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For the Week of August 25-29, 2008
In This Week’s Edition . . .
A Report from the Executive Director, Jennifer Boyle
District Showcase Award Tour. The IASWCD is proud to announce the winners of the inaugural District Showcase Award. They will receive four complimentary registrations to the 2009 Annual Conference of Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts. They are:
Congratulations to these Districts and to all SWCDs who submitted entries to this first showcase. There are great stories to tell across Indiana about the work Districts are doing to put conservation best management practices on the ground in agricultural, suburban and urban land and all areas in between. Your stories describe how you partnering with traditional and nontraditional groups, businesses, governmental agencies, local officials and volunteers to achieve your conservation goals. We are looking forward to visiting our first showcase winners!
Local tours will be set up with each of these Districts for representatives of the Indiana Conservation Partnership beginning in September and October (and perhaps in early November if necessary). More information and stories about the tours and projects will be coming in the next few weeks. We will showcase these projects on our Web site and at the Annual Conference Legislative Breakfast on Wednesday, January 14, 2009. Again, thank you for your entries!
From the ISDA Division of Soil Conservation|SSCB. We would like to thank everyone for the past few months of extraordinary work that has gone into the June flooding recovery. We understand that not everyone has been as consumed by the event as others, but for those that have been it has been a life changing event. The State Soil Conservation Board and the Division of Soil Conservation have been completely engaged in assessing the damages (>>click here for our Disaster Assessment Report), supporting the Office of Disaster Recovery and positioning Indiana as the Midwest leader in coordinating recovery efforts and securing financial resources for individual support.
We are sending this note to announce Indiana-sponsored assistance that is available to 35 SWCDs to assist local landowners and farmers in their recovery efforts. Click here for the funding report. This funding will be significant but is still too little to satisfy the needs of all the counties designated as USDA disaster eligible. We know that several Indiana counties were significantly impacted but through various assessments and interviews we are confident that the 35 counties chosen are those that represent the most devastated farmers and fields. Please know that drawing a line between these counties has been very difficult but necessary.
It is our hope that additional funding and resources will come soon. Ongoing evaluations and designations will be made to determine the next areas on which to focus. For those of you included in this designation, further instructions will be forthcoming from Sara Slater-Atwater and Amy Eizinger. Thanks to all for your continued understanding, assistance and focus on helping all our counties in these recovery effort.
Disaster Relief Funds. This is a great opportunity for Districts to work with their local communities and help fund unmet needs by landowners. Many different assistance programs are currently in place, so it is very important for each District to work with their local officials, NRCS District Conservationist, ISDA Resource Specialists, and DSC District Support Specialists to make sure the money is being used in an efficient and timely manner. We look forward to hearing about all the great projects and assistance provided by Districts in the coming months!
Leadership Institute Workshop #2: Communication. District supervisors and staff can now continue training by attending the Communication workshop coming up next month. This will be the first time this workshop has ever been offered! Please join Janet Ayres for the Communication workshop to be held in Ft. Wayne on Sept 5-6. Register now by clicking here. This workshop will be offered again in New Harmony on November 21-22 (registration will be available shortly). We hope you will join the Leadership Institute in continuing the series! Note: The registration and hotel deadlines are quickly approaching for the September 5-6 session in Ft. Wayne. Register today to reserve your spot!
Award Deadline Reminders. Don't forget these important awards and their deadlines. I hope your District will submit nominations!
September 5 - Deadline to submit resolutions for consideration at the 2009 Annual Conference. Please visit our Web site: click here.
September 5 - Deadline to submit nominations for IDEA employee recognition awards at the 2009 Annual Conference. For application and more information click here.
September 12 - Deadline to submit nominations for the "Supervisor of the Year" award. Please remember that any staff, supervisor, or partner (or groups) can submit a nomination. Click here for more information.
2008 IASWCD Dues. A special thanks to Districts that have supported the IASWCD with payment of their 2008 dues: Adams, Allen, Bartholomew, Blackford, Benton, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, Delaware, DeKalb, Dubois, Elkhart, Fayette, Floyd, 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, Ohio, Orange, Owen, Parke, Perry, Porter, Posey, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Ripley, Scott, Shelby, Spencer, St. Joseph, Starke, Sullivan, Switzerland, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Union, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash, Warren, Warrick, Washington, Wayne, Wells, 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.
No Weekly Update Next Week. The office will be closed for Labor Day on Monday, September 1. Due to the short week, we will not publish a Weekly Update on Wednesday. If you have information that needs to go out to Districts next week, send me an email.
Have a good week and a safe holiday weekend!
Jennifer
NACD Seeks Conservation Education Outreach Stories
Does your District hold conservation education outreach events? Would you like to share those successful events with others? This October, NACD will participate in the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Conference to let people know about what Districts are doing to promote conservation education in their communities. The NAAEE Conservation Education Commission, of which NACD is a participant, will host a day-long workshop at the conference, and NACD will give a session that will feature case studies of Districts’ successful conservation education outreach events. For more information on the NAAEE conference, go to http://www.naaee.org/.
If your District has an event that showcases natural resources and conservation education, please fill out the case study questionnaire and email any related photos and program agendas to NACD at: stewardship@nacdnet.org. Please submit questionnaire and photos by September 15, 2008. Please note, if you are planning to attend the NAAEE conference, there will be a special gathering time for those representing SWCDs on Thursday, October 16, at 7 p.m. at the NACD exhibit booth. Contact NACD Stewardship and Education Coordinator Susan Schultz at stewardship@nacdnet.org with any questions.
USDA Schedules Farm Bill Renewable Energy Meeting
NACD reports the USDA will hold a public meeting next week on Thursday, September 4, in Washington, D.C. regarding implementation of Farm Bill energy title programs. Included among the programs in which USDA is interested in initiating dialogue are the Rural Energy for America Program, the Rural Energy Self-Sufficiency Initiative, the Biomass Crop Assistance Program, the Forest Biomass for Energy Program and the Community Wood Energy Program. A public comment period will also be open for 15 days following the public meeting. More information on the meeting announcement and submitting comments can be found in the Federal Register at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-19703.htm.
International Agricultural Conservation Effects Meeting Scheduled
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Conservation Technology Information Center are gathering experts from around the world to investigate the role of conservation agriculture systems in sequestering carbon and the potential to contribute significantly to the mitigation of climate change.
Researchers, scientists and professionals from Africa, Australia, Canada, Central America, India, South America, U.S. and elsewhere, will meet at the Beck Agricultural Center at Purdue University's Agronomy Center for Research and Education in West Lafayette on October 28, 29 and 30, 2008, for the Conservation Agriculture Carbon Offset Consultation.
This Consultation will focus on discussing and debating the potential for carbon sequestration through agricultural conservation to engage in the global carbon offset market. Included will be the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat on carbon finance and how it can assist in enabling GHG agricultural mitigation and carbon sink actions and measures, with particular reference to the Clean Development Mechanism (financial mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol).
The outcome of this meeting will be a report on action steps that will be necessary to assess the potential in the existing global carbon offset market related to specific cropping practices and procedures which may allow inclusion of no-till and/or conservation agriculture cropping systems into the carbon offset programs through carbon finance.
For more information or to register online, visit CTIC’s web site.
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
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