The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/931535
D-4 Pike County Planter SWCD Newsletter Quarter 1 2018 The Press-Dispatch RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF these parts during our February Parts Discount Week – Feb. 20-25! PARTS SALE NOW THRU FEB. 28 2018 Equipment Company www.BLESCHBROS.com www.BLESCHBROSODON.com HWY 161, HOLLAND 812-536-3486 8250 E SR 58, ODON 812-636-4050 Middle Patoka Watershed grant work in progress Work is in progress on the administration of the second 319 Grant Cost- Share Program for the Mid- dle Patoka Watershed. Wa- tershed Coordinator, Julie Loehr, stated that she has already started promotion of the cost-share program and potential implementa- tion of Best Management Practices in the watershed critical zone. She stated that the most frustrating part of the job so far is talking with landowners outside of the critical area. "IDEM regulates that when imple- menting a BMP through a cost-share program, I must ensure that the practice is in the critical area defined by the Watershed Manage- ment Plan that was already written when I was hired in as coordinator." This critical area is shown on the map: Generally, the area is S of Hwy 56 between CR 600 and Hwy 257 to White Oak and Hwy 257 north of White Sulphur Spring till just before Hwy 56 – but actual watershed lines are ver y jagged and indescribable. Landowners and producers who would like to know if they are or are not in the critical area can email their farm numbers to Watershed Coordinator at Julia.loehr@ in.nacdnet.net. Loehr will verify what watershed the farms are located in and reply back; or call the Pike Co SWCD office with farm numbers. For those producers and landowners in the critical zone, there are cost-share dollars available for reim- bursement on a portion of the costs of implementing best management practices through urban and agri- cultural conser vation. The funding that the SWCD has secured will reimburse the applicant as follows: • Cover Crop and No-Till—75% of seed and application costs with $5,000 cap first year, and $3,000 cap the subsequent years. Payments after spring planting. Caps are per producer. • Cover Crop w/o no till—50% of seed and ap- plication costs with $5,000 cap first year, and $3,000 cap the subsequent years. Payments after cover crop is established in the fall. Caps are per producer. • Cover Crop equipment (seeders and boxes) -50%, must use once prior to pay- ment. • Equipment Modifica- tions (GPS) - 50% with a $20,000 cap per producer. Only three applications total available for life of grant. (First three to sign up and provide invoices). Equip- ment must be used prior to payment. Software subscrip- tions can't be funded, but can cost-share on a one-time software purchase. • Livestock Exclusions -75% up to $20,000 cap. Only 3 applications total avail- able for life of grant. (First to sign up and provide invoices.) This project is to fence cattle out of stream and provide an alternate watering source. • All other best manage- ment practices, including grassed water way—50% up to $20,000 cap per producer. Of course ever y water quality practice being imple- mented helps to address water quality by reducing non-point source pollution no matter where it's located. "If you are in the Middle Pa- toka watershed, and are do- ing conser vation practices such as fall cover crops or installing WASCOBs, those efforts should be reported to the Pike SWCD office - even if done outside the critical zone – because such reports strengthen our re- quests for future funding," Loehr stated. The Pike Co SWCD and Loehr have a good work- ing relationship with The Nature Conser vancy, and Brad Smith, TNC's Lower Wabash Director. This part- nership has come about due to past work in the county to address non-point source water pollution through the 319 grants and efforts of our Pike County land- owners and producers in and out of the critical area. Future grant opportunities -with possible funding for areas outside the critical area - could come to the county through this part- nership. So stop in at the Pike County SWCD office and report what you've been doing to address water pol- lution on your farm; pick up a Middle Patoka Cost-Share brochure with ALL the de- tails, and talk with the Dis- trict Administrator, Erica, about filling out a cost-share application. There is no ob- ligation to sign up. Program is first come, first ser ve. Gamebirds and songbirds initiative gets $1M in funding The DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife has landed funding that will contribute to a new grassland and pol- linator habitat development program that will benefit private landowners. The "Grasslands for Gamebirds & Songbirds" initiative, called GGS for short, will employ three full- time grassland