Soil and Water District, part 1: Conservation and stewardship of natural resources

MARSHALL COUNTY — Altogether, the state of Indiana has 23 million acres of land; 287.8k of those are in Marshall County and includes about 4.6 nautical miles of rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds, and other waterways. However, dirt and water statistics can’t begin to scratch the surface of the incredible amount of natural resources that are available. The Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is a department in county government that strives to conserve those resources; help those who live, work, and play in the county understand the importance of stewardship practices; and preserve those resources for future generations.

Much of those efforts begin with education. Not only in the schools— although that can be part of it—but also for land owners, farmers, and hobbyists. “We try to do outreach to local farmers, which we refer to as producers, to get them to take on conservation practices,” said Jodie Overmyer, the SWCD district coordinator. Those include planting cover crops as well as no- or low-till field practices. Another method that she promotes is filter strips, where a farmer plants a rain water “filter” of grasses, flowering plants from the forb family, and bean-like root crops from the legume family along a ditch or river to protect the waterway from contaminants. This also helps to improve the ecosystem, reducing the possibility of wind and water erosion.

As important as education is, it must be applied to be beneficial. For producers who need help with that, Overmyer can help them obtain grant funds from the Clean Water Indiana Grant as well as others from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), state agencies, and federal programs, like the Natural Resources Conservation Service. These grants fund office operations, educational endeavors, and large projects that benefit the entire county such as the Bremen kayak launch and stream bank stabilization project that was installed last year or soil-saving and water preservation efforts.

Over the last few years, SWCD has expanded their efforts to include other conservation efforts to address environmental concerns like loss of pollinator habitats. Many people know that the honey bee population has been threatened for many years. But the fact remains that other pollinators— such as butterflies, bumblebees, some wasps and hornets, moths, birds, and bats—have also suffered.

Invasive plants are also a concern. Although Marshall County does not have a problem with some nationally-known issues like kudzu, there are plenty of other non-native plants that have become problematic. Some are known