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Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
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August 16, 2017 |
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Conservation Update
August 3, 2017 - August 16, 2017
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IASWCD News
2018 Annual SWCD Conference Update
Please read regarding reserving hotel rooms now!
January 8-9, 2018
Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, 350 West Maryland St., 46225
Discounted room cost for conference: $119 + tax
All hotel rooms and meeting spaces have been upgraded and are beautiful! Please note that w
e have been made aware of another large city-wide event taking place during the same time as our annual conference. We highly recommend reserving your rooms now, as obtaining additional rooms beyond what has been reserved may be a challenge. The deadline to reserve rooms is December 15. Hotel reservation link:
https://aws.passkey.com/go/SoilandWater2018
Planning for the 2018 Annual Conference is underway and this year's conference promises to be a great time of networking and education. More technical sessions and an amazing Keynote Speaker (to be announced soon) are on the agenda!
Tentative Opening Agenda of 2018 Conference
Sunday, January 7
:
3 pm to 5 pm - State Soil Conservation Board Meeting
5 pm to 6 pm - Indiana District Employees Association Meeting
7 pm - Social Media Session presented by Keynote Speaker
Monday, January 8:
9 am - Opening of General Session
Conference Sponsors and Exhibitors needed! If you know of an organization that would benefit from partnering with IASWCD to help support the conference, please contact Amy Work at amy-work@iaswcd.org. All sponsor and exhibitor information and forms can be found
here.
IASWCD Resolution Submission - three weeks left to submit
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EPA Administrator Pruitt visits Indiana
On August 2 Administrator Scott Pruitt visited Starkey Farms where he heard about soil health, cover crops, no-till and water quality. Pruitt emphasized the desire for better communication and partnership with the state from this point forward. He recognizes that farmers are good stewards of the land and wants to work together for a better environmental outcome. During this visit, Governor Holcomb and Lieutenant Governor Crouch, along with key ag and environmental leaders, participated in a round table discussion on Waters of the U.S. Rule (WOTUS).
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(L to R): State Conservationist, Jane Hardisty with EPA Administrator,
Scott Pruitt
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(L to R): Gov. Holcomb, Jeff, Admin Pruitt, Mike Starkey
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Ag Secretary Perdue Visits Indiana State Fair
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue began his August 8 state fair visit with key leaders including Governor Holcomb and Lt. Gov. Crouch along with top leaders from Indiana's farm organizations and state and federal agencies. IASWCD Board Member, Mark Lawson, attended the session where agricultural trade, the importance of conservation, crop insurance and the new Farm Bill were presented and discussed.
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(L to R): Randy Kron, President of Farm Bureau, Gov. Holcomb, Sec. Perdue, Senator Todd Young, and Lt. Gov. Crouch
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NACD News
NACD August Urban & Community Conservation Webinar
TOMORROW - August 17
12:00noon-1:00pm Eastern time
This webinar sho
wc
ases the efforts of two conservation districts in "Natural Landscapes for Homes."
The Ocean County Soil Conservation District in New Jersey, through funding from the Barnegat Bay Partnership, has spearheaded numerous projects involving the installation of native plant gardens throughout the county using the Jerse
y-Friendly Yards website as a resource.
Pacific Northwest Urban Meadowscaping (PNUM), a collaborative effort of the West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District in Oregon, helps landowners dev
elop lawn alternatives using native grasses and wildflowers well suited to the Willamette Valley. As homeowners become aware of the environmental impacts of their landscape choices, the District is receiving more requests for lawn replacement options.
These popular webinars, held on the third Thursday of each month, are sponsored by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company in partnership with the NACD Urban and Community Resource Policy Group. There is no cost to participate, bu
t space is limited. Registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. To register, email Debra Bogar at
deb-bogar@nacdnet.org
with your name, title, district or business name, state and email address. Information to access the webinar will be sent by email.
NEW Peer-to-Peer Web Conference Series to Help Reinvigorate Conservation Planning
The National Conservation Planning Partnership is excited to introduce a new peer-to-peer web conference series to support conservation planning staff and partners. Developed as part of a national priority to reinvigorate conservation planning, the interactive workshops will help to ensure that field staff are fully engaged and havethe right tools to work one-on-one with a diverse customer base.
Read more... The National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP) is made up of NACD, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the National Association of State Conservation Agencies (NASCA), the National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA), and the National Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils (NARC&DC).
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ISDA News
N-NW Region Meeting Date Set for December 5
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm CST
Lake County SWCD | Crown Point
2017 Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program
The Indiana State Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the 2017 Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program, a competitive grant created to help develop solutions to issues affecting the specialty crop industry across state boundaries. To apply for the SCMP grant, please visit
www.in.gov/isda/2474.htm. Proposals are due September 18 by 5 p.m. (EDT). For additional grant assistance, please contact Ann McCambridge, ISDA's Grants Program Manager, at amccambridge@isda.in.gov or 317-419-0200.
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USDA-NRCS News
FFA National Convention and Expo Judges Needed
NRCS is looking for Indiana Conservation Partnership (ICP) help in judging the FFA Natural Resources and Environment events on October 25 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds from 10 am to 3 pm.
The purpose of the environmental and natural resource career development event is to foster student interest and promote environmental and natural resource instruction in the agricultural education curriculum.
Judges are separated into two categories: verbal and teamwork. Lunch will be provided for all volunteers.
If you would like to volunteer
please contact Kris Vance at:
kris.vance@in.usda.gov.
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Purdue Extension
2018 Corn & Soybean Field Guide
Taking orders now for the first printing of custom covers of the 2018 Purdue Extension Corn & Soybean Field Guide.
The ordering deadline for the first printing is Friday,
October 27
. The completed guides will begin to ship by the
end of December 2017
.
The ordering deadline for the second printing is Friday,
January 26, 2018
. Completed guides will ship in late
March 2018
.
For details, including prices and artwork requirements, please see the webpage.
Purdue Rainscaping Education Program
August 30-31
9 am to 5 pm (Central)
Meadowbrook Conservation Center, Valparaiso
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Other News
Indiana Watershed Leadership Academy
 If you're interested in water quality and watersheds, consider applying for the Indiana Watershed Leadership Academy. The Academy, organized by Purdue University with support from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and
other Indiana conservation agencies and organizations, gives participants the chance to eng
age in basic and advanced level watershed topics.
- Meet, learn from, and build a network of peers
- Interact with topic experts
- Gain strategies, skills, and resources for successful watershed management
- Earn a Professional Certificate in Watershed Management
Enrollment deadline: November 3, 2017.
Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC)
10th Annual Conservation in Action Tour
September 5-6
West Lafayette, IN
Pollinator Partnership
2017 Pollinator Award Nominations Due August 31:
>2017 Pollinator Advocate Award
The Pollinator Advocate Award recognizes individuals or organizations that have contributed significantly to pollinator species protection and conservation and to public education, resulting in increased awareness of the importance of pollination.
>2017 Farmer Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award
The Farmer Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award recognizes the unique contributions that members of the agricultural community make to pollinators where they are needed most - supporting our food supply. Nomination forms and more information can be found at the Pollinator Partnership website.
Job Opportunity: Executive Director of Indiana Agriculture Nutrient Alliance
Indiana Agriculture Nutrient Alliance is a unique partnership of Indiana agricultural and conservation organizations in addition to state and federal agricultural and conservation agencies coming together to assist organizational partners nutrient research efforts and promotion of nutrient management and soil health practices educational programs. The organization was created to identify how partners can jointly enhance their programs to further the shared goal of improving nutrient use efficiency to reduce nutrient loss from agricultural production areas with the ultimate goal of enhancing water quality. The Executive Director will have the opportunity to lead the creation and development of this new partnership. A key responsibility will be to establish sound working relationships and cooperative arrangements between partners to promote active and broad participation. The goal is to manage and lead the organization towards the realization of its mission. The Executive Director will be responsible for the administrative, financial and marketing functions of the organization on a day to day basis to ensure compliance with federal, state and local regulations.
Read more ...
Training for ICP Employees:
SAVE THE DATE!
Pasture Plant ID and Prescribed Grazing Workshop
September 13
Plymouth, IN
More information and registration available soon!
Soils Courses Available at IUPUI this Fall
2017 Pesticide Clean Sweep Project: August
The
2017 Pesticide Clean Sweep Project sponsored by the Office of Indiana State Chemist (OISC) will be going on in various counties across Indiana in August. This is a great way for people (farmers, public and private schools, ag dealers, nurseries,
golf courses, cities, towns, municipalities and county units of government or others)
to dispose of suspended, canceled, banned, unusable, opened, unopened or just unwanted pesticides for free (up to 250 pounds per participant). Questions: Kevin Neal at nealk@purdue.edu.
The drop off time is 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (local time) and the dates and locations are as follows:
- August 17, 2017: Grant County Fairgrounds in Marion, IN
- August 22, 2017: Franklin County Fairgrounds in Brookville, IN
- August 23, 2017: Greene County Fairgrounds in Bloomfield, IN
- August 24, 2017: Hendricks County Fairgrounds in Danville, IN
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Resources
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SARE Grant Proposals Announced
2018 NORTH CENTRAL REGION SA
 RE FARMER RANCHER GRANT CALL FOR PROPOSALS ANNOUNCED
There are three types of competitive grants: individual grants ($7,500 maximum), team of two grants for two farmers/ranchers from separate operations who are working together ($15,000 maximum), and group grants for three or more farmers/ranchers from separate operations who are working together ($22,500 maximum).
Interested applicants can find the call for proposals online as well as useful information for completing a proposal on the
website
.
Proposals are due on
December 7, 2017 at 4 p.m. CST.
2018 NORTH CENTRAL REGION SARE PARTNERSHIP GRANT CALL FOR PROPOSALS ANNOUNCED
Individual grants are limited to $30,000. The deadline for Partnership Program proposals is October 26, 2017 at 4pm CDT. Find more information here.
2018 NORTH CENTRAL REGION SARE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION GRANT CALL FOR PRE PROPOSALS ANNOUNCED
Individual grants range from $50,000 to $200,000.
The deadline for Research and Education Program preproposals is October 19, 2017 at 4pm CDT. More information here.
The Indiana Forestry Educational Foundation
~Grant Funds Available~
IFEF is pleased to announce the availability of competitive grant funds to help educate and inform woodland owners and/or the public about forestry, woodland management and other Indiana forestry related topics.
For more details regarding the application and requirements, visit the IFEF website.
Completed online grant applications should be submitted no later than
midnight
on
Friday, September 15, 2017
. IFEF will make grant award announcements in December 2017.
Funding Opportunity: ORB WQT Project
The Ohio River Basin (ORB) Water Quality Trading (WQT) Project seeks to include funding for forestry (i.e. tree planting) as a best management practice to reduce nutrient runoff and enhance ecosystem function on farmland in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. The project will also consider funding non-forestry practices that work synergistically with the forestry practice to further reduce nutrient runoff. Eligible producers are invited to submit funding requests.
Read more...
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