Conservation INsight
September 14, 2022
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IASWCD October 5 Lunch 'n Learn:
USDA Resources for Working with Beginning Farmers
Join USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service outreach coordinator, Will Fett, as he presents on programs and opportunities for beginning farmers from NRCS, FSA, RMA, and RD. Walk away with a better idea of how to work with and direct beginning farmers you work with to the resources they need.
October 5 at 12 noon (EDT)
Register to receive the Zoom link.
Session will be recorded, but we encourage you to join live for Q&A.
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Click on photo for larger view |
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Indiana Conservation Award Submissions - deadline September 16
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IASWCD Resolution Submission - deadline September 16
Districts - Resolutions to be considered at the 2023 IASWCD Annual Business Meeting in Indianapolis at the Westin on January 10, 2023 must be submitted by emailing the form to Joe Schmees, or through the online form.
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CCSI &Urban Soil Health Program News |
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Present at NACD's 2023 Annual Meeting
NACD is accepting breakout session proposals for the upcoming 2023 Annual Meeting - to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana on February 11-15, 2023. These informational breakout sessions focus on the work of conservation districts and their partners across the country. Sessions typically run 60-90 minutes long and often showcase several speakers. Session proposals are being accepted now through Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.
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Apply for the NGLI 2023 Cohort
The National Conservation Foundation (NCF) is currently accepting applications for the 2023 cohort of the Next Generation Leadership Institute (NGLI)! Applications must be submitted by September 30, 2022.
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Register for September 15 Urban Webinar
During the September Urban and Community Conservation webinar, hosted on September 15 at 4:00 p.m. ET, we will hear from two NACD Urban Agriculture Conservation (UAC) grantees about their successful projects. Kim Rush Lynch of Prince George's County Soil Conservation District (PGSCD) in Maryland will share more details about the district's work supporting an urban farm incubator with a 2021 UAC grant.
We will also hear from Erin McClish James who managed the 2021 UAC grant at the Jefferson County SWCD (JCSWCD) in Kentucky. In planning and implementing community gardens within their district, Erin and JCSWCD focused their outreach on local food security and reaching new and diverse audiences. Come learn from Erin on some of the strategies she used for their project.
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DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS
FRIDAY, SEPT 16!
2022 Indiana District Employee Association Conference
Oct. 25-27
Abe Martin Lodge, Nashville, IN
NSE Region is compiling promotional material samples from Indiana SWCDS to share at the conference. Please send your files to swcd.examples@gmail.com
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District Support Specialist (DSS) Update for Indiana SWCDs |
Updated: Nutrient & Sediment Load Reduction Reports
County level nutrient & sediment load reduction reports have been updated with 2021 information Reports may be downloaded as a pdf and printed for distribution.
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Newsletter: Indiana Agriculture Insider
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Webinar: Why "Organic" Matters - Soil Organic Matter, Soil Health and USDA-Certified Organic Farming
Presented by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service - Science and Technology
National Technology Support Centers
September 15, 2022 2:00 pm US/Eastern
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New Guide Available for Underserved Farmers, Ranchers
A new multi-agency guide for USDA assistance for underserved farmers and ranchers is now available.
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Conservation At Work Video Series
Learn about the benefits of conservation practices directly from the farmers, ranchers and forestland owners applying them with NRCS' 90-second video series.
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National FFA Volunteer Opportunity
The FFA National Convention and Expo will be returning to Indianapolis this year and will run from October 26-28. As in years past, NRCS will be supporting the Natural Resources and Environment Judging event and we are asking for volunteer assistance from partnership staff. This event will take place on Thursday, October 27 from 11AM-2PM at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Judges are separated into two categories:
- Verbal Judging: Students will be provided a scenario that addresses an environmental/natural resource problem from soils, water, ecosystems and waste management. Teams are required to develop a statement that addresses the questions in the scenario and give an oral presentation justifying the decisions made by the team. Each team will have eight minutes to make their presentation. There will be an additional five minutes given to each team to address questions from the judges.
