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.

2013 Sullivan County Wabash River Raft Trip

October 1, 2013 marked the 13^th Annual Wabash River Raft Trip organized by the Sullivan County Soil & Water Conservation District. Eighth grade student from around the area enjoy a day on the Wabash River learning about natural resources. 

Numerous volunteers are needed to assist with getting the students safely down the river in the rafts, making sure the lunch time break and learning stations flow smoothly. 

Students learn about river history, timber along the river, water quality, soils and how they all effect waters that are essential to life. DNR Officers are on hand to questions about fishing. There was a station about how to apply for a permit to do construction in a flood plain and students were urged to construct something to see how water flow would affect it.

 The eight mile trip had student looking for different resource along the way and using GPS to mark set points along the way. The last 4 miles of the 8 mile journey was a dash to the finish, all survived!

Working in Watersheds

Hi I’m Sue a Resource Specialist with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Division of Soil Conservation. I have worked for the Division of Soil Conservation for 14 years serving the NW Central part of Indiana. I graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Resources & Environmental Science, specializing in Aquatic Sciences.

With Soil & Water Conservation being the objective, my position is charged with providing technical and educational services to the local Soil & Water Conservation Districts, other units of government, and landusers.  One day I might find myself surveying for a best management practice on a farm and the next, teaching a group of students how to assess the health of their local waterbody. Conservation work all starts with knowing your watershed and the health of your local streams.

What is a watershed?

A watershed is the total area of land that drains into a particular waterbody (wetland, stream, river, lake, or sea).

Land uses and runoff in a watershed determine the quality of surface water in smaller streams and waterways. They can then influence the water quality of larger streams. For example, point source discharges, urban runoff, runoff from landfills and runoff from agricultural areas may contain sediments, organic material, nutrients, toxic substances, bacteria or other contaminants. When these contaminants or pollutants are present in significant concentrations, they may interfere with some stream uses. So it’s important that watersheds be evaluated and assessed.

A tool used to evaluate watersheds:

ArcMap is the software I use to delineate or define watershed boundaries and evaluate other parameters for my projects.  This software allows multiple layers of information, such as, topographic data, soils types, landuse data, and hydrology data to be merged together so the watershed could be assessed.

This software also helps me to analyze various attributes of a watershed so that I can provide more specific recommendations to my clients for implementation of various conservation practices. Practices such as conservation tillage, grassed waterways, rain gardens, rain barrels, 2-stage ditches, water & sediment control basins, vegetative filter strips all help to keep our waterbodies clean.

Biological assessment of your local waterbody or stream?

Simple observations of benthic macroinvertebrate presences can also be used to analyze the ecological health of bodies of water. Benthic macroinvertebrates are animals that are big enough (macro) to be seen with the naked eye. They lack backbones (invertebrate) and live at least part of their lives in or on the bottom (benthos) of a body of water.

Benthic macroinvertebrates include aquatic insects (such as mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies, midges, beetles), snails, worms, freshwater clams, mussels, and crayfish. Some species are more tolerant of pollution, while others cannot live where there is pollution.

It is easy for citizens to become involved in ecological monitoring or participate in a stream clean-up of local water bodies.

If you’re interested in such activities contact your local Soil & Water Conservation District or Hoosier Riverwatch at http://www.in.gov/idem/riverwatch/2338.htm

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

Fall Creek Watershed Partnership Activities and Updates

Post below was submitted by Leslie White of the Fall Creek Watershed Partnership. To have your Indiana conservation district/group news featured, please contact Jennifer at cleanwaterindiana@isda.in.gov. 

Fall Creek Watershed Partnership
Backyard Conservation Program
Planting Conservation Ideas and Practices in 2013

Backyard Conservation Coordinator Leslie White

Hi, I’m Leslie White, Fall Creek Watershed Partnership Backyard Conservation Coordinator working through the Soil & Water Conservation Districts of Hamilton, Hancock, Madison and Marion Counties. It’s my pleasure to share conservation information, address questions, offer suggestions and tailored conservation plans to help you reach your goals for your property. Feel free to email me at leslie-white@iaswcd.org or call 317-773-2181 to discuss conservation options and the financial assistance offered through several cost-share programs.

I Heart Soil

SSSA

I really do love soil and the folks that I work with in agriculture and conservation do too.  We love it because we have the opportunity to see everyday what a precious resource that it is.    We get to see the passion for conservation, productive lands, clean waters, wildlife, the Aldo Leopold "Land Ethic" in full swing!  In fact, everyone experiences the impact that soil has on our lives everyday through the food we eat, water we drink, home where we live, etc.  It is an awesome thing!

Another awesome thing.......the Soil Science Society of America has made these really cool, simple videos about the importance of healthy soil and the connection to clean water and food.  You can learn more at iheartsoil.org  .
Check out these cool videos by clicking the links below....I Heart Soil


Healthy Soil = Healthy Water
Healthy Soil = Healthy Food


Yet another awesome thing.......Our 2011 Indiana Tillage Transect results tell us that approximately 180,000 acres of Hoosier farmland is planted  to Cover Crops this year.  So, we have several farmers out there around Indiana working to build their soil quality, trying to hang on to their precious nutrients and topsoil, and keeping that beneficial soil biological activity humming all year long.  Good chance that if paired with no-till, they could be rewarded in any or all of the following....yield gains, better drought tolerance, minimized ponding, fuel savings, and on and on and on.