The Huntington County Soil and Water Conservation District has been working with landowners in two of the three watershed areas in Huntington County. The District works with landowners throughout the county, whether it be on agriculture land or in the urban setting, encouraging them to implement conservation practices on their property that will protect and preserve our natural resources.
Since 2012, the Huntington County SWCD has partnered with Whitley, Allen and Wells counties on a Clean Water Indiana grant that provided cost share for equipment modifications for conservation tillage systems, fencing, rotational grazing, critical area seeding and cover crops. In September 2014, the partnering agencies hosted a “Cover Crop” field day that highlighted the benefits of using cover crops in a farming rotation, the use of Gypsum to enhance soil quality and the options for seeding cover crops. During the term of the grant, landowners in Huntington County received over $11,700 in cost share for seeding cover crops and $3,000 for modifying equipment to convert to a conservation tillage system.
During 2014, the Huntington County Soil and Water Conservation District, Tim Kroeker, Watershed Coordinator, and partnering agencies have been acquiring information and data for the development of a Watershed Management Plan (WMP) for the Lower Salamonie River Watershed (LSRW) area. Information from water sampling events, the windshield survey and other pertinent data were used to complete the WMP and to determine the critical areas throughout the watershed. After approval of the WMP by Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), the LSRW steering committee will develop a cost share program to provide funding to landowners for implementing various conservation practices in the watershed. The watershed group will continue to conduct water sampling events and work with landowners on Best Management Practices (BMPs) that will improve their soil, crop production and protect our rivers and streams.
A new event, “Splash on the Wabash” Riverfest, was hosted this past year in which SWCD staff worked with a local community group to promote the use and protection of our rivers and streams. During the morning of the event, citizens from the area enjoyed a fun tube float down the Wabash River from the Huntington (Roush Lake Dam) to the Historic Forks of the Wabash just west of Huntington. In the afternoon and evening, families were able to visit several booths that provided information about types of fish in our rivers, how our Dams work to protect from flooding, why we water sample and what kind of bugs live in the water and how to be safe around and in the water. These are just a few of the fun things people were able to enjoy during the event. In 2015, the event will be taking place at the Historic Forks of the Wabash on July 11th with many added activities for families to enjoy. For more about this event go to www.splashonthewabash.com.
Information about activities and events will be provided through public meetings, newsletters, and news releases. Information about the progress of our 319 Watershed Management Grant and upcoming events, will also be included on the Huntington County SWCD website at www.huntingtonswcd.org and the Lower Salamonie Watershed website at https://salamonieriver.wix.com/lsrw.