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Teamwork Judging: While the students are preparing their oral presentations, a group of judges will evaluate how well the team members work together to develop their statement and presentation. If you would like to volunteer for one of these events, please contact Kris Vance at: kris.vance@usda.gov
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Indiana Watershed Leadership Program:
Learn to be a Leader in Conservation and Watershed Management
Sign up now to improve your engagement and management skills! If you are interested in water quality, soil health, education, outreach, conservation and/or watersheds, consider applying for the 2023 Indiana Watershed Leadership Academy. The 17th Annual Academy will include both virtual and in-person workshops to learn watershed and leadership skills. This format will include in two in person, two-day sessions January 4-5 and March 29- 30 followed by a one-day graduation session on May 24, 2023. Additionally, six virtual one-hour sessions will occur from January to May 2023 allow you to take advantage of Indiana’s watershed experts from the comfort of your home or office. Enrollment deadline: Nov 4
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Beginner’s Guide to Grant Writing Workshop
The Beginner’s Guide to Grant Writing Workshop teaches grant writers of all skill levels how to prepare and submit a professional proposal. Lunch and materials are provided on both days of this two-day interactive workshop. Cost: $195.
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Div of Fish & Wildlife Newsletter:
Wild Bulletin
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Registration Now Open for
W4L Discussion Leader Training
October 20
9 am to 3 pm (EDT)
Interested in becoming a Women4theLand Discussion Leader? Join W4L for this full day training in Hendricks County. Register below. Or, contact coordinator Heather Bacher at hbacher@women4theland.org to express your interest and get more details.
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State of Indiana Cooperative Invasives Management (SICIM) Newsletter |
Grown IN Indiana: Bringing farming into classrooms is more than cows, sows and plows
IndyStar article, August 31, 2022
by Sarah Bowman
The Maconaquah school system, located just north of Kokomo and not far from the Grissom Joint Air Reserve Base, has a unique program where students operate their own small farm raising cows and calves. That’s right, the middle school students are in charge.
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New Website Offers Watershed Professionals and Farmers Access to Peer Learning and Resources for Achieving Clean Water Goals
Conservation professionals, extension educators, and farmers who are involved in or support on-the-ground watershed-based projects to improve water quality and landscape resilience have a new portal to peer learning and resources designed to support their work: watershedleaders.org, the recently launched website of The Confluence for Watershed Leaders.
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Life Hacks Over Lunch: A Meet-up Series for Watershed Professionals
This free, virtual meet-up series is a peer-learning opportunity for watershed professionals to share ideas and advice for solving real-life challenges of watershed projects.
If you work with farmers and communities on watershed-scale projects to improve water quality and have ever found yourself thinking, “I don’t want to recreate the wheel,” this meet-up series is for you.
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INPS Biodiversity Grants
Indiana Native Plant Society supports well-conceived grant projects that are in line with our mission: To promote the appreciation, preservation, scientific study, and use of plants native to Indiana. To teach people about their beauty, diversity, and importance to our environment.
INPS Biodiversity Grants are awarded in three categories:
- Research
- Demonstration Garden
- Land Management and Conservation
Grants must be submitted by October 1, 2022 for project completion in 2023.
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White River Alliance Newsletter: Currents
includes information on their new podcast, The Collective Tap. Worth the listen!
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Featured Pledge: Water Conservation
The average American family uses about 300 gallons of water every day. A failure to protect and conserve our water resources can potentially lead to more expensive utilities, water use restrictions, and even significant impacts to recreational areas like lakes and rivers.
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Enrollment now open for Ducks Unlimited cover crops program in Indiana, Michigan
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Research and Education Grant
The North Central Region SARE (NCR-SARE) Research and Education (R&E) Grant Program is a competitive grant program for researchers and educators involved in projects that explore and promote environmentally sound, profitable, and socially responsible food and/or fiber systems.
Research and Education projects include a strong outreach component and significant farmer/rancher or other end-user involvement from the inception of the idea through the implementation of the project.
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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*:
Sept 16 - Deadline: Resolutions & Conservation Awards
Sept 20 - Urban and Small Farms, Adams Co
Sept 29 - Beginner's Guide to Grant Writing, Lake Co
Oct 1-2 - Wetland Restoration Workshop, Ball State
Oct 5 - IASWCD Lunch 'n Learn
Oct 20 - New Discussion Leader Training, W4L
Oct 21 - Beginner's Guide to Grant Writing, LaPorte Co
Oct 29 - Beginner's Guide to Grant Writing, Clark Co
Nov 4 - Conservation Tillage Meeting, Dearborn Co
*This is just a brief list of some of the events IASWCD is aware of happening throughout the state. IASWCD Conservation Events Calendar can be viewed here. As events sometimes have to pivot from in-person to virtual, we encourage you to please check the individual hosting organization's website and/or Facebook page for the latest information on locations, guidelines and details.
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