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Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
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February 15, 2017 |
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Conservation Update
February 2, 2017 - February 15, 2017
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IASWCD News
Region Meetings
2017 Indiana Legislative Session Statehouse Visits
IASWC
D is offering to coordinate visits to the Indiana State
house during February and March. These visits will pr
ovide an overview of the legislative process, a tour as well as a meet and greet time with your legislators.
Dates, details and registration information can be found
here
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Shout out to Fulton County SWCD supervisors for visiting the Statehouse on February 9. Matt Harsh provided testimony on the importance of funding for the Clean Water Indiana program at the House Ways and Means Committee! Grassroots work at its finest!
Pictured L to R: Matt Harsh, Senator Head, Steve Metzger (Associate Supervisor) and Dustin Zellers
2017 Annual Conference Breakout Sessions
Several of t
he breakout session presentations are now posted on the
IASWCD website.
District
Showcase 2016 Now on YouTube
SWCD Annual Meetings Underway
(send
Amy Work your SWCD annual meeting pictures
and highlights
to feature in upcoming newsletters)
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| Pictured L to R: Jon Reese, Nick Musser, Brad Clemons, Jack Gable, Troy Hattery and Mary Lou Musselman |
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Shout out to Miami County SWCD... 202 people in
attendance at their annual meeting on February 1. Hans Kok was the guest speaker.
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Miami County SWCD
Annual Meeting 2017 |
CCSI News
2017 Annual Meeting
February 27 at 8:30 a.m.
Hamilton County Fairgrounds, Hall B
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NACD News
eResource -
View the lastest
here
Field-to-Market farmer spotlight nomination period closes February 28
Are you working with a farmer who demonstrates outstanding stewardship and is helping to advance sustainable agriculture? Nominate them to be recognized as a champion of conservation through the 2017 Farmer Spotlight series nomination process, which closes on
February 28, 2017
. To submit a nomination,
complete this form
and send to
[email protected].
W
inners will be announced at the June General Assembly meeting.
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USDA-NRCS News
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Indiana NRCS Accepting Second Round Applications for Wetland Easements in the St. Joseph River Watershed
Indianapolis, IN, February 9, 2017 - Jane Hardisty, State Conservationist for Indiana's USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced today that NRCS is accepting applications until March 15 to be considered for second round funding to improve water quality in seven counties in northern Indiana.
Read more...
2017 Economics of Conservation Farming Conference
Fort Wayne, IN, February 9, 2017 - Farmers and conservation professionals interested in learning more about the economics of conservation farming are invited to attend the "Seeing Green: Fields and Profits" Conference on March 8 from 8 AM to 3 PM at the Parkview Mirro Center, located at 10622 Parkview Plaza Drive, Fort Wayne, IN.
Read more...
Indiana's Landscape Restoration Project Shows Progress
Bedford, IN, February 8, 2017- In less than a year, the Hoosier Hills and Highlands Oak Community Restoration Partnership is reporting significant progress in their efforts to regenerate hardwoods and improve water quality efforts in the region.
This three-year project is part of the National Joint Chief's' Landscape Restoration Initiative, a partnership between two USDA agencies, the Forest Service (USFS) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). These agencies, plus a large group of public and private partners are focusing on oak tree regeneration and other conservation practices that lead to improved water quality, reduced wildfire risk, and enhanced at-risk habitat on public and private lands in 18 southern Indiana counties. Read more...
Indiana NRCS Accepting Second Round Applications in Big Pine Watershed
Indianapolis, IN, February 8, 2017 - Jane Hardisty, State Conservationist for Indiana's USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced today they are still accepting applications to improve water quality in the Big Pine watershed located in northwest Indiana.
Dollars are still available for farmers through the Big Pine Watershed Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The watershed which includes portions of Benton, White, Warren, and Tippecanoe counties and the partnership is working with farmers in the area to increase the number of nutrient and sediment reducing practices on cropland. While applications are accepted on a continuous basis, March 15 will be the second cutoff date this year to be considered for funding for this partnership project. Read more...
2017 Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program Request for Proposals (RFP)
The Great Lakes Commission is pleased to announce the request for proposals (RFP) for the 2017 Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program grant program. This program, formerly known as the Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control, is administered by the Great Lakes Commission through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). To date, this program has supported more than 490 projects to reduce the input of unwanted sediment, nutrients, and other sediment-borne pollutants into Great Lakes, reducing soil erosion by an estimated two million tons and phosphorus loadings by two million pounds.
For program year 2017, two grant options are being offered; small scale grant projects and larger watershed scale grant projects. Grants provided under this year's program will focus on reducing sediment and phosphorus runoff into the Great Lakes. Please check the "2017 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS" for details at: http://keepingitontheland.net/apply-for-funding/. Click on the "Apply for Grants" button at the top right hand side of the page to begin the application process. The due date for applications is 6:00 p.m. EDT on March 31, 2017. A 25 percent non-federal match is required for each project. The match can be provided as cash or in-kind services. Funding is provided by NRCS through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
PROJECTS
All grant projects must explicitly reduce sediment and phosphorus entering the Great Lakes. Funding will be available for both technical assistance and financial assistance.
An estimated ten to twelve small scale projects will be funded for up to a maximum of $50,000 each. Projects can be up to 36 months in duration. An example of a small scale project is the installation of a phosphorus scrubber device in a waterway to reduce phosphorus from entering the Great Lakes.
