The mission of the Tippecanoe Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is to provide quality technical, educational, and informational resources for the community through leadership, service, and citizen involvement to foster natural resource conservation and environmental stewardship.  The SWCD is proud to report accomplishments for the second year of our 2010-2014 Strategic Plan which was created to guide us in instilling the importance of natural resources into our community’s mind and to install comprehensive & innovative conservation practices. 

During 2011, the Tippecanoe SWCD:   

  • Installed 1,456 acres of cover crops
  • Installed 21.5 acres of buffers
  • Installed 137 acres of upland and wetland wildlife habitat
  • Installed a cover crop demonstration area utilizing nine different species and two different planting methods
  • Installed best management practices within the Wildcat Creek watershed in cooperation with five other GWRRCD counties through the Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI)
  • Performed an annual tillage transect
  • Continued our Mid-Contract Management research plot
  • Co-Sponsored three Forest Management/Forest Biology field days
  • Hosted a no-till/cover crop breakfast partnering with the GWRRCD
  • Partnered with various entities to identify water courses where pesticide and nutrient levels are high
  • Hosted two Cooperative Weed Management Area’s (CWMA’s) Invasive Species Workdays 
  • Created a comprehensive map of conservation practices using ArcGIS
  • Conducted site visits with landowners promoting conservation systems on an ongoing basis
  • Educated  800 landowners through workshops, group/civic presentations, and the 4-H Fair 
  • Distributed 1400 tree saplings and tree planting information at Ag Days event
  • Conducted rain garden and rain barrel workshops for homeowners and businesses
  • Sold rain barrels to encourage water conservation
  • Hosted Master Naturalist classes for the Greater Wabash River RC&D 
  • Promoted and sold native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses and sedges to encourage water absorption in the natural landscape.  

As you can see, education continues to be a high priority and we believe that it is one of the most effective ways to guarantee the wise use of our natural resources for the future. Each year, our District holds numerous education events for both adults and youth in our community. For adults, there are field days promoting practices such as cover crops, conservation tillage, equipment modifications, nutrient management, forestry and many others.  Additionally, we promote cost-share opportunities that are available. For children, we participate, host or are involved in Ag Days, 4-H Soil and Water Projects, Cole Pond Day’s Amazing Race, and Make-A-Splash water education events, to name a few.  

It is our role is to consider all resources, i.e., soil, water, air, plants, animals, and humans and to promote good resource management.  This, plus providing detailed information about Tippecanoe County’s streams, wetlands, soils, and topography continue to be of utmost importance to encourage wise management and development of our sustainable communities, both natural and manmade.