Conservation INsight
March 1, 2023
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The Indiana Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts is currently seeking presentations for the sessions at the 2024 Annual Conference of Indiana SWCDs held in January at The Westin, downtown Indianapolis.
Conference Overview
Each year, Annual Conference offers a unique learning and training opportunity for Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisors, Staff, and Conservation Partners. We again anticipate over 350 attendees representing local/state/regional/national organizations, public agencies, businesses and more.
Topics and Audience
Oral presentations are invited to be considered on topics relating to three session tracks: On the Ground (conservation implementation/technical), District Management, and Outreach & Education. Example topics are listed in the linked letter. SWCD staff and supervisors are the primary audience.
Submissions accepted online through March 31.
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IASWCD Provides Legislative Updates for Indiana Soil & Water Conservation Districts
Each week, during the 2023 Legislative Session, Cress Hizer, IASWCD Lobbyist, is providing a summary of legislative activity at the state house. Indiana District Staff and Supervisors receive these Legislative Bill Tracker updates in their inbox from Liz Rice, IASWCD Executive Director. If you missed one, these updates are posted on the IASWCD website on the Clean Water Indiana (CWI) page.
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SWCD Visits the State House . . . Your District Can Too!
Fulton County Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor Mike Norman and District Staff Megan Mallott recently visited with Representatives at the State House.
Districts - If you want to bring a group to Indy, please contact Cress Hizer at chizer@inag.biz or Liz Rice at elizabeth-rice@iaswcd.org to arrange your visit. Be prepared to tell your story about how additional funding will help put conservation on the land in your county.
Photo L to R: Representative Jack Jordan, Liz Rice, Megan Mallott, Mike Norman and Representative Bob Cherry (seated)
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2022 Purdue Extension Impact Report Features CCSI
Hats Off to CCSI as they are featured on pages 4-5 of the Purdue Extension Impact Report. The report highlights CCSI's 11-year program of successful outreach and education to Indiana's farmers throughout the state.
Lisa Holscher, CCSI Director states, "The 'Purdue on the Farm' section of the 2022 Purdue Extension Impact Report started by calling out the power of the Indiana Conservation Partnership when it comes to soil health. It’s an honor to have CCSI highlighted, because there are some 250-300 County Extension Educators working on a wide variety of initiatives and probably close to that many on-campus faculty and staff doing the same thing. Of all of those, Purdue on the Farm and CCSI were highlighted. AND, this impact report goes to every legislator on the state level, all County Council members, and all County Commissioners."
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Urban Soil Health Program News |
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Monthly Urban Updates
The Urban Soil Health Program hosts a monthly virtual call on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
Agenda (Eastern time)
- 9:00 - 9:15 – Intros, Regional updates - Urban Soil Health Specialists, new resources
- 9:15 – 10:15 – Project highlight (changes monthly)
- 10:15 – 10:30 – Partner shares, Q&A
*You do NOT need to register
to attend this meeting*
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NACD Announces 2022 Photo, Poster Contest Winners
February 13, 2023, New Orleans, LA – Today, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the winners of the 2022 Photo and Poster Contests during the association’s 77th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA.
The photo contest, open to amateur photographers in both youth and adult divisions, consists of images reflecting the themes of “Agriculture and Conservation Across America,” “Close-Up Conservation,” “Conservation in Action,” and “Conservation Practices.”
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NACD Membership
NACD is the national voice for all conservation districts and state and territory associations of conservation districts. NACD supports voluntary, incentive-driven natural resources conservation programs that benefit all American citizens and residents.
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USDA Secretary Vilsack Announces Funding for Voluntary Conservation Programs at NACD Annual Meeting
New Orleans, LA – On February 13, at NACD’s 77th Annual Meeting, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the availability of Inflation Reduction Act funding to support oversubscribed voluntary conservation programs. In Fiscal Year 2023, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will make $850 million available for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), the Agriculture Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
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Indiana's Eric Shideler, Officer of National Conservation District Employees Association Board
NCDEA Elects New Leadership
New Orleans, LA - The National Conservation District Employees Association held its regular business meeting during the National Association of Conservation Districts Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA, February 11-15. During the first business meeting, the NCDEA Board of Directors elected a new slate of officers for 2023. Newly elected officers include President, Melissa Higbee, Michigan; Vice President, Sarah Tunge, North Dakota; Secretary, Eric Shideler, Indiana; Treasurer, Gretchen Rank, Colorado and Member at Large, Mandy Parkes, California. The board also discussed increased member outreach and future grant opportunities. The board also heard from several partner organizations.
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2023 National Conservation District Employees Association Executive Committee (L to R) Eric Shideler, Secretary, Indiana; Mandy Parkes, Member at Large, California; Gretchen Rank, Treasurer, Colorado; Sarah Tunge, Vice President, North Dakota; Melissa Higbee, President, Michigan. |
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Federal grant funds available for specialty crop industry
INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 8, 2023) — The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), beginning Feb. 15, will seek project proposals from Indiana’s specialty crop sector for funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. “Specialty crops are big business in Indiana.” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “This unique sector is quite large in Indiana, after all 80% of our state is farmland and forests. We are excited to use this federal funding to bolster our large specialty crop sector and research initiatives.”
