner Agencies, and any co-worker with the Partnership and/or themselves.
• Nominations must be typed, using the form provided online, only the space provided per category, and only five pages of support documentation (ex. photos, news releases, letters of endorsements). Your application will consist of the title page, two pages with set category and no more than five pages single sided of support documentation. The largest total amount will be eight pages.  Applications not adhering to the above rules as stated will not be considered for this year’s award program.

Send your District nominees to: Sharon Watson, White County SWCD, 103 Country Lane, Monticello, 47960. The deadline for applications is Friday, September 5, 2008. Applications postmarked after that date will be returned and not considered for this year’s award program.

>> Click here for the application

NRCS flood update
by Jane Hardisty, State Conservationist

Last week Madison County was added to the list of federally declared disaster counties. This week six more counties were added including Franklin, Hendricks, Ohio, Switzerland, Tippecanoe and Union counties bringing the total to 44. I have been able to get out in the field and see the devastation first hand, and pictures don’t do the damage justice. I’ve included two pictures here to give you an idea of what we continue to see.

Last week I declared a variance on HEL compliance for fields in the federal disaster and adjacent counties.  Farmers that need to do major repairs to bring their fields back into production can take advantage of this waiver to do repairs without risking program benefits. Documentation of damages and repairs must be kept to meet the variance, so farmers should work with their District Conservationist to make sure they are meeting the requirements.

I also granted a one-year extension for EQIP and WHIP practices scheduled for installation in the affected counties. This will allow farmers time to recover and repair damages while still meeting their federal contract obligations. 

Our staff continues to assess damage and offer assistance to communities and landowners, while coordinating with other agencies and organizations offering help. It will take Indiana farmers a long time to recover from the 2008 floods. I’ll continue to keep you updated on the situation.

Weekly NRCS flood disaster updates are available on the Indiana NRCS Web site at http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/EWP/EWPhomepage.html.

In other news from the state . . . storm recovery help continues with new Office of Disaster Recovery

Governor Daniels has created the Office of Disaster Recovery to lead the state’s efforts to repair and rebuild following the series of storms that struck much of Indiana in late May and early June. Andy Miller, the director of the state Department of Agriculture, will be assigned to manage the activities of the office.

Deadlines for individual and public assistance are approaching. Many people referred to the Small Business Administration by the Federal Emergency Management Agency have not returned their loan applications. The deadline to do so is August 11. Likewise, public assistance deadlines for the first 26 counties approved for that category of assistance are July 21.   

Daniels has signed Executive Order 08-15 to create the office, which will represent the governor in coordinating state agency storm relief efforts with the federal government as well as with other public and private entities and local governments.

Efforts will focus on long-term recovery plans and polices for:

• Obtaining the maximum amount of federal funds for recovery and rebuilding efforts by individuals, businesses, state agencies, and local units of government.
• Exercising the necessary operational authority in recovery effort decisions on behalf of the state.
• Providing technical assistance, education and outreach to local governments and private organizations working on recovery efforts at the community level.
• Developing a final report to the governor on the response and recovery efforts including recommendations for the future based on lessons learned during this experience.

While Miller is on assignment, the governor has named Ken Klemme, the deputy director of the Department of Agriculture, to serve as acting director.

There is no fixed timeframe for the operations of the office. The Indiana Office of Disaster Recovery is similar to one in Mississippi created to help the state rebuild after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.

Shortly after the severe weather struck the state, Daniels directed that the state establish “one-stop” disaster assistance centers in areas most affected by storms and flooding. Those centers, the first of their kind, put storm victims directly in touch with needed state services such as the Family and Social Services Administration, Department of Workforce Development, Bureau of Motor Vehicles and others, under one roof. In most locations, the state co-located with the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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