02/18/2021
ORANGE COUNTY SWCD 2020 ANNUAL REPORT
Despite the vast changes that the year 2020 brought to Orange County, the Orange County Soil and Water District (SWCD) continued successfully in its mission to promote good stewardship of our natural resources in Orange County! Located in the USDA Service Center at 511 SE Main Street in Paoli, Orange County SWCD partners with many federal, state and local organizations to accomplish this task.
The SWCD applies for and receives many grants on an annual basis. Some of the grant funds are extended to county landowners as cost share payments for the installation of conservation practices, while other portions of the funds are used for additional staffing needs.
LOST RIVER WATERSHED
The SWCD is actively involved in improving the water quality of the Lost River and its associated watersheds. A total of four grants from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management have been secured over the past ten years. These grants were used to develop a Watershed Management Plan and provide financial assistance for conservation practices that will help improve water quality.
The cost share program was developed in early 2014 and has continued since then as funding is available. Practices include things like cover crops, nutrient management, tree plantings, timber stand improvement, fencing out livestock from streams, pasture renovations and hayland plantings, rain barrels and many more practices.
The SWCD recently began a fourth grant for this project and in March 2020, the SWCD began allocating the $190,000 of cost share funds provided through this grant. Each grant covers a three-year period. During this time, the Lost River Watershed Coordinator and SWCD District Coordinator, in partnership with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Indiana State Department of Agriculture and Purdue Extension, work with landowners to identify resource concerns on their farms that affect water quality.
Once identified, the partnership will provide the producer with conservation plans, and technical assistance to complete the project. This may include, but not limited to, seeding recommendations for cover crops and pasture plantings, designs to build fence that will exclude livestock from creeks and streams, or designs for waterways and filter strips that will filter and channel surface water to suitable outlets, and more.
When the producer has completed the project to meet specifications, they can receive up to 75% of their actual cost of installation from the grant funds. This assistance helps producers install sound conservation practices that they might not be able to manage on their own. Currently, the SWCD has allocated $166,000 of the funds during this first year of the three-year grant period.
Looking forward, we will continue to work with landowners and operators in the Lost River Watershed to allocate all remaining funds, seek out and apply for new funding opportunities, and provide conservation educational events for landowners and operators in the Lost River Watershed.
CLEAN WATER INDIANA
The Clean Water Indiana (CWI) Program was established to provide financial assistance to landowners and conservation groups. The financial assistance supports implementation of conservation practices which will reduce nonpoint sources of water pollution through education, technical assistance, training, and cost share programs. The SWCD completed allocating most of the current $20,000 of CWI cost-share funds in 2020. The funds were used to help Orange County producers install heavy use area feeding pads, access roads, water facilities and cover crops.
LARE
The SWCD provided cost-share to local farmers to install conservation practices during 2020 through two separate Lake & River Enhancement (LARE) grants. LARE grants, which are administered through the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), provide cost-share payments to land users to apply or construct practices on their land that reduce the amount of sediment and nutrients entering a lake or river.
In 2020, Orange County SWCD completed their Patoka Lake-Patoka River grant, providing nearly $30,000 funding to Orange County producers in the Patoka Watershed. This was used to plant cover crops, install heavy use area protection, provide alternative water facilities, plant pollinator plots and more.
The SWCD also allocated LARE funds within the Lost River Watershed in 2020. Final allocations were made from the LARE Lost River Watershed grant for a total of $50,000 over the past three years. Orange County landowners in the Lost River Watershed were allocated funds to convert cropland to permanent hay, plant cover crops, and to install heavy use area protection and grassed waterways. Construction of these allocated projects is expected to be completed in 2021.
If you are interested in getting conservation practices on your land, we would love to assist you with your conservation needs. Our office is located in the USDA Service Center in Paoli. USDA is currently restricting public access due to the COVID pandemic; however, you can give us a call at 812-203-3033 to schedule an appointment. We will be glad to talk with you on the phone or meet you in our parking lot to discuss your conservation needs.
Education and outreach are also a big part of what the SWCD does. Unfortunately, due to the COVID pandemic, nearly all of our in-person events were canceled in 2020. With the vaccine now being distributed, we are hopeful that we can resume in-person events later this year. A new grower’s workshop is being planned for March and we hope to have other events planned soon.
If you would like to stay up to date about our upcoming events and current programs, be sure to like our page. You can simply search for “Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District” on your Facebook app to find the page or on your computer you can go to https://www.facebook.com/ocswcd. You can also sign up for our email newsletters. Just send an email to [email protected] and we will get you added to the list. Newsletters generally come out four times each year.