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Nomination Period is Now Open for the 2023 NCSS Awards
Deadline: March 15, 2023
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Soil and Plant Science Division (SPSD) requests nominations for the 2023 National Cooperative Soil Survey Awards in the following categories:
- Scientist of the Year
- Scientist Achievement
- Cooperator Achievement
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USDA Seeking Applications to Expand Conservation Assistance to Underserved Producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking applications for projects that will improve outreach to underserved producers and underserved communities about conservation programs and services and opportunities for students to pursue careers in agriculture, natural resources and related sciences. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is offering up to $70 million in cooperative agreements with entities for two-year projects that encourage participation in NRCS programs, especially in underserved communities and among urban and small-scale producers.
“USDA is committed to removing barriers for underserved producers to all USDA services, and the projects funded through this opportunity will better ensure these producers receive the benefits our conservation programs deliver,” said NRCS Chief Terry Cosby. “NRCS is investing in continued support of community-based organizations and partners that are instrumental in supporting conservation outreach to underserved producers and underserved communities.”
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Indiana NRCS accepting applications for Farmers Helping Hellbenders RCPP project
Application are being accepted through March 31 from farmers and forestland owners in portions of Washington, Harrison, Crawford, and Floyd counties.
Funding is now available to producers in the Blue River-Sinking Watershed to implement conservation practices on their land to assist with the recovery of Eastern Hellbenders and improvement of aquatic resources. This funding is provided through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) and will assist farmers in implementing practices designed to keep nutrients and soil resources on fields and improve their watershed.
The Farmers Helping Hellbenders RCPP project is led by Purdue University with assistance from 13 collaborating public and private organizations on the state and local level including NRCS. Eligible producers and forestland owners who wish to implement conservation practices on their land should discuss their options with their local district conservationist.
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Indiana NRCS Annual Report |
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USDA Announces Conservation Reserve Program Signup for 2023
WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2023 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can begin applying for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) General signup starting February 27 through April 7, 2023. CRP is a cornerstone voluntary conservation program offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and a key tool in the Biden-Harris administration’s effort to address climate change and help agricultural communities invest in the long-term well-being of their land and natural resources.
“The Conservation Reserve Program is one of the largest private lands conservation programs in the United States, offering a range of conservation options to farmers, ranchers and landowners,” Vilsack said.
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About the Conservation Reserve Program
CRP is a land conservation program administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality. Contracts for land enrolled in CRP are from 10 to 15 years in length.
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2022 Purdue Extension Impact Report |
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The Indiana Envirothon Contest Season Is Here
The Indiana Envirothon, which functions under the umbrella of the IASWCD, accepted registrations for the regional competitions from high school teams in February.
Focused on natural resource education, the Indiana Envirothon provides high school aged students a fun way to learn about the environment and the issues facing current and future generations. Teams of five students train for regional competitions by using on-line resources developed by district SWCD professionals. They also engage in hands on field work and career presentations. At the regional events, teams will engage in hands on/minds on learning and test their knowledge in each of five resource areas. These include soils and land use, aquatic ecology, wildlife, forestry, and a current issue as determined by the NCF-Envirothon.
The top teams from each regional are invited to the Indiana State competition. These teams will prepare an oral presentation in which they share their solutions to the current environmental problem. The oral presentation along with a written test scores are combined to determine the state winners.
The top scoring team represents Indiana at the NCF-Envirothon, an international competition held in 2023 in New Brunswick, Canada.
We encourage all SWCD districts to be involved and help support the Indiana Envirothon. Currently, we are looking for additional district support for regionals and state competitions. One way to support at the regional level is to sponsor teams in your county go to the regionals by paying their registration fee and providing learning opportunities in preparation for the competition.
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CTIC Conservation in Action Tour in July
Join the 17th Annual Conservation Technology Information Center's (CTIC) Conservation in Action Tour on July 10-11, 2023 in Frankenmuth, Michigan! This year’s tour theme, Connecting Through the Supply Chain, will help connect the circle from farmer to consumer. At this year’s event, we will share perspectives of farmers, input suppliers and processors to dig deep into sustainable, climate-smart food production.
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34th Annual Indiana Lakes Management Conference
Join the Indiana Lakes Management Society for our 2023 Indiana Lakes Management Conference!
Where: Four Winds Lakeside Inn and Resort (9301 S. Fairfax Road, Bloomington IN 47401)
When: Thursday March 9 starting at 9am through noon on Friday, March 10, 2023
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Request for Proposals: Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program
The Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program has provided grants to reduce nutrients and sediments entering the Great Lakes for more than 30 years. This year’s program will continue to help local partners take action to reduce nutrient loads from agricultural watersheds and eroding shorelines and streambanks in the Great Lakes basin.
The due date for applications is 5:00 p.m. Eastern on April 21, 2023. A webinar for applicants will be offered on March 14, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern to discuss funding priorities and the application process, receive tips for submitting competitive proposals, and ask questions of Great Lakes Commission staff. Information to join the webinar is below. For more information, please contact Connor Roessler at croessler@glc.org or 734-396-6085.
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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:
March 31 - Deadline for SWCD Conference Abstract Submission
April 26 - Indiana Envirothon State Competition
July 10-11 - Conservation in Action Tour
August 6-9 - SWCS International Annual Conference, Des Moines, IA
October 4-6 - Indiana District Employee Fall Conference
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