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For the Week of September 8-12, 2008
In This Week’s Edition . . .
A Report from the Executive Director, Jennifer Boyle
Register Now for the Indiana District Employees Association Conference. >>Click here for the brochure on this exciting agenda for District staff. Chris Remley, Tippecanoe County SWCD, and the planning committee, have worked with Ivy Tech's Department of Workforce and Economic Development /Continuing Education. Ivy Tech assigned a project manager who worked with IDEA to create a Continuing Education Program for IDEA members. It is a great agenda filled with excellent content. I hope as SWCD staff you will take time to attend this valuable conference!
IASWCD Conservation Award Winners Announced. The Association is pleased to announce the five state winners of the Master Farm Conservationist of the Year and the Conservation Farmer of the Year awards for 2008. These individuals will be honored at the awards banquet Tuesday evening January 13 during the 2009 Annual Conference for Indiana SWCDs. The event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Downtown Indianapolis. Please join us in congratulating these individuals for their outstanding achievements!
Master Farm Conservationists for 2008:
- Dubois County: Melvin Semersheim
- Pike County: Christian Rudolph
- Pulaski County: Richard Nielsen
- Sullivan County: Jack and Ruthann Robbins
- Wayne County: Dale Kirtley
Conservation Farmers of the Year for 2008:
- Decatur County: Larry Nieman
- LaPorte County: Dale Tuholski
- Scott County: Denny Wilson
- Spencer County: Scott Singleton
- Wayne County: Mike Craig
District Photos Requested for Annual Conference. We’re asking Districts to submit your best digital photos to be used in designing our Annual Conference logo for 2009. The theme is The Power of Conservation: Building a Sustainable Future. We would like you to submit a photo(s) that depicts what your SWCD is doing to build a sustainable future in your county. Is it:
- An innovative field day showcasing agricultural BMPs?
- An innovative urban stormwater program you are involved in (or other urban program)?
- An alternative energy source you are showcasing?
- A ground-breaking program your SWCD is participating in, or has pioneered in your county?
- An educational program that you feel is helping to build a sustainable future?
- A partnership project that reflects how your District works with the conservation community (and other partners) to build a sustainable future.
Submit your photos to DeeDee by October 15 to deedee-sigler@iaswcd.org. If you submit high resolution photos, please use a zip file to send them (or send them on CD).
Don’t Forget About the DSC Photo Contest. The Division of Soil Conservation’s Photo Contest is beginning to wind down. If you want to submit images for the contest, click here. The contest deadline is Sept. 30.
District News. All of us would like to welcome new additions to Wayne County and Tippecanoe County. Cassie May has joined Wayne County SWCD as the 319 grant watershed coordinator. In Tippecanoe County Sean Rock is the new Urban Conservation Technician.
Deadline Reminder. September 12 is the 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.
ILMS Poster Contest. Help the Indiana Lake Management Society (ILMS) promote the protection and stewardship of Indiana’s aquatic resources by encouraging students to participate in the 2009 ILMS Lake Appreciation Poster Contest! Both students and their schools will benefit from this contest. Student winners will have their posters displayed on the ILMS Web site as well as on 2010 conference promotion materials and will receive a $100 cash prize. Click here for all the details that Districts can pass along to your local schools.
Green Building | Infrastructure. Click here to see information on the evening program being presented tomorrow night on green building and green infrastructure presented by the Purdue Land Use Team.
2008 EEAI Conference. Registration is open for the 2008 Environmental Education Association of Indiana annual conference. This “Explore the Hidden Treasures of Urban Environmental Education” conference will be held at Camp Camby in Indianapolis on November 14 - 16. Registration information and further details are available on the EEAI Web site. All information needs to be sent to the Natural Resources Education Center and questions should be directed to Amanda Wuestefeld at 317-562-1338 or awuestefeld@dnr.in.gov.
USDA Landcare Publications. USDA-NRCS Landcare publications and forms are available to order. These materials may be of particular interest to SWCD educators. Although the Web site is currently offline, a publication list is available by clicking here. You can also contact the office at 888.LANDCARE (1.888.526.3227). Fax: 515.289.4561. Email is landcare@usda.gov. Allow five to seven business days for order processing and delivery.
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, Pike, 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.
Have a good week!
Jennifer
NRCS Provides Funding to Idle Flooded Fields
Farm fields throughout Indiana lost tons of topsoil in the June floods, and some fields gained tons of sand, deposited by rivers that broke through protective levees. These fields have gone from productive to paralyzed, and the only government assistance available may be to put the land into a permanent easement program.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service manages the Floodplain Easement Program, available only in emergency situations following natural disasters. NRCS announces an open sign-up period from now until October 1, and a continuous sign-up for some time after that. The program hasn’t been offered in Indiana in the last six years but is now available to affected farmers. “For producers with land that is now not farmable, this may be the best option,” said NRCS State Conservationist Jane Hardisty. “The magnitude of soil loss has made it impossible to replace or restore the soil resource in some areas. The Floodplain Easement Program offers farmers revenue for this lost land, while providing additional protection for future flood events.” To be eligible the land must have flooded at least twice in the last 10 years, and once in the last 12 months.
