The purpose of the Soil and Water Conservation District, or SWCD, is to provide information about soil, water and related natural resource conservation; identify and prioritize local soil and water resource concerns; and connect landusers to sources of educational, technical and financial assistance, to implement conservation practices and technologies.
To accomplish these goals, the Putnam County SWCD Board of Supervisors, along with the SWCD staff held the following programs and events in 2012:
The first quarter of the year, the SWCD Supervisors/staff attended the 70th Annual Conference of Soil and Water Conservation Districts held at the Indianapolis. The 65th Annual Meeting of the Putnam County SWCD was held at Putnam County Fairgrounds community building on January 25th with 50 individuals attending. A winter Cropping Systems meeting was sponsored by the Owen and Putnam SWCDs, attended by 32 producers. The SWCD hosted a Timber Series Brown Bag Luncheon at the Public Library. Speakers from the Forestry Industry presented quarterly throughout the year. The SWCD participated at the Ag Day for Kids held in conjunction with the Ag Day Breakfast. The SWCD also held their first fundraising event at Dixie Chopper. The dinner theater and silent auction was enjoyed by over 100 participants.
Spring and summer activities, SWCD presented the “Journey of a Water Droplet” to all-county 4th grade field day at the Putnam County Fairgrounds. Over 450 students participated. The SWCD also held their second annual tree sale. Putnam County SWCD/ NRCS doing county transects to track conservation cropping systems. Owen/Putnam SWCDs hosted a Soil Health Workshop in Gosport, Indiana. Putnam SWCD hosted a well testing program for citizens with private wells. The Big Walnut Watershed Alliance also helped the polluted waters leaving the fairgrounds by installing a rain garden to filter the water. A forestry field day was held at host Alan Royer’s in August with over 50 participants attending.
Fall saw us participating with Purdue Extension on their Natural Resources Day for county 7th graders. Over 500 students and faculty participated in this event.
During 2012, the SWCD reached 1,300 youth and 500 adults with their conservation education programs. Numerous people are given natural resource information through the SWCD news releases in the Banner Graphic and Hoosier Topics newspapers.
In 2012, the SWCD received a Lake and River Enhancement Grant in the amount of $30,000 to address streambank instability, water quality issues, and needed structural measures in the Heritage Lake/Clear Creek watershed. Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) awarded Putnam County SWCD a 30 month EPA Section 319 grant to develop implementation practices along Big Walnut Creek in the amount of $436,500 for areas of concern as determined from our watershed plan. An Ag Liaison was hired to meet with local landowners and farm managers to install conservation practices that would protect the Big Walnut Watershed.
SWCD staff continued work with reviewing erosion control plans for new developments, and working with cities and towns on erosion and sediment control projects.
Putnam Fairgrounds Rain Garden Forestry Field Day
Second Grade Conservation Program