The Pike County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) put our game face on and brought a new round of conservation efforts to the county in the past year.
The District succeeded in several goals but our biggest achievement would be recognition for the need for a full time administrator in the office. Supervisors along with the now full time District Administrator had worked for over two years to accomplish this goal. Several meetings were held and reports generated (including a leveraging sheet showing the District brought in over $70 for every dollar the county invested in the SWCD!) before County Commissioners and the County Council voted to make the position a full time job. This successful goal was the first time in Pike County SWCD history that we have held a full time staff position.
The SWCD offered a Winter Cover Crop program for the first time through a 2010 grant. The program offered Tillage Radishes as the cover crop. Interest in our Winter Cover Crop program is progressively growing for this year's sign up.
The Pike County Planter is another new edition to our ever growing list of activities. The
Planter, the District's bi-monthly newsletter, was first published through a Clean Water
Indiana (CWI) grant in the beginning of 2010. Since then the newsletter is mailed out to over 850 residents in Pike and surrounding counties. Several people have mentioned that they have read the article in the newsletter after coming in to the office to inquire about a program.
Another soon-to-be huge achievement of the SWCD is our rapidly selling rain barrel cost share drive. This cost share was made possible by a CWI grant and allows the District to assist the county as a whole in conserving our natural resources. Response to this drive has been huge.
Another grand achievement of the SWCD would be a CWI watershed grant awarded to the partnership of Pike, Daviess and Knox County SWCDs. This grant will allow the SWCDs to hire a part time technician who will spend equal amounts of time with each District promoting conservation programs and working to implement those programs out in the fields.
We have also been involved with the Area Corn and Soybean Day and the Southern Indiana Grazing Conference, as well as the upcoming Soil Quality Workshop and a Surface Mining Reclamation Field Day.
District activities would not be possible without the grants, partnerships and dedication of our Supervisors and staff to conserving our natural resources. The SWCD is making it our mission to provide leadership and assistance in the proper use and management of soil, water and related natural resources throughout our county.