swcd business plan 2008

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All programs and services of the ConservationPartnership and the Soil and Water ConservationDistrict are offered on a nondiscriminatory basis,

without regard to race, color, national origin,religion, sex, age, marital status or handicap.

St. Joseph County

Soil & Water Conservation District

2008 - 2012 Business Plan


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Who We Are

The St. Joseph County Soil and WaterConservation District (SWCD) is a subdivision of

State Government. It is a public body whichexercises public authority. It is governed by five

supervisors, each a resident of St. Joseph County,three elected and two appointed. Its staff memberare considered to be employees of the county. Thedistrict receives its statutory authority from Indiana

District Law (Indiana Code IC 14-32-5-1).

What We Do

The St. Joseph County Soil and WaterConservation District provides the public with

information, education and technical assistance onsoil, water and related natural resource

conservation; identifies and prioritizes local soiland water resource concerns; and connects land

users to sources of education, technical and

financial assistance to implement conservationpractices and technologies, to improve soil andwater quality

(PHOTO: Community Garden)

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SWCD NRCSCONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP

5605 US 31 South, Suite 4

South Bend, IN 46614Phone: 574-291-7444, ext. 3Fax: 574-291-0284

http://stjoseph.iaswcd.org/index.htm

Board of Supervisors - 2008

John Dooms, Chairman

Paul Williams III, Vice-ChairmanDave Craft

Jan IvkovichCarole Riewe

SWCD Staff

Troy MangesCounty Conservationist

Rick GlassmanEnvironmental Education Coordinator

Sara McClaranAdministrative Assistant & Treasurer

NRCS Staff

Deborah KneppDistrict Conservationist

Rafael VegaSoil Conservationist


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How we plan to assess our progress Track compost results Track land owners Tillage transect PRS- Performance Result System Ed program survey

(PHOTO: Congressman Joe Donnelly andSWCDs Chairman, John Dooms)

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Our Mission

To provide guidance and education to the youthand adults of St. Joseph County and to administer

programs to preserve, protect, and improve soil,water, air, plant and animal resources for future

generations.

(PHOTOS: Swamp Stomp)


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Critical Geographic Areas

St. Joseph River WatershedKankakee River Watershed

St. Joseph County, Indiana

St. Joseph River

Watershed

Kankakee River

Watershed

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Enhanced quality of life for St. JosephCounty citizens

High quality drinking water More educated, informed, and proactive

public in natural resource management Wiser use of land and resources

(Key Strategies Continued...)

(PHOTO: Water Sampling at the St. Joseph River)


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St. Joseph County Solid WasteManagement District

St. Joseph County Parks St. Joseph County Engineering

Department St. Joseph County Health Department St. Joseph County Survey/Drainage Board St. Joseph County Commissioners

St. Joseph County Council St. Joseph County 4-H Fair Board Area Plan Commission Michiana Area Council of Governments City of South Bend South Bend Engineering Department City of Mishawaka

Mishawaka Department of Engineering Town of Osceola Town of Roseland Indiana University at South Bend Ivy Tech Community College John Glenn High School FFA Mishawaka High School Waltonian

League

Desired Outcomes Cleaner streams, rivers, and lakes More productive soils Increased woodland resources Improved wildlife habitat


(Continued on next page)

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Our Key Partners andHow They Assist

ISDA, Division of Soil Conservation (ISDA-DSC)The State Soil Conservation Board, through

ISDA-DSC, provides guidance, direction, training,and funding opportunities to the SWCD, including

Clean Water Indiana funding.

Purdue Cooperative Extension

Extension is the educational branch of theConservation Partnership. Through our local

Cooperative Extension Office we have local staffand University expertise available for workshops,

field days, and other conservationeducation activities.

Natural Resources Conservation Service(NRCS)

Our chief source of technical expertise, in theagricultural area, is the USDA-NRCS. We share

office space, communication equipment, and goalsto reduce erosion and sediment on productive

agricultural lands. The NRCS District

Conservationist implements Farm Bill programs inthe county and advises the local SWCD Board asthey seek to address conservation concerns on

agricultural lands in the county.



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St. Joseph County, City of Mishawaka, City ofSouth Bend, Osceola, Roseland

Through the MS4 Stormwater Partnership, theSWCD works with the County and these

municipalities to address stormwater qualityconcerns throughout the county. The SWCD

provides expertise and guidance in developing andimplementing a county-wide

stormwater management plan.

St. Joseph County GovernmentPrimary funding for the staff comes from the

St. Joseph County Commissioners and Council.

(Our Key Partners and How They Assist Continued...)

(PHOTO: Ground Stabilization)

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Education programs Equipment rental Contracted services (e.g. SWMD, MS4)

Partnership CollaborationThe district collaborates with a variety of localand state organizations to achieve our goals.Our valued partners include: IDNR Education Programs (Hoosier

Riverwatch, Project Wet, Project Wild, andProject Learning Tree)

IDNR Division of Forestry IDNR Division of Wildlife Indiana Department of Environmental

Management

ISDA Division of Soil Conservation USDA Farm Service Agency USDA Natural Resource Conservation

Service Army Corp of Engineers Other SWCDs Master Gardeners (MMG)

Pheasants Forever Quail Unlimited Ducks Unlimited National Wild Turkey Federation Wood Land Lakes RC&D Arrowhead Country RC&D Northwest Territory RC&D




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Bi-annual landfill inspections Participation in technical capacities to

various county/city governmentalcommittees.

Customer Service (e.g. Natural resourceinvestigation and evaluation and backyardconservation assistance)

Financial Assistance

The district connects landowners in St.Joseph County to the following sources ofconservation financial assistance: Federal conservation programs (e.g. farm

bill programs and 319 grants) State conservation cost share/incentive

programs (e.g. Lake and RiverEnhancement (LARE) and Clean WaterIndiana)

Supporting partner grant applications

FundingThe district receives financial support from

the following sources: County Commissioners and Council State grants, including Clean Water

Indiana grants IDEM 319 grants Affiliate Memberships Annual Tree Sale



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Critical Natural Resource Issues

1) Degraded surface water quality instreams, rivers, ponds, and lakes.

Contributing factors fromAgricultural land include: Sediment E. coli (livestock and wildlife waste) Nutrients and pesticides

Contributing factors from Non-Agricultural

land include: Sediment E. coli (septic, pet, and wildlife waste) Nutrients and pesticides Pollutants from hard surfaces (e.g. oil,

grease, litter, etc.) Storm water runoff

2) Degraded soil quality including loss ofsoil structure, loss of organic matter, andincreased compaction.

Contributing factors fromAgricultural land include:

Soil erosion Excessive Tillage Lack of crop rotation and cover

crops



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Contributing factors fromNon-Agricultural land include:

Soil erosion Excessive grading Failure to preserve existing

vegetation on construction sites(including trees)

3) Land use fragmentation resulting in the

following: Loss of prime farmland Loss of productive forest lands Loss of wildlife habitat Spread of noxious and invasive

species Excessive costs to provide

infrastructure and services

4) Sustainability of Natural Resources Need for composting Need for recycling Reduce consumption

(Critical Natural Resource Issues Continued...)

(PHOTO: Compost Seminar)

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MarketingThe district promotes conservation to the

public using the following strategies: Radio and TV interviews News Releases Contests Contacting the community with

conservation opportunities Customer Service (linking landowners to

conservation programs) Providing soils information and seeding

recommendations according to climateand soils

Supervisors and staff serving on variouscommunity boards and committees

Board member recruitment Tree sales Promotional giveaways (e.g. pens,

magnets, flyers, etc)

Technical AssistanceThe district provides technical assistance to

county government and landowners in thefollowing ways: One on one conservation planning and

application assistance Ag conservation BMPs survey and design

to meet NRCS specifications On-site consultations




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Key Strategies

InformationThe district provides conservation information

to the public with the following items: Quarterly Newsletter (Conservation

Kaleidoscope) Monthly newspaper article for urban

conservation practices Website (www.stjoseph.iaswcd.org) Customer Service (e.g. phone calls and

walk-in requests for information) Brochures and other publications Annual Meeting

EducationThe district educates the public through thefollowing events and activities: Workshops (e.g. Hoosier Riverwatch and

construction site erosion controlworkshops)

Field Days (e.g. forestry field day) Presentations (e.g. classroom, public

seminar, civic and conservationorganizations, one on one)

Demonstration Sites (e.g. MS4, outdoorlabs)

Customer Service (e.g. soil survey,planning specifications, and tree plantinginformation)

Special events (e.g. Science Alive, 4-H

Fair, Ag Days) (Continued on next page)

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Our Five Year Goals (By 2012)

Agricultural Land 5% increase in conservation tillage 200 additional acres of organic farming 100 additional acres of buffers (i.e. filter

strips, waterways) 8,000 additional acres of cropland utilizing

nutrient and pest management plans 500 additional acres of cropland utilizing

manure management plans 10 additional rotational grazing plans 100 additional resource management

plans (addressing compaction, erosion,and loss of permanent vegetative cover)

250 additional acres of cover crops

250 additional acres of row crop convertedto hay land production 75 additional acres of tree planting 25 additional woodland management

plans 100 additional acres of wildlife habitat

plantings 25 additional wildlife habitat plans 200 additional acres of wetland restoration

Developing Land 100% of Stormwater Pollution Prevention

Plans (SWPPPs) received will bereviewed



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Every active construction site inspectedonce a year

100% of erosion control complaints onconstruction sites will be investigated

75% of sites will submit a notice oftermination

80% of construction sites will actually usetemporary stabilization.

80% of sites actually following the SWPPP Five sites will be developed demonstrating

urban best management practices(BMPs).

Other Land Users 5 existing commercially developed

properties will implement conservationpractices (e.g. permeable pavement,bioswales, and wetland retention)

50 owners of small tracts of land (e.g.homeowners) will implement conservationpractices (e.g. rain gardens, treeplanting, composting, mulching, and

wildlife habitat improvement) Cooperate with all city and county

government agencies to incorporateconservation practices and technologiesinto all land use activities. (e.g. assist citytree boards as they work to improve urbanforest cover; assist county health

(Our Five Year Goals (By 2012) Continued...)


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department as they promote proper septicsystem maintenance, reduce

contamination from failing septic systems,and identify areas of surface and groundwater concerns; and assist the countysurveyors office in improving drainagewhile protecting water quality)

Other Educate at least 200,000 youth and 4,000

adults on the importance of soil and water

(Our Five Year Goals (By 2012) Continued...)

(PHOTO: Science Alive)

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