Effingham County IL Soil and Water Conservation District

05/22/2026

Congratulations CJ Apke, our 2026 scholarship recipient!

CJ graduated from Teutopolis High School on Sunday. We wish her all the best as she pursues her goals at Purdue University.

The Effingham County Soil & Water Conservation District takes pride in supporting Effingham County students like CJ who demonstrate leadership and a commitment to making a positive difference in our community.

05/13/2026

Congratulations to Gracie Wright, the 2026 scholarship recipient of the Effingham County Soil & Water Conservation District!

Gracie graduated from Beecher City High School on Saturday. We wish her all the best as she begins this exciting new chapter and pursues her future goals. We are so proud to support outstanding students like Gracie who demonstrate dedication, hard work, and a commitment to making a difference.

Congratulations, Gracie, and best wishes for continued success!

05/07/2026

In honor of Arbor Day, the Effingham County Soil & Water Conservation District delivered 526 white pine seedlings to every 3rd grade class across Effingham County. We hope these little trees are planted, nurtured and enjoyed for decades to come. 🌲

04/28/2026

04/28/2026

Poster Contest Winners

The Effingham County Soil & Water Conservation District would like to thank all the participating 5th grade students for their hard work designing conservation posters for this year's contest! The theme was "Soil, Where It All Begins". The poster contest is sponsored by the Association of Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Districts and the Effingham County Soil & Water Conservation District.

First round winners of the 2026 Poster Contest are: First place; Rowan Koester, she attends Teutopolis Grade School and received a $30 gift card. Second Place; Quinn Brummer, she attends Dieterich Grade School and received a $25 gift card. Third Place: Madelynn Yockey, she attends St. Anthony Grade School and received a $20 gift card. 4th Place: Michael Brummer, he attends Sacred Heart Grade School and received a $15 gift card. 5th Place: Charles Debenham, he attends Teutopolis Grade School, and he received a $10 gift card.

There were 271 posters entered, all participants of the poster contest received a certificate of participation, and their class was given a bag of candy, compliments of the Effingham County Soil & Water Conservation District.

The first-place poster went on to the state level competition. If selected, it will advance to the National NACD Poster Competition where, if selected, will compete for a cash prize.

04/19/2026

Envirothon 2026

04/18/2026

A huge thank you to the Beecher City FFA for bagging 526 white pine seedlings for all the 3rd graders in Effingham County! Your time, hard work, and willingness to give back are truly appreciated.

Because of you, these students get the chance to learn, grow, and make a lasting impact on their environment. What would we do without you?!🌲

04/17/2026

AREA COUNTY SCHOOLS PARTICIPATE IN LAND USE COUNCIL 10 ENVIROTHON COMPETITION

Cumberland, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper and Shelby County High Schools participated in the Council 10 Envirothon competition Thursday April 9th at the Ballard Nature Center near Altamont.

Stew-Stras High School science team #1 placed 1st overall in the contest for Council 10. St. Elmo High School FFA placed 1st for the FFA teams and 2nd overall. Stew-Stras science team #2 placed 3rd. Awards were also given for the highest test scores in each element category. Stew-Stras Science #1 won the Aquatics category, Shelbyville FFA won the Forestry category. The Cumberland FFA team won the wildlife category. St. Elmo science team won Soils along with the 5th element category. This year's fifth element topic was Non-Point Source Pollution: It Begins at Home. This category changes each year.

Effingham County schools that participated in the Envirothon included, Altamont High School, Effingham High School and Beecher City High School.

The Beecher City Science team took first place for Effingham County. Members of the team are Isaac Miller, Grace Wright, Isabella Davis, Gage Hart and Porter Lilly. The team advisor is Vanessa Doedtman.

Each team member received an Envirothon t-shirt. The shirts are provided by their respective county Soil & Water Conservation Districts.

The Envirothon is a national contest that starts with a regional or local county meet. The winner of that even then competes at the state competition, which is held at the Allerton, 4-H Memorial Park in Monticello, IL, April 29th & 30th, 2026.

Five member teams are tested on five subjects pertaining to natural resource conservation. This year topics were:
Aquatics, presented by Andrew Walker, Resource Conservationist, Shelby County Soil & Water.
Forestry, presented by Mary Grapperhause
Soils, presented by Chad Glick, Resource Conservationist, Fayette County Soil & Water.
Wildlife, presented by Tyler Kimes, Wildlife Biologist, Pheasants Forever.
5th Element, presented by Brad Tarr, Resource Conservationist, Jasper County Soil & Water.

We would like to thank the Ballard Nature Center, Joe's Pizza, Altamont, all the participating schools, their teachers and sponsors and all the volunteers for making this year's Envirothon a great success.

04/16/2026

Congratulations to our Resource Conservationist, Denise Willenborg, on 35 years of service with the Effingham County Soil & Water Conservation District! Your commitment to conserving natural resources and supporting the community is truly admirable. Thank you for the lasting impact you've made - wishing you continued success and fulfillment in the years ahead.

01/09/2026

It's time again for our annual Tree Sale!

Order forms are available at the Effingham USDA office or call us at 217-347-7107 x3 to have a form sent to you. (There's also one in the comments)

The deadline to order is April 3, 2026, with pick in mid-April. Payment is due with your order.