The Press-Dispatch
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The Press-Dispatch Pike County Planter SWCD Newsletter September and October 2017 C- 1 Pike County SWCD SUPERVISORS Norman Dillon, Chairman Paul Lake, Vice Chairman Kelly Atkins, Supervisor Josh Collins, Supervisor Tom Rudolph, Supervisor Brad Smith, Associate Supervisor STAFF S. Erica Burkemper-Fischer, District Administrator Emily Kelly, Agronomic Technician Julie Loehr, Watershed Coordinator Vince Pitstick, NRCS District Conservationist SWCD/NRCS HOURS Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Due to the nature of the work that the SWCD and NRCS staf f performs, at times there will be no one in the office. Call 812-354-6120 ext. 3 before visiting. Farm Service Agency COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Amy R. Barber amy.barber@in.usda.gov SENIOR FARM LOAN OFFICER Corey Heldt Corey. heldt@in.usda.gov PROGRAM TECHNICIANS Amy Foust, Lisa Gladish, and Brenda Nicholson COUNTY COMMITTEE (COC) Jeffrey K Brenton, Chairperson Christian Rudolph, Vice-chair Katrina M. Seitz, Member FSA OFFICE HOURS: Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-4:30pm April, May and June 2018 VOLUME 9, ISSUE 2 Special section published quarterly by The Press-Dispatch Heather Zengler Pike County Soil and Water Conservation District Newsletter Pike County Planter Planter DISTRICT MEETINGS The Soil and Water Con- ser vation District has set its 2018 monthly board meetings for the first Tuesday of ever y month. These meetings will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the USDA Ser vice Center confer- ence room in Petersburg, Ind. The meetings operate under an open door policy. Meetings are subject to unexpected cancel- lation the day of a scheduled meeting if a quorum cannot be met. For more information or to be added to the SWCD meeting email chain, contact the SWCD office at 812- 354-6120 ex. 3. Beacon Ag Group is a department of Beacon Credit Union. Each account insured up to $250,000 by American Share Insurance. By members' choice, this institution is not federally insured. *Crop and livestock insurance and equipment leasing are offered by Plan One Financial Services, LLC DBA Beacon Ag Service, a wholly owned affiliate of Beacon Credit Union. Positioning your family business for the next year has never been more critical. Let's face it, today's market presents new challenges and relying on the past does not guarantee a sure path forward. That's where the conversation starts. Beacon Ag Group was founded on the promise of sharing expert knowledge with the members we serve. As ag people serving ag people, we know that making the right decision means having more options. We listen to your unique challenges and guide the way toward financial success. Let's talk. It all starts with A conversation. CONTACT BEACON AG GROUP AG LOAN OFFICER BRANDON DECKER OR BEACON AG SERVICES* CROP INSURANCE SPECIALIST KALLIE BURKE-SCHUCKMAN TODAY AT (800) 825-6703 OR BEACONAGGROUP.ORG | What invasive species is blooming in your backyard? In this edition, we will talk about the Caller y Pear (Pr yus caller yana), also known as Bradford Pear, which is the cultivar of the Caller y Pear used widely in landscap- ing. This is a deciduous tree that is commonly used in landscaping due to it white flowers that are some of the first flowers to bloom in the Spring. These flowers will start to bloom at the end of March and the beginning of April. The flowers have 5 pedals and bloom before any of the leaves start to grow. Caller y Pears can reach heights of 50 ft and have a tear drop shape. Its branches can be thorned or non-thorned. The leaves are alter- nate, simple, and have single toothed margins. The leaves also look shiny because they have a waxy texture. During the fall these leaves turn bright red. After 3 years, the Cal- ler y Pear will start to fruit during the late spring and summer. These fruits are small, round, and green to brown in color. Birds and animals spread the seed by eat- ing the fruit. The Caller y Pear also spreads by root sprouts. When it spreads it can cause thick thickets, which can help out- compete native plants for resources in a variety of ecosystems. The Caller y Pear likes full sun exposure but can tolerate partial shade and a variety of soils. Several commercial trees can have sterile varieties that can cross pollinate with other pear trees close by and produce fertile hybrids. Please think twice about what you plant in your yard and plant native! Zengler joins SWCD staff as Invasive Tech The SWCD is pleased to announce the hiring of Heather Zengler as the new Invasive Technician ser ving Gibson, Pike, Posey, Vanderburgh and War- rick Counties. Zengler's position was made possible by a Clean Water Indiana grant submitted by the 5-county partnership. The grant will run from 2018 through 2020 with Zengler working on establishing CISMA's in each county, taking inventor y of inva- sives throughout each county, educational events for the public and more. Keep reading to learn more about Heather and her pas- sion for improving our natural resources, in her own words. Hello! My name is Heather Zengler, I am the new Invasive Species Technician stationed at the Vanderburgh County Soil and Water Conser vation District but will also be working with Warrick, Gibson, Pike, and Posey counties. I grew up in Portage, Indi- ana, a town that is a part of the region in Northwest Indiana. I grew up loving to be outside. My family would go on annual camping trips that would consist of hiking, primitive camping, and canoeing. These hikes would normally involve me and my cousin far out ahead of ever yone tr ying to see where the next bend would take us. The canoe trips would entail laughter that could be heard a mile down the river as canoes were flipped. I grew up loving to explore the outdoors and to this day I still enjoy camping and backpacking. During the summers I was outside a ton; mostly due to my softball addiction. I started play- ing softball at a young age and it just seemed to click. After a year or two I took to pitching like a natural. This is what led me to go to college at the University of Saint Francis to play on the softball team. After many major changes, I settled into a double major in Biology and Environ- mental Science. After my junior year of college, I got an internship at Eagle Marsh in Fort Wayne as a Property Steward. It was hard work but it was rewarding. The work included control of invasive species and trail maintenance. This internship helped me realize that I wanted to go into natural resource management, conser vation, and education. I think it is important for people to learn about the world around them and to help conser ve and restore it. After college, I went to work for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources as a Seasonal Field Steward. The work includ- ed invasive species management through manual and chemical applications. I was also included in the application of pesticide in Ash trees to save them from the Emerald Ash Borer. This posi- tion helped to greatly expand my knowledge. As I move to Vanderburgh County, I am currently being funded by the Clean Water Indiana grant. One of my main tasks while with the SWCD will be starting CISMA (Coopera- tive Invasive Species Manage- ment Areas) in each of the five counties. CISMA's are groups of people that want to raise awareness for invasive species through education and work days. The CISMA will be looking for people who want to learn more about invasive species and do more in the community to raise awareness. In the next few months there will be a call out meeting for the CISMA. Please look for more information on the website and the Facebook page. Dubois County SWCD seeking invasive species specialist This professional grant funded full time position provides technical assistance to landowners implementing invasive species and forestr y programs and practices in Daviess, Dubois and Martin Counties. Duties include: • Create and coordinate CISMAs in the three-county area • Work with landowners to identify and control invasive species on private lands • Conduct public workshops, and develop promotional materials BS in Forestr y preferred, and applicable experience in invasive species and forest management methods required. Must have excellent writing and communication skills, and be proficient with word processing and desktop publishing using standard computer software. Background check required. Complete position description available by request; also available on website: duboisswcd.org. Send resume and three references by April 6 to Dubois County Soil and Water Conser vation District, 1486 Executive Blvd. Suite A, Jasper, IN 47546. Contact the SWCD at 812-482-1171, Ext. 3446 or judi.brown@in.nacdnet.net for a complete position description.