biologists who will provide technical and financial assistance to private landowners hoping to improve their properties by developing grassland and pollinator habitat throughout focal regions of the state. The habitat development will benefit species such as bobwhite quail, ring-necked pheasant, Henslow's spar- row and loggerhead shrike. The Indiana DNR was selected for the funding through the Regional Conser vation Partnership Program (RCPP), which is administered by the Natural Resource Conser vation Ser vice. Once implemented, it will total $1 million. The total budget of the GGS initiative is $1.83 million. The other funding for the initiative has been contrib- uted from the initiative's 33 partners. If you are a landowner interested in participating in the GGS initiative, or if you'd like to support the effort, visit wildlife.IN.gov/ 9467.htm. For more infor- mation, contact Josh Griffin, private lands program manager with DNR Fish & Wildlife, at 317-234-9737 or jgriffin@dnr.IN.gov or con- tact your local SWCD office for more information. Pike Co. SWCD honored at the 75th Annual Conference of the IASWCD On Januar y 7, Pike County SWCD super visors and staff traveled to In- dianapolis to attend the 75th Annual Conference hosted by the Indiana Association of Soil & Water Con- ser vation Districts at the Marriott Downtown Indianapolis. Over 400 su- per visors, staff, partner agencies and vendors were in attendance at this year's event. Attendees were treated to an outstanding performance given by the conference's keynote speak- ers, the Peterson Farm Brothers, from Kansas. The Peterson Farm Brothers are YouTube sensations who have helped educate the general public on where your food come from by creating parodies from today's top hit songs. Their number one hit, "I'm farming and I grow it" has been seen over seven million times in 26 differ- ent countries. Aside from performing some of their hits, the brothers were also featured as a breakout session of attendees to learn more about how they operate their social media and how to engage the public. This ses- sion and several more were available for super visors and staff to attend to help improve and/or expand SWCD operations in each county. Making this 75th Annual Confer- ence extra special was the fact that the Pike County SWCD was awarded the prestigious IASWCD District Showcase Award for 2017. The SWCD submitted a showcase applica- tion for the conser vation efforts done in the Middle Patoka Watershed as well as other conser vation work done through private grants. Out of the 47 applications received from across the state, Pike SWCD was selected as one of the four districts receiving the award and was recognized through- out the length of the conference and during the awards luncheon at the conclusion of the conference on Tuesday, Januar y 9. Showcase recipients had the opportunity to set up a display showcasing their conser- vation efforts for attendees to learn more info about the efforts of the winning districts. Super visors and staff took turns manning the booth and sharing the success in conser va- tion that the Pike County SWCD has had the past couple years. Also receiving an award on Tues- day was Chairman Norman Dillon. Chairman Dillon was part of the 2017 graduating class for Indiana's Leader- ship Institute. This program is hosted by the Indiana Department of Agri- culture and is open to both super vi- sors and staff throughout Indiana. Leadership Institutes are designed to help promote successful and healthy leadership in the SWCD's and has been widely appreciated. (L-R) Pike County SWCD's Norman Dillon, Chairman; Emily Kelly, Soil Technician; Julie Loehr, Water- shed Coordinator; Tom Rudolph, Supervisor; Paul Lake, Vice Chairman; and Erica Burkemper-Fischer, District Administrator represented the SWCD during the awards luncheon at the Annual Conference. Norman Dillon, Chairman (far right), was recognized as one of the 2017 Leadership Institute graduates during the awards lunch- eon. The SWCD was excited to create a booth display that showed the districts efforts on conserving our natural resources and prepared a slideshow of over a 130 pictures displaying conservation activi- ties taken throughout the year. Part of the conference experience is getting to attend the Leg- islative Breakfast with legislative representatives from across the state. The Pike County SWCD was pleased to meet one on one with Senator Mark Messmer during the breakfast. (L-R) Chair- man Norman Dillon, Supervisor Tom Rudolph and Senator Mark Messmer discussed the detriment that invasive plant species are creating in the ecosystem, especially in Pike County where lots of timber is harvested, and what government can do to assist with battling species like Tree of Heaven, Bush Honeysuckle and Au- tumn Olive.