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Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
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June 22, 2016 |
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IASWCD News
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.
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).
New Director of Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative
Lisa Holscher was named the Director of CCSI and began
her new position on June 13. She will
work with the CCSI Oversight Committee
to develop and achieve long-term goals and objectives for this initiative. Lisa
comes with a wealth of experience
and expertise in project and business management with a current focus on conservation. She has spent the
last four years as the Soil Health Program Manager with IASWCD and the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative (CCSI).
Trade Show Booth Space - Early Bird Registration Now Open
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
What Gardeners Should Know About Pesticides notes that it is important to consider surroundings and animals when using pesticides and gives advice on how to manage a successful garden and landscape.
The authors
offer tips on ensuring plant success, managing unwanted critters and choosing the right control methods.
This 64-page publication guides gardeners through the processes of personalized pest management, reducing a pest's impact on gardens and why a pesticide might not have worked. It gives advice on pesticide classifications and the safe, effective, legal use of pesticides.
"Pesticide use in the lawn, landscape and garden provides many benefits, but there are also risks," says lead author
Fred Whitford
, coordinator of
Purdue Pesticide Programs
. "You must handle pesticides with caution and understanding."
One Day YOU PICK Free Educational Materials
For District Staff:
Pick up day: Monday, July 11 - 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Must schedule a pick up time by Friday, July 8 at 4 p.m.
Details for reserving your pick up time, etc.
here
Got Nature?
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Funding
NACD Grant Proposal
NACD has partnered with NRCS to award $50,000 grants for up to 20 districts. Grant funds are designed for urban agriculture conservation technical assistance activities in districts with developed or predominantly developing land use along with a special emphasis on underserved communities and food deserts.
The Urban and Community webinar from May 19 which reviewed this initiative and answered questions was recorded and posted at:
www.nacdnet.org/policy/urban/webinars
.
More Information provided in the Request for Proposal (RFP).
Deadline: NACD is now accepting project proposals as directed in the RFP through June 30, 2016.
Please contact Debra Bogar (deb-bogar@nacdnet.org) with any questions.
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NRCS News
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.
Trees for Bees Poster
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
offers a pollinator poster each year.
This year the poster is Trees for Bees and
depicts the various trees
that are great food and nesting sources for bees.
You can order up to 10 posters from their
website.
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Partner News
Indiana District Employees Association (IDEA)
Mark your calendars for the IDEA Fall Conference October 5-7 in Syracuse!
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Conservation Partners Program 2016 is now open.
You can access the RFP here.
Please contact Traci Giefer with any questions.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
8011 34th Avenue South, Suite 242
Bloomington, MN 55425
USDA
A News Release from USDA Farm Service Agency Administrator Val Dolcini, announced on June 14 that the nomination period for farmers to serve on local Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees began on Wednesday, June 15, 2016. Deadline is August 1. For more details and forms, click here.
Children of Indiana Nature Park
by Melissa Moran & Laura Sertic
Kids need nature! Studies show that kids who spend time outside are more creative, healthier, more confident and better problem solvers. We want to help connect every K-12 student in Indiana by giving the gift of nature. The Indiana Department of Nature Resources, Indiana Department of Education, Cope Environmental Center, and The Nature Conservancy have partnered together to create the first-ever
Children of Indiana Nature Park. Each student has the opportunity to claim their personal Nature IN-Deed, with unique geographic coordinates to their very own spot in the Children of Indiana Nature Park. Children can visit their land in person by visiting the park or virtually on the website. If visiting the Park is not possible, the Bicentennial Nature Center Network offers more than 20 nature center locations around Indiana for kids to connect with nature. Visit our
website and like us on
Facebook(Children of Indiana Nature Park)
or
email us
to learn more about how you can participate in the Children of Indiana Nature Park.
NACD Welcomes Bill to Keep Red Tape at Bay
WASHINGTON, June 13, 2016 - The National Association of Conservation Districts is pleased to support H.R. 5451, legislation introduced by Reps. Ann Kuster, D-N.H., and Rick Crawford, R-Ark., that would exempt landowners who participate in voluntary conservation programs from costly and unnecessary reporting requirements.
"Federal reporting requirements were never intended to burden farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners," NACD CEO Jeremy Peters said. "They were meant to enhance transparency around the government's granting and contracting processes. Producers committed to enhancing water and air quality, wildlife habitat, and soil health were never supposed to get tangled up in this."
Pathway to Water Quality
Individual volunteer sign-up for staffing Pathway to Wa
ter Quality will open at 8
a.m. on Wednesday, June 1st. The state fair will ru
n from August 5th to August 21st.
For any questions please contact the PWQ Coordinator, Sara Peel
at
pathwaytowaterquality@gmail.com
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
Pollinator Week
Governor Mike Pence has designated
June 20-26 Pollinator Week in Indiana! Pollinators play a vital role in the health of our forests and woodlands, which provide forage, fish and wildlife, timber, water, mineral resources, and recreational opportunities, as well as opportunities for communities. Pollinator species provide significant environmental benefits that are necessary for healthy, bio-diverse ecosystems.
New Building for Lake County SWCD & Purdue Extension
Special thanks to Gerry Scheub, Lake County Commissioners and Eldon Strong, Lake County Councilman. Because of their hard work, Lake County Purdue Extension & Soil and Water Conservation District will have a new
11,000 square foot office building with rain gardens, bio-swales and rain barrels used for demonstration purposes. The Ground Breaking Ceremony (pictured below)
was held on May 26, 2016 at the project site 2293 N. Main Street, Crown Point on the Lake County Government campus. Completion is expected by November 18, 2016.
Lake County SWCD supervisors, associate supervisors staff, NRCS and ISDA were all represented that day!
(L to R): Julie Duttlinger, Administrator; Kevin Garling, Supervisor, chairman; Brian Wietbrock, Supervisor; Donna Molchan, Supervisor; Councilman Eldon Strong; Commissioner Jerry Scheub; Kim Peterson, Supervisor; Jared O'Brien, Resource Specialist, ISDA; Derek Schmitt, District Conservationist, NRCS; and Edgar Corns, Associate Supervisor.
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