Pulaski County Soil & Water Conservation District
The 64th Annual Meeting of the Pulaski County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) was held at the Pulaski County VFW on Tuesday March 1st. It was held in conjunction with the Purdue Extension-Pulaski County Advisory Council’s Annual Meeting. Approximately 74 people were in attendance. Steve Cotner was elected Supervisor for a three year term.
This past year, an area of focus for our district has once again been the continued use of cover crops. A cover crop plot was planted in early fall at Brucker Family Farm showcasing 15 different varieties and mixes of cover crops. Jamie Scott discussed the benefits of each variety at our Cover Crop Plot Tour in early October. 21 local producers took advantage of the cover crop cost share program made possible by a second Clean Water Indiana grant valuing $75,000 to be used over the course of 3 years and split between White, Fulton and Pulaski counties.
Our district partnered with the Purdue Extension Pulaski County 4-H Educator, and presented Indiana’s Water Riches to the fifth grade classes at West Central Elementary School and Eastern Pulaski Elementary School. The program teaches students about Indiana’s rich water resources and encourages them to do their part in conserving this precious resource. At the conclusion of the five lesson program, students were encouraged to write an essay to submit to their teacher about Indiana’s water riches. Last year’s three winners from Eastern Pulaski were: 1st place, Miles Smith; 2nd place, Reigan Nies; and 3rd place, Sydney Thompson. The winners from West Central were 1st place Audrey Kroft; 2nd place, Emma Sizemore; and 3rd place was Zion Rodrigues. All winners from both schools read their essays to their fellow 5th grade students.
Throughout 2016, 22 different educational student programs were taught at our local schools, the Pulaski County Public Library, and at Tippecanoe River State Park. We reached 2,844 students with those endeavors. Adults had six different educational opportunities offered in 2016 including water testing, soil health, and cover crops. The Pulaski County Soil & Water Conservation District continues to focus on education as one of its major conservation tools.
Our district’s annual tree sale sold 1,560 trees that are providing wind breaks, shade, and erosion control while beautifying our county. Proceeds from the sales enable the SWCD to fund several educational programs and activities throughout the year.
Last spring and fall, our district worked in conjunction with the Arrow Head Country RC&D Education Committee and assisted with North Central Indiana’s Envirothon competition and River Rafting Expedition. High school students, their teachers, and volunteers paddled down the Tippecanoe River participating in the annual River Rafting Expedition at the Tippecanoe State Park in September. Over 500 students participated in a variety of activities and experiments while learning about watersheds, water quality, Tippecanoe River history, forestry, river otters, and mussels. Students from West Central High School participated in this event offered to northwestern Indiana high schools on five separate days.
September brought the fourth year of the IN Field Advantage by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture to our district. Area growers were asked to submit cornfields for nitrogen stalk sampling. Samples were collected and a follow-up meeting will be held in early February to assess the level of nitrogen unused in the stalk. Growers will learn how to calculate the exact amount of nitrogen for optimum yields. The district hopes to encourage the wise use of nitrogen.
Our office staff attended the annual Indiana District Employee Association annual conference held in Syracuse, IN in October. This conference allows our staff to network with other district employees, gather new information on conservation and attend workshops on a variety of topics including education, management, organization and technology.
The Pulaski County Soil and Water Conservation District continues to emphasize soil and water stewardship throughout the county. We have been assisted by the invaluable partnerships of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Nature Conservancy (TNC), and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).
The mission of the Pulaski County SWCD is to conserve, improve, and sustain the appropriate use
of our natural resources. If you have any questions concerning our office, please contact us at (574)946-3243, Ext. 3.
The current officers and members of the Pulaski County Soil and Water Conservation District
Board of Supervisors are:
Steve Cotner, Chairman
Kevin Podell, Vice Chairman
Barbara Rausch, Secretary
Paul Kline, Member
Larry Grieger, Member
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The Board of Supervisors gratefully appreciates the support of our Affiliate Members, County
Commissioners, and County Council in the Operation of the District.