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Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
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July 6, 2016 |
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IASWCD News
Riv
e
r-Friendly Farmer Award
The 2
016 River-Friendly Farmer award winners have been contacted. We will
ne
ed all RSVPs and complimentary shirt sizes and orders by July 8.
The
Awards Ceremony is Wednesday, August 17 at 1
:00 p.m. at the 4-H Exhibit Hall at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. THANK YOU SWCDs for your nominees this year!
District Showcase Award
Deadline August 4
It's time for
Indiana's District Showcase Award! This annual award is designed to highlight the success of
up to four local Soil and Water Conservation Districts
(SWCDs) in the Hoosier state. It allows Districts the opportunity to share new project ideas or better ways to design and implement existing conservation projects. This award is sponsored by the Indiana Conservation Partnership (ICP) and f
our SWCDs will be honored as recipients of the
District Showcase Award
at the 2017 Conservation Awards luncheon with a video and award presentation. This event is part of the 74th Annual Conference of Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The awards luncheon will be held on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. Winning Districts will have the opportunity to showcase their photos and materials depicting the winning projects during the trade show at the conference on January 23 and 24. Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. EDT on August 4, 2016.
Program Manager and Communications Manager
Needed for CCSI
Know someone who is uber-organized and passionate about soil health? How about someone with excellent written, visual, and audio skills?
CCSI is looking for a pair of individuals to join the team! Click
here to learn more about these positions. Deadline to apply is July 29.
2016 SWCD Resolution Process
All resolutions are due to the IASWCD office by
September 9
.
Resolution documents can be found
here. Within these documents is
an update on resolutions from 2012-2016. Those noted with an asterisk will be sunset unless they are brought forth again during this process.
If you need any assistance or feedback on a draft resolution, please let
Jennifer know.
Also, please remember that in order to have a delegate at the annual business meeting, which will be
January 24, 2017, the SWCD must be a member in good standing (dues must be paid by
September 30, 2016).
Trade Show Booth Space - Early Bird Registration Now Open
for 2017 Annual SWCD Conference
Early Bird registration is now available online for all exhibitors wanting to participate in the Trade Show at the 2017 Annual Conference
of Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts on January 23-24, 2017.
If you know of anyone who might be interested in exhibiting this year, please direct them to or print out the reservation form here. This form includes prices, add-ons available and all details needed to reserve a space. Or, they can go online and fill out the new online Google Reservation Form.
Early bird rates end on October 7 - after that date, prices to reserve a booth will increase.
This year's conference includes the following benefits for all exhibitors:
- Visibility on our IASWCD Annual Conference web page
- A two-day format
- A $15 discount for all returning companies/organizations
- Continental Breakfast on Monday
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Resources
One Day Only!
YOU-PICK Free Educational Materials
For District Staff
Bookmarks, Place mats, Booklets & More!
No Walk-Ins this day, you must schedule a pick up time.
Pick up day is Monday, July 11 - 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Schedule your pick up time by Friday, July 8 at 4 p.m.
Details for reserving your pick up time and other information
here
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NACD News
NACD Survey for Farm Bill Input
Every five years, the farm bill is passed by Congress and determines agricultural and conservation policy and program spending. The current farm bill is set to expire in 2018, which is also when a new bill will be drafted. The farm bill sets policy and it funds mandatory conservation programs, which are vital to the work of conservation districts.
2018 seems far away, but NACD is beginning to think about the next farm bill and how it can best support conservation. Before deciding on what NACD will ask for and support in the legislation, they want to hear from the local districts. NACD asks that districts fill out a survey on the farm bill and conservation programs. You should only fill this out once, as a district, and we request that you fill it out based on the input of several board members, staff, and others involved in putting conservation on the ground. Please consider the questions from the perspective of your district, and DO NOT consider them from a personal view. NACD said the survey officially closes on July 1. But, you will still be able to access the survey after that date and they appreciate any additional Districts that want to fill it out. Please try to fill out in the next two weeks if possible. Survey can be found here.
If you have any questions about the survey, contact NACD Policy Specialist and Northeast Region Representative
Katie Stump.
Nominate your Conservation Hero for an NACD award
conserv
ation leaders in the nation the recognition they deserve! You ca
n nominate an
individual, business, agency, or organization for their outst
anding
work and leadershi
p in natural resources conservation. The winners of the awa
rds will be featured in several NACD publications and asked to attend a special ceremony held in their honor at NACD's 2017 Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, on
January 31, 2017
.
Nominations for the 2016 awards may be submitted by an individual, organization, agency, or conservation district. For nomination forms and more information,
click here
.
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NRCS News
Eastern Native Grass Symposium (ENGS)
Indiana will be the host of the Eastern Native Grass Symposium (ENGS) for the very first time this year. We have some excellent speakers lined up to talk about utilizing and managing native forbs, pollinators, and grasses here in Indiana. The ENGS will be August 29-31, 2016 at the Tropicana at Evansville, Indiana.
Registrations are being accepted two ways - by paying online through Eventbrite or by mail with an Eventbrite ticket. Register
here. Or check them out at
Eastern Native Grass Symposium
on Facebook.
Hotel registration can be made by calling
1-800-544-0120
and using group code: GEGGSYM. This block of rooms has been set aside for Monday-Tuesday night on a first come first serve basis if needed. The symposium rate is $89 per night and reservations need to be made by July 29th. More details
here.
NRCS Soil Health Update - July 2016
NRCS Employees and Partners with Lincpass Cards
All three Service Center agencies have heard there is some confusion about how and when to update your Lincpass. CTS has developed a
guide to help clarify the difference between the type of updates a Lincpass may require. If you receive an email that states your Lincpass Certificate needs updated, this
guide explains how to update the Certificate at the local level and not require a trip to the Indianapolis Lincpass station.
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Partner News
National Association of State Conservation Agencies (NASCA)
Webinar in July:
NASCA is holding an informational webinar on small acreage conservation programs on
Wednesday, July 13 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. EDT. The webinar will feature presentations from conservation leaders across the nation on successful conservation programs for landowners with small acreage natural resource challenges. To register online go
here. Also you can check out
Indiana District Employees Association (IDEA)
Mark your calendars for the IDEA Fall Conference
October 5-7 in Syracuse!
USDA
A
News Release from U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, announced on June 23 key measures in support of the President's National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honeybees and Other Pollinators.
Pathway to Water Quality
We still have the following open spots:
Aug 13: 1 spot
Aug 20: 1 spot
Aug 21: 3 spots
Please help us fill these spots! Sign up
here.
On September 30,
INCA, co-chairs Jim Sweeney and John Ulmer, along with the steering committee which includes the IASWCD, will be hosting a Conservation Congress at the Abe Martin Lodge in Brown County. This event is replacing this years Conservation Day at the Statehouse, during the
"short" non-budget legislative session.
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Other News
Special Shout Out
to Darci Zollman & family for the great write up by Tom Bechman, Indiana Prairie Farmer
". . .
In case you haven't guessed by now, Don and Darci aren't your
 'American Gothic' version of a farm couple. Each marches to the beat of their own drummer, and at times they are different drummers. In her role as program administrator with the Kosciusko County Soil and Water Conservation District, Darci sometimes hangs out with people with environmental leanings that don't always match up with what many farmers feel comfortable talking about. She helps bridge the gap between these groups and the ag community. . ." See full article here.
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