An estimated four to five watershed-scale projects will be funded up to maximum of $200,000 per project. The projects may be up to 36 months in duration. An example of a watershed scale project is establishing a 4R cost-share program with stratified soils samples to reduce dissolved phosphorus entering the Great Lakes.
Any questions should be directed to Gary Overmier at
[email protected]
or
734-971-9135
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Webinar: Soil Health Economics: A Farmer's Perspective
Mar 14, 2017 2:00 pm
US/Eastern
Presenter:
Rodney Rulon, Rulon Enterprises, Arcadia, IN
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Webinar: Introduction to Plant Identification
Feb. 23, 2017 2:00 p.m. EST
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IDEA News
2017 Dues are due by March 31, 2017
 Indiana District Employees Association (IDEA), in partnership with the IASWCD and ISDA Division of Soil Conservation, organizes training meetings and workshops for district employees. In addition, they assist with various events and activities to strengthen Soil and Water Conservation programs throughout Indiana. Membership is open to any Indiana Soil and Water Conservation District employee who is supportive of the objectives and mission of IDEA. Any other interested person or organization may become an Associate member. Annual dues are $25.00 per person. Your dues make it possible for IDEA to provide training programs and networking opportunities for all District employees. The membership drive is currently taking place for the 2017 year. Membership forms and more details can be found
here.
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Purdue Extension News
Conservation through Community Leadership (CCL)
Applications due February 17
Purdue Extension's new Conservation through Community Leadership (CCL) program is now accepting applications for the inaugural community action planning meetings. This new program guides community groups, boards, and commissions through facilitated action planning sessions to support locally driven natural resource management strategies and policy. Community groups participating in the program identify issues of concern and a program track of either land use planning at a watershed scale or invasive species management.
Read more...
New Posts to Purdue Extension-Forestry and Natural
Resources (FNR) "Got Nature?" Blog
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Other News
National Association of State Conservation Agencies (NASCA) Upcoming Webinar
Recruiting & Retaining Outstanding Board Members
For conservation districts, state associations, and state conservation boards
February 23rd at 10:00 am (EST)
OCRA is now accepting applications for Generation 5 of the
Hometown Collaboration Initiative
(HCI).
To aid applicants with the HCI application process, Purdue University will host a
webinar on
Monday, March 6
(from
2:30-3:30 pm EST
) titled 'How to Write a Competitive HCI Application.'
Erosion Control Workshop Evansville, IN
March 22 from 9 am to 2 pm (CST)
University of Southern Indiana, Carter Hall
Conservation Day with Jim Hoorman
Jasper, IN
March 3 - 8 am (EST)
Registrations due by February 24
Women in Agribusiness accepting Nominations for Award
The Women in Agribusiness Demeter Award of Excellence recognizes companies and individuals whose achievements further their mission of attracting and advancing women in the ag and food sector and that exemplify the belief that nurturing gender diversity is in a company's and the industry's best interests.
Central Hardwood Oak Ecology and Wildlife Management Conference
March 7-8, 2017
The Season Lodge in Nashville, Indiana
This conference is open to landowners, professional resource managers and anyone interested in our oak forests. Plenary session will include programs on oak ecology, disturbance ecology, deer and oak forests and funding for forest restoration and management.
For more information and registration information,
click here
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Fresh Produce Growers Survey
The North Central Regional Center for FSMA Training, Extension and Technical Assistance (NCR FSMA), needs fresh produce growers to complete this survey in order to know the ne
eds
of the growers and to help the growers comply with the Produce Safety Rule.
Please pass this information to any fresh produce growers you may know.
They are asking that the growers complete two short surveys at different times. The first one (link below) needs to be completed by February 28, 2017. It will take about 5 minutes to complete.
As a token of appreciation, NCRFSMA will hold drawings after each survey round and award to three participants a $50 gift card. Note: Entry in the drawing
will require
that the survey taker provide their name and contact information. There will be an optional link at the end of the survey for them to enter their information. It is NOT tied to their responses.Survey linked here.
Envirothon
- Call to Envirothon alumni
 Did you or someone you know participate in Envirothon? The National Conservation Foundation would like to highlight the alumni
of the pro gram and what they're up to now. Please contact NACD Director of Development- Melisa Augusto.
- INDIANA Envirothon
- Deadline to register for Regional competition is February 24
- Registration forms and the 2017 Envirothon booklet can be found on the IASWCD Envirothon page
4-H Extension
The 2017 National Association of 4-H Extension Agents/Educators Conference will be held November 12-17, 2017, at JW Marriott in Indianapolis. This is a professional development workshop and 1,500 people are expected to attend.There are several opportunities for SWCDs and Extension service to be involved. See conference website here.
Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund
The Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund
is now accepting
funding applications
for project
s seekin
g to increase the quality, quantity, and conn
ectivity of habitat or to enhan
ce outreach coordi
nation around monarch education.
Approximately $3.7 million is available, and grants may range in size from $50,000 to $250,000. The
p
re-
propo
sal submission deadlin
e is March 13, 2017
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Resources
Ron Culberson Article
Turning Hours into Minutes: How to Make
Meetings More Effective
Most people do not like meetings. Your colleagues aren't rolling out of bed each morning saying, "I hope we have a bunch of meetings today." Meetings take staff away from what they'd prefer to be doing. But meetings are necessary for any organization.
Read more...
Ron Culberson, MSW, CSP is author of several books including Do It Well. Make It Fun. He spoke at the May 10 ICP luncheon.
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