Vigo County Soil and Water Conservation District

06/08/2026

June Board Meeting Notice

Vigo County Soil and Water Conservation District

Date: June 11, 2026. 6:00 p.m.
Location: Vigo County SWCD Office
64 Gilbert Avenue. Terre Haute, IN 47807. 812-231-1470
[email protected]

Type of Meeting: Regular Monthly Board Meeting
Meeting Facilitator: Phil Carter
Call to order
Roll Call
Minutes and Finances
Administrative Assistant- Laura Tohill
Approval of Treasurers report/ Meeting Minutes
Comments from Visitors and Guests:
Open Issues, For the Good of the Cause:
New Business
Old Business
Directors Report District Director – Brendan Kearns
Partner Updates:
Indiana State Department of Agriculture
Conservation Groups
Adjournment
2026 Meeting Dates
January 14th July 9th
February 11th August 13th
March 12th September 10th
April 9th. October 15th
May 14th November 12
June 11th December 10th

Staff: Brendan Kearns-Executive Director
Rhonda Coombs-Urban Conservationist
Laura Tohill-Administrator

Board of Supervisors: Term Expiration Elected or Appointed
Phil Carter-Chairman 1/1/2028 Appointed
DJ Snow-Vice Chairman 1/1/2028 Elected
Ethan Wyrick-Treasurer 1/1/2028 Elected
Sam Lane-Secretary 1/1/2027 Appointed
Clint Wiley-Member 1/1/2027 Elected

06/08/2026

Your Vigo SWCD team recently participated in a Hoosier Riverwatch training program.

This provides us with skills to perform basic tests and surveys of our creeks while providing information to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
Our focus continues to be Otter Creek.

We have a fresh sampling kit, that is available to anyone who has participated in the training program. Just contact us at 812-231-1470 or [email protected].

About the program:
Hoosier Riverwatch is a program of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Office of Water Quality, Watershed Assessment and Planning Branch. The program began in 1996 to increase public awareness of water quality issues and concerns by training volunteers to monitor stream water quality.

The mission of Hoosier Riverwatch is:
To involve the citizens of Indiana in becoming active stewards of Indiana's water resources through watershed education, water monitoring, and clean-up activities. Hoosier Riverwatch is a State-sponsored water quality monitoring initiative.

We accomplish this mission through the following goals:

Educate citizens on watersheds and the relationship between land use and water quality.
Train citizens on the basic principles of water quality monitoring.
Promote opportunities for involvement in water quality issues.
Provide water quality information to individuals or groups working to protect water resources.
Support volunteer efforts by providing technical assistance, monitoring equipment, networking opportunities and educational materials.

Photo: B. Kearns

06/04/2026

INDOT has contracted to remove snags (log jams) on the US150 westbound bridge. The contractor is removing a sandbar that was adjoining the pier on the east side of the bridge.

We shot this short video to give you an idea of how this works. The barge is not powered. It is moved by the excavator. The sand is placed in the steel bucket and the sand is then removed by an excavator on the West Bank. The sand is then hauled off by tria axle trucks. The logs will be hauled off too.

The video was taken today, June 4th around 9:00 a.m. The Wabash River level at that location was 6'5". The sandbar was visible when the level was below 4'.

05/26/2026

Honey Creek Water Quality Study.

Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has started a study of the Honey Creek watershed. This will provide good information that will be used for pollution reduction measures and conservation practices.

Information from IDEM’s webpage for the project. A link will be in the comments.

Location
The Honey Creek watershed covers approximately 93 square miles across Clay County and Vigo County. Within the watershed, there are four subwatersheds that will be included in the TMDL report: Thompson Ditch, Stone Quarry Branch, Paint Mill Lake, and Headwaters. The Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) for the Honey Creek watershed is 0512011107.

History
Past surveys of the Honey Creek watershed have been conducted as early as 1990, and included lake studies, monitoring for fish communities, fish tissue, macroinvertebrate communities, Escherichia coli (E. coli), and/or water chemistry through several IDEM monitoring programs. Impairments currently identified in the watershed include E. coli, PCBs in Fish Tissue, and impaired biotic communities (IBC). However, PCBs in Fish Tissue will not be addressed by this TMDL. Potential pollution sources contributing to these impairments include nonpoint sources from agricultural lands and pastures, rural run-off, wildlife, as well as point sources from straight pipe discharges and home sewage treatment systems. Data and information gathered for the TMDL analysis will help to further identify the most likely potential pollutant sources in the Honey Creek watershed.

Parameters To Be Addressed
Conducive to determining the current water conditions and extent of impairments in the Honey Creek watershed, a watershed characterization study will be enacted beginning November 2025 and end October 2026. A total of 18 sites will be assessed for general chemistry, nutrient parameters, E. coli, and fish and macroinvertebrate communities. A comprehensive list of all parameters will be referenced in the approved work plan.

Photo: Honey Creek after a heavy rain-BKearns.
Graphic: IDEM

05/21/2026

05/20/2026

This could be a good event for livestock producers.

05/18/2026

Indiana Department of Environmental Management performed fish surveys during the Expeience Otter Creek event at Makle Mill Park on Saturday May, 16, 2026.

It is very clear that Otter Creek has become much healthier since the low head dam was removed.

Here is a list of the species that were identified.
Saturday 5/16/2026 (24 Species) for the 2026 Experience Otter Creek event:

Shortnose Gar

Spotted Bass

Smallmouth Bass

Longear Sunfish

Rock Bass

Bluegill

White Sucker

Northern Hog Sucker

Golden Redhorse

Shorthead Redhorse

Stonecat

Brindled Madtom

Greenside Darter

Rainbow Darter

Fantail Darter

Dusky Darter

Blackstripe Topminnow

Brook Silverside

Bluntnose Minnow

Striped Shiner

Silverjaw Minnow

Spotfin Shiner

Steelcolor Shiner

Sand Shiner



The sampling reach started at the Rosedale Road bridge and ended at the upstream end of the park at the railroad tracks bridge.

05/14/2026

Join us this Saturday at Markle Mill Park.

We will have rain barrels on display and invasive species tools from our new lending library.

05/11/2026

Lets go for a walk in the woods!

Join your VCSWCD team for a nice walk in the woods this Friday, May 15, 2026 from noon until around 1:00 p.m.

We will walk the easy trails of the Ouabache Land Conservancy Bushnell's North Star Woods at 4500 N Hunt Street in northern Vigo County.

This is a simple gathering, to share some info about the property and casually discuss conservation.

No need for special hiking gear, but we do recommend using your favorite bug spray.
For more information , call 812-231-1470 or email [email protected]

05/07/2026

Trees!
We have picked up our trees from the state nursery, and will be passing them out during the Wabash Valley Herb Society, Herb Faire, Wabash Valley Fairgrounds on May 9th, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

We will have, in limited quantities, Persimmon, Tulip Tree, Black Cherry, Black Walnut and White Oak.

The trees are first come-first served and at no cost to Vigo County residents.
Call 812-231-1470 for more information.