Placing flooded fields in easement programs also provides benefits for surrounding producers and communities. The idled lands create a new place for excess water during flood events, safeguarding lives and property from future floods. “The Floodplain Easement Program is completely voluntary, and willing landowners are compensated based on the value of the land,” said Hardisty. She explained that while the landowner retains ownership, some restrictions are put on the land. The easement is permanent, remaining on the land if it is sold. Recreational uses, such as hunting, hiking and birding, are permitted, and the landowner controls access to the land. Each county has a designated easement payment rate that is roughly based on land values in the county.
In addition to the Floodplain Easement Program, other non-disaster easement programs are also available. The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) offers both 30-year and permanent easements, and can help cover restoration costs. To be eligible for WRP, the land must be cropland or pastureland, and at least half the land must have been considered a wetland prior to being farmed. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) offers annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, conservation covers on farmland. To be eligible for CRP, the landowner must have owned or operated the land for the past 12 months, and the land must meet cropland requirements.
To find out more details about the Floodplain Easement Program or to apply for the program, contact NRCS at your nearest USDA Service Center. Locations can be found online >> click here.
Workshop for grant writing will be Oct. 16 and Nov. 20
The Beginner's Guide to Grant Writing workshop will be offered at 19 locations around Indiana. Each session will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 16 and Nov. 20.
The workshop, sponsored by the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service and the Purdue Center for Regional Development, is a two-part video conference conducted by state specialists on Purdue's campus and Extension educators.
"The Beginner's Guide to Grant Writing workshop is designed to build community skills that will promote growth and sustainability," said Sabina Calhoun, Purdue Extension program resource development officer.
The Purdue workshop is intended to help grant writers of all skill and experience levels learn how to write a grant proposal. Participants will learn how to get the most funding possible for their organization.
This workshop is designed to help both beginners and experienced grant writers develop ideas into winning proposals; target potential founders; and understand the full proposal development, submission and review process.
The registration deadline is Oct. 1, and the workshop is $150 per person. This fee includes the Beginner's Guide to Grant Writing manual, lunch both days and follow-up technical assistance. Checks should be made payable to Purdue University.
Click here for more information or a registration form. You may also contact Angela Thomas at 765.494.7273.
Public Meetings to Discuss Wabash River Assessment
Staff from The Nature Conservancy and the Midwest Biodiversity Institute will discuss findings from a biological assessment of the Wabash River and its major tributaries at a series of upcoming meetings. The Wabash River is a treasure chest of rare and endangered species and a critical migratory path and stop-over area for many bird species. Not only is the Wabash a critical biodiversity resource for Indiana, it is also globally significant, with over 400 occurrences of rare species and communities within the drainage.
Directly and through its tributaries, the Wabash River drains roughly 75% of the State of Indiana. Seventy-three Indiana counties and many southeastern Illinois counties lie within this watershed. Over 700,000 Hoosiers live within 15 miles of the Wabash River.
The Nature Conservancy contracted with the Midwest Biodiversity Institute to synthesize historical data collected from the Wabash River and its major tributaries and used this data to create a comprehensive Wabash River biological assessment. These meetings along the Wabash are designed to share the results of this assessment with local communities. Meetings began last week and continue through September 18.
Primary funding for the assessment came from a generous grant from the Alcoa Foundation. Additional funding came from the Greater Lafayette Community Foundation, the Ford Meter Box Foundation, the Community Foundation of Wabash County, the Parke County Community Foundation, the Wells County Community Foundation, the Adams County Community Foundation and several private donors.
The meeting dates and locations are:
Fort Wayne
Thursday, September 11
Fort Wayne Museum of Art
Lafayette
Tuesday, September 16
Big Four Depot
Terre Haute
Wednesday, September 17
Rose-Hulman
John T. Myers Center for Technological Research
Evansville
Thursday, September 18
Evansville Courier & Press
RSVP to lwarner@tnc.org or call 1-800-937-5263. Please include name (s) of attendees and which meeting you plan to attend. Visit www.nature.org/indiana for more details.
New emergency flood assistance available to Hoosier farm families
The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) encourages all farm families affected by the June 2008 flood to apply for new funds available through Hoosier Organic Marketing Education (HOME), an Indiana-based non-profit organization. HOME received a $17,500 grant from Farm Aid and OpUSA for emergency flood relief, and these funds are only for Indiana farm families living in the declared disaster counties as a result of the June 2008 flood.
Each eligible farm household may receive up to $300 for food, clothing, utilities and/or health care needs. The deadline for applications is February 1, 2009. HOME will distribute the funds on a first come, first served basis.
To be eligible, the farm family applicant must meet the following:
- Be a farmer in an Indiana county that was declared a disaster due to the June floods
- Agree that the funds will be used solely for food, clothing, utilities or health care needs related to the Indiana floods of June 2008
HOME will distribute the funds in a cash payment of $300. Potential farm family applicants should contact HOME immediately for an application or go to their Web site. For more information on other flooding disaster assistance, please visit the state’s agricultural flood disaster recovery Web page at www.emergency.in.gov/agriculture.
 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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