Monday, December 29, 2014

Youth Education Day at Limberlost Nature Preserve

          By: Jennifer Thum (ISDA) and Bettie Jacobs (Jay Co. SWCD)

For the past ten years, Jay County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) along with ecologists, historical storytellers, NRCS and the IDNR, have organized and hosted a wetland educational field day at the Limberlost Preserve located in Jay County.  The event is for ALL Jay County 5th grade students.  There are seven elementary schools, and to be exact, that is 256 kids in all.  The field day provides a unique opportunity for state biologists and enforcement officers, ecologists, scientists, and conservationists to come together and share their passion for nature with students who might otherwise not learn about wildlife in their own backyard.    This was my first year as a District Support Specialist for the Indiana State Department of Agriculture and I was able to volunteer at this event; I am so glad that I did.  During the event, I wandered to each of the nine learning stations and saw firsthand the excitement on the kids’ faces as they were having fun and learning about animal pelts, beaver dams, the insects that call the wetland home, and my favorite station, the history of Limberlost as told by Betty Drinkut.  As a parent, I think it’s wonderful that the school district and the local conservation district organize an event that allows the children to step outside the classroom and experience nature through educational presentations, demonstrations, and hands-on activities that teach them about the environment, wildlife, and wetlands.   

When the students arrive, they are accompanied by their teachers and chaperones through a rotation of nine learning stations.  The learning stations are all based upon “Wetland Education”.  The stations are 20 minutes in length and are “manned” by staff of DNR, NRCS, and Friends of the Limberlost volunteers.  Topics that are covered are:
Why Wetlands? – Explains to the students the benefits of a wetland.  This learning station is manned by Al Schott, DNR;
What’s Slithering? – Shares with the students some of the “cold-blooded” residents of the wetlands including “preserved” species and a live snake.  Manned by Curt Burnedette, the Educator at the Limberlost Nature Preserve;
Birds of the Wetlands – How the wetlands benefit our feathered friends.  Manned by Connie Ronald, member/volunteer of the Friends of the Limberlost;
Woodland Hike – Students hike through a section of woods while trees are identified.  Manned by two DNR staff members, Fred Affolder & Lorraine Shier;
Insect Dig – Living larvae and water dwellers are dug up from the wetlands.  Students are then allowed the opportunity to “sift” through harvested wetland bottom and discover/identify life!  Manned by DNR;
Wetland Wildlife – DNR Conservation Officers handle this station.  They bring animal pelts for the students to handle/identify and a Beaver Mount is made available as well.  This past October we were really fortunate to have a large, active beaver dam at this learning station site!  
What do you see? – NRCS Jayson Mas handles this station.  The Jay SWCD obtained local grant funding and 30 pair of binoculars were purchased, allowing each student the opportunity to “search” the wetland area with “eyes”!  For many students, this is the 1st time they’ve ever used binoculars!
Native Plants – Consists of a short hike while native grasses and plants are identified.  We are fortunate to have Ben Hess, the Regional Ecologist of the DNR Division of Nature Preserves, sharing his knowledge with the students at this learning station.
History of the Limberlost – Students learn how this area all came about, how it was originally a wetland, and how several years attempts were made to drain and farm, unsuccessfully…. and how Gene Stratton Porter was involved!  Ken Brunswick, retired DNR, generally handles this learning station and even has an amusing, but true, story of how Limberlost got its name!


Curt Burnedette – Limberlost Nature Center, Educator.  “History of the Wetlands”

“What Do You See?”

“Wetland Wildlife”

“Why Wetlands?”  - Demonstrating Bottom Soil Remover

“Insect Dig”

 

Active Beaver Dam – on site!


Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Local Leadership

By Geneva Tyler
District Support Specialist, Indiana State Department of Agriculture 

“When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.”  These words are credited to Roy E. Disney, nephew of the great Walt Disney, and while I may assume he uttered these words with the Magic Kingdom in mind, this statement continues to carry much truth.  I would also perhaps flip Mr. Disney’s statement around and say that our decisions also reflect our values, whether those decisions pertain to what we have for lunch, what we choose to do in our free time, what line of work we choose or how we care for our environment. 

Whether the only soil you claim is contained in a potted tomato plant on an apartment balcony or you have been blessed with thousands of acres to care for, how we value our natural resources becomes apparent in the decisions we make.  Our land and water are incredible assets here in the Midwest and our local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) provide great opportunities to have a voice in your community, make decisions regarding the natural resource concerns in your county, and influence decision makers, peers, and even the next generation.  Being led by 5 members of your community, the SWCD board members’ decisions reflect the values of the District and the continued mission that was handed them in  1937 by the State of Indiana.  While science and economics continue to influence farming practices and environmental stewardship, the desire to conserve soil, improve water quality and leave the general landscape healthier than when we came into it continue to be key values to Soil and Water Conservation Districts. 

 An empty lot has been transformed into a raised vegetable garden, Marion County.


 With the assistance of the SWCD, raingardens have been installed in many urban areas.

 Lamprey barrier on Trail Creek, LaPorte County. 

 A Benton County corn field after a rain shower.


Photo taken at Tipton County Fairgrounds at a Soil Health Workshop, one of many that are routinely offered around the state. 

Monday, December 22, 2014

Improving Our Watershed in Jefferson County, One Place At A Time

Submitted by: Mike Johnson, ISDA Resource Specialist Team Leader, Laura Fribley, ISDA District Support Specialist Team Leader, and Kayla Hubbard, Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) District Coordinator.  

Mike works from the Clark County office and services several Southeastern counties.  Mike has been with the Division of Soil Conservation for nearly 25 years.  He raises grain, hay and beef cattle on 350 acres in Clark County.  Laura’s based out of Floyd County and works with 16 counties in southern Indiana.  She has worked with the Division since 2006. Kayla works out of the Jefferson County office near the Fairgrounds and is a resident of the county.  She graduated from St. Andrews Presbyterian College and has worked for the SWCD since 2011. These three work together on Clean Water Indiana (CWI) grants, and other initiatives throughout the year.

Each year, county SWCDs have the option of applying for competitive CWI grants.  The CWI fund is administered by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture under the direction of the State Soil Conservation Board.  Jefferson County SWCD, located in southern Indiana along the Ohio River, actively participates in the grant program. 
“CWI grants have really made an impact for Jefferson County producers, because it gives them more incentive to put conservation practices on the ground. Without the grants our district would not have the funds to give the amount of incentive dollars to the nearly as many producers as we have in the last couple of years.” – Steve Riley, Jefferson Co SWCD Supervisor

Photo: Wheat field following no-till soybeans. The producers participating in the grant are required to no-till their row crops, have a soil test and apply a cover crop. Photo by Kayla.

How does this typically work locally?  First, the SWCD and other local conservation agencies determine what natural resource issues need to be addressed.  Then, the SWCD applies for a grant outlining their local needs and ways to address them.  Jefferson Co SWCD and surrounding counties have written great proposals over the years and have secured multiple grants.  Once they get the grant, the SWCD accepts cost-share applications from landowners and awards the funds based on a variety of criteria.  The projects undergo a “quality control” process too, meaning that it’s verified each project is qualified, meets established specs, and is completed.  Mike assists the SWCD a lot in this stage.
With these conservation grants, the SWCD has provided CWI cost share to landowners who implement a variety of soil saving practices including cover crops, forage and biomass planting, and residue and tillage management.  It’s a win-win for each, both from an economic and water quality standpoint. 

Photo: this picture shows a cover crop seeded after soybeans on highly erodible ground in Jefferson County.  The main component is crimson clover.  The producer no-tilled into it in the spring.  Photo by Mike.

From spring 2013 to summer 2014, 28 practices were implemented.  This affects approximately 900 acres.  Load reductions estimate these practices have saved 3,736 tons of sediment from entering local water bodies.  For another perspective, that’s about the same as filling:
  • 10,645 bath tubs
  • 85 Olympic size swimming pools, or
  • 141 backyard 15’ diameter swimming pools 

Wow! That’s amazing. Each of these individual practices really makes a difference and improves the local watershed, one place at a time.

Photo: this is a hay field that was in row crops two years prior.  To receive cost share, producers were required to convert row crops to forage or pasture.  Photo by Kayla.

For more information on CWI grants in your region of the state, visit: http://www.in.gov/isda/2379.htm
For more information on the Jefferson County SWCD, visit their website or FaceBook page: