Working to Protect our Resources

George Reger                     

Resource Specialist  - Team Leader

Job Duties: surveying, engineering, design and layout projects. I also work with the local districts with conservation projects.

Areas of Interest/Expertise: Working the public and delivering a conservation message to them.

Background:  I was raised on small farm in Boone Co. I was a 10 year member in 4-H, main projects were swine and beef.

On August 29, Jessica Norcross and I show the stream bank erosion table to the 4^th graders from the Montgomery schools. The demonstration show the student that  without protecting our soils with cover crops and reduce tillage the damage can be costly. 

The Montgomery SWCD coordinate this field day and it was held the Cain’s farm.

Our goals at the end of a grass waterway that there will cleaner water. And looking upstream we can see the effect s of soil health taking place. At the end of day we should look back and be thankful for our resources. And hope tomorrow will be as colorful as rainbow.

Think Twice Before You Spray That Ditch

By Don Ryan, Resource Specialist

Don Ryan is a Resource Specialist with the ISDA Division of Soil Conservation in Southwest Indiana, stationed in Daviess County.  Don was raised on a small diverse livestock and crop farm.  He started his conservation career in Daviess County as a district technician and has been with the State for 26 years.

Several years ago, I was asked to look at a ditch with a producer.  This ditch was behind her house and just outside her horse pasture.  When I arrived, it was completely bare.  It had no vegetation, and the erosion was bad.    She had sprayed it earlier because she didn't like the tall grass and weeds growing out her back door.  She stated that it had really gotten out of hand, so she unknowingly traded in weeds and grass for a nasty looking brown and exposed soil ditch by eliminating the vegetation.  

Now, several years later, that ditch is mostly weeds and looks worse now than it did before it was sprayed.  Fortunately, some grass is coming back.

There is a time and a place for everything.  There are times when noxious weeds need to be removed and the most effective way to take care of them is spraying.  If broad leaf weeds are the major concern, maybe a chemical specifically for those weeds could be used.  Another option for weed control in ditches could be a systematic approach of spraying and reseeding, that might take a couple of years, so as to not have complete exposure at once.

An effective way to maintain a ditch is mowing and the good ol' weed eater on those steep banks.  This is not always the most fun way to take care of things, but it is very effective.  Just keep in mind that you don’t want to cut the grass too short.  The best way to protect that ditch from erosion is a good stand of grass with strong roots.

One last thing to keep in mind!  You are using a chemical in an open and flowing water course.  Please follow label directions for best results and safety.

Rain Garden

by: Brenda Gettinger, ISDA –DSC, Resource Specialist

I have been fortunate to have been a Resource Specialist for the state of Indiana for over 17 years and have installed many different types of conservation practices on the land.  But until recently had never assist in installing a Rain Garden, what an adventure which has become very functional and educational.

One of the five SWCD counties I assist is Wayne County in east central Indiana.  They received a Clean Water Indiana grant to install a Rain Garden at the county fairgrounds.  The site location was perfect for this type of practice because it was an area that received the parking lot drainage which after a rain event held the storm water runoff.

Site before Rain Garden

A Purdue student in the CAPSTONE program, Alicia Aldridge, was chosen to do the design work for the rain garden.  After a design plan was chosen, then began the task of ordering over 400 native plants by Wayne Co. SWCD Office Coordinator, Sheryl Brown, and Educational Coordinator, Luanne Holeva.  Technical aspects were left in the hands of the SWCD Technician, Raquel Baker, and me.  Raquel and I had to layout the rain garden to a specific scale going from the paper design to the actual ground.  Most people may not realize that there are four excavated pits in this rain garden area. 

During construction On left;  Ron Brown, contractor, Middle; Raquel Baker, SWCD Technician, Right; Brenda Gettinger, ISDA-DSC-Resource Specialist

The pits were dug to a minimum depth of 4’, in 10’ x 10’ areas.  The pits were filled with bedding stone and soil enriched with sand which acted like giant sponges, absorbing and draining storm water faster than the original landscape did.  Next a riverbed of stone was placed in the center of the rain garden to help with stability and give the garden a more natural appeal. 

Stone and Mulch laid…time to plant native plantings.

The next fun task was planting those 400 native plants in the ground, give them a good drink of water then mulch all in about a 1 ½ days.  Wayne Co. SWCD is thankful to have a willing staff and very dedicated volunteers.  What began as a wet soggy area has turned into a beautiful area that filters storm water, a great educational site and is a very proud addition to the Wayne County fairgrounds.   Staff and volunteers still maintain the garden on a regular basis with weeding and cutting back of plantings.   It was a labor of many loving hands!

Rain Garden completed