Conservation INsight
October 27, 2021
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Early Bird Registration open for the
2022 Annual Conference of Indiana SWCDs
January 23-25, 2022
The Westin Indianapolis
Keynote Max Armstrong
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Now through November 15 save $$$ and receive the Early Bird conference registration rates. |
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IASWCD Region Director, Kingma,
Testifies at Statehouse
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On October 13, IASWCD North-Northwest Region Director, Mark Kingma, traveled from Jasper County to testify in front of the Interim Study Committee on Fiscal Policy at the Indiana Statehouse. He was accompanied by IASWCD
Executive Director, Joe Schmees, and testified regarding proposed legislation to create a process for establishing Watershed Development Commissions. Drafted by Representative Mike Aylesworth, the bill would create a local process for establishing watershed scale commissions with the authority to levy special assessments to support local water management. Kingma talked
about his experience as a farmer, SWCD supervisor, and his involvement with the already established Kankakee and Yellow River Watershed Development Commission.
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NEW STAFF?
If you have new SWCD staff in your office or region, will you check to see if they are receiving this IASWCD eNewsletter every other Wednesday? Plus, IASWCD is organizing "IASWCD Meet & Greets" via Zoom to meet new staff and introduce them to IASWCD and how the association supports Indiana's SWCDs. Reach out to Joe Schmees or Amy Work for more information or to pass along New Staff contact information.
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VirTuesday Trainings: Recorded Links Posted on the IASWCD Website
2021 VirTuesday topics included:
- District Insurance Needs and Liability
- Human Resource Management 101: Contract Employee vs. District Employee
- Records Retention
- Turning Data into Action
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The Root Project and Highlighting Indiana Conservation Projects
The Root Project was featured in John Deere’s Furrow publication:https://www.deere.com/en/publications/the-furrow/2021/sept-fall-2021/the-root-project/. Following that feature article, CCSI has experienced significant growth in both the number of people downloading The Root Project AND the number of people subscribing to their newsletter. CCSI would like to leverage this opportunity and highlight conservation projects by all partners around the state. If you have a local project you would like to have considered for a newsletter spotlight, please share a brief description of your project, along with a list of partners, and any photographs you may have in the online subission form.
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Regenerative Ag Forum
November 6, Haubstaudt, IN
This event is open to all farmers, landowners, & partners interested in improving soil health, reducing crop costs & fertilizer run-off, building resilience to extreme weather events, & moderating climate change. Speakers include: Senator Mike Braun, Eric Bender, Barry Fisher, and Roger Wenning.
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NACD Announces Launch of District Grants Application Period
WASHINGTON (October 18, 2021) – Today, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the launch of its application period for the 2022 Friends of NACD District Grants Program.
Now in its third round of funding, the Friends of NACD District Grants Program is an initiative of the NACD District Operations and Member Services (DOMS) Committee. The 2022 program will award eight grants, up to $2,500 each, to conservation districts to conduct new activities or test novel approaches to their operations.
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Nov. and Dec. Finance Trainings for Indiana SWCDs
November 17 (12 noon - 1 pm EST)
Finance Basics for Supervisors
December 1 (10 am - 12 noon EST)
Finance Overview for Staff
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Hoosier Riverwatch - Riffles & Pools
IDEM Newsletter
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NRCS Announces Conservation Funding Opportunities for 2022
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing fiscal year 2022 assistance opportunities for agricultural producers and private landowners for key programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) program.
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Input Requested! USDA Seeks Public Input on New Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Partnership Initiative
USDA is committed to partnering with farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, and communities to develop climate solutions that strengthen rural America. The Department is currently accepting public comment on a new climate partnership initiative to create market opportunities for commodities produced using climate-smart practices.
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USDA Launches First Phase of Soil Carbon Monitoring Efforts through Conservation Reserve Program Initiative
WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2021 –The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $10 million in a new initiative to sample, measure, and monitor soil carbon on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres to better quantify the climate outcomes of the program. CRP is an important tool in the Nation’s fight to reduce the worst impacts of climate change facing our farmers, ranchers, and foresters. This initiative will begin implementation in fall 2021 with three partners. Today’s announcement is part of a broader, long-term soil carbon monitoring effort across agricultural lands that supports USDA’s commitment to deliver climate solutions to agricultural producers and rural America through voluntary, incentive-based solutions.
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Virtual Workshop:
Know Your Numbers, Know Your Options
Know Your Numbers, Know Your Options is a four-week course, discussion-based, workshop to connect women and subject-matter experts.
The course is being offered virtually November 22, 29, December 6, and 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST.
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Beginner's Guide to Grant Writing Workshop
November 9 and December 14 (two-day workshop)
9 am - 4:30 pm (Eastern)
Hosted by Purdue Extension at the Boone County Fairgrounds
This two-day workshop is geared toward those who work or volunteer for nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, community clubs, and local government units and departments. Participants will learn how to develop ideas for winning grant proposals, identify and work with funding sources, and understand the proposal development, submission, and review process. Professional review of a draft proposal is also included.
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Lake Michigan Coastal Program now accepting pre-proposals for 2022 funding cycle
(October 14, 2021) - The Indiana DNR’s Lake Michigan Coastal Program (LMCP) grants program has begun accepting pre-proposals for its 2022 funding cycle. The submission deadline is Dec. 10, 2021. The LMCP supports projects that improve the connection between the public and communities and the natural, cultural, and/or historical resources of Indiana’s Lake Michigan watershed, as well as projects that assist communities and organizations in the coordination and planning for the management or restoration of these resources in the coastal area.
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IN-Person Event Postposted; Now Virtual
Please note the new dates, at the same place— Feb 17 and 18 at the Dousman House in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.
In the meantime, we will host a “LMW Lite” virtual event on November 3rd, featuring part of our originally planned agenda for this day.
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Partner applications for the Indiana Climate Fellows 2022 fellowship are now live!
Are you a business, nonprofit, or city/town that would like to advance sustainability within your organization? Host a summer Climate Fellow for summer 2022! Click below to learn more and apply. Applications for 2022 are open now and will be accepted until December 3, 2021.
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New newsletter, Indiana Climate INformer
This new e-newsletter is an outcome from the 2021 Indiana Climate Services Summit that was held virtually in early June. During that 2-day Summit, multiple state and regional climate services partners showcased free online climate tools and resources for the public that can improve decision making, planning, and awareness of climate and its impacts. As you can imagine, there was a lot of information presented! We wanted to find a way to deliver this type of content in smaller doses, across a longer period of time, and to an increasingly growing audience. Therefore, we decided to launch a quarterly newsletter to highlight key climate services partners, share relevant climate tools, provide climate outlooks for the next few months, pass along interesting climate facts and explanations, and promote upcoming climate-relevant events.
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Workshop Submissions and River Hero Nominations - DEADLINE EXTENDED
Take a deep breath! We've extended the deadline for River Rally workshop and field trip proposals and River Hero nominations. You now have until Friday 10/29 to submit. Join the community of water professionals in Washington, DC, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act as a workshop presenter, field trip leader, or nominate a River Hero for national recognition.
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Upcoming Webinar:
Building Human Capital in Conservation and Watershed Work
Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 2pm CT
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Most Recent Webinar:
Carbon Markets and Carbon Credit Agreements
from Wednesday, October 13, 2021
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Women4theLand and District Success
Indiana Soil & Water Conservation Districts can learn from these Indiana Districts who have successful hosted women's learning circles using the W4L methodolgy. Interested in reaching female landowners in your area? Watch this video and contact Heather Bacher for more details at hbacher@women4theland.org.
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River Assessment Field Team (RAFT) - Volunteer Training Now Available
The River Assessment Field Teams (RAFTs) are individuals, family members, or small groups of friends, colleagues or neighbors that are willing to donate time to help strategically assess local water quality. RAFT volunteers conduct water quality sampling following a specific protocol. Before becoming a RAFT volunteer, you must first complete the online RAFT training program. This will provide an important foundation for understanding what is involved in water sampling as well as the science behind the various measurements you will take in the field.
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Job Postings :
Current list of Conservation Job Opportunities now posted on the IASWCD website.
Note: Job Postings can be submitted to Amy Work at: amy-work@iaswcd.org . Please include job description and deadline to apply in a single PDF file or with a link.
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Upcoming Conservation Events :
October 28 - Women's Learning Circle, Knox Co
November 3 - Women's Learning Circle, Hendricks Co
November 17 - Finance Basics Training for Indiana SWCD Supervisors
December 1 - State Board of Accounts Training
January 23-25 - Annual SWCD Conference, Indianapolis
*As more events begin to take place in person, please check the individual hosting organization's website and/or Facebook page for the latest information on locations, guidelines and details. Thank you.
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