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
(Key Strategies Continued...)
(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.
(Continued on next page)
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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
(Key Strategies Continued...)
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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
(Key Strategies Continued...)
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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
(Key Strategies Continued...)
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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)