Our Watersheds:
The Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District continues its fifteen year history undertaking Watershed Planning in East Central Indiana. While a majority of the Watershed planning focus to date has been on the White River (continuing in 2014 with the Jakes Creek and York Prairie Creek Masterplan; West Muncie), Delaware County efforts will expand in 2014 to include the Mississinewa Headwaters. This multi-county collaboration will include representatives from Indiana Counties: Randolph, Jay, Blackford, Delaware and Grant Counties as well as member from Darke County, Ohio.
As both of these initiatives continue, the DCSWCD is more than ever dependent on (a) the support of local landowners sharing their expertise / concerns about their local waterways and (b) receptivity towards implementing water specific best management practices on their properties.
Targeted Approach: Supporting both of these initiatives, the DCSWCD has enhanced its education and outreach efforts by ranking lands in Delaware County according to their degree of suitability for farming or environmental protection. We will continue to tailor outreach campaigns to targeted landowners based on these rankings.
This process will ensure that outreach efforst are efficient and that the right type of partners are being developed in pursuit of our two major objectives: preserve farmland and ensure non-farmable lands are stable and free of invasive species.
Social Indicators: Based on social surveys completed in 2013, a majority of surveyed landowners in Delaware County indicated a preference for conservation easements programs over other types of agricultural and/or environmental initiatives. We will continue to work with NRCS District Conservationist Wes Slain and CREP promotional project manager Nan Hammel, in implementing the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) locally.
Grants: The DCSWCD continues to utilize watershed planning discoveries as the rationale for state and federal grant requests. Grant writing efforts in 2013 brought approximately $200,000 dollars of state and local dollars to Delaware County.
Education and Outreach Opportunities: DCSWCD Watershed project(s) continue to provide education and outreach topics ranging from planning, best management practices implementation, and agricultural and urban trends/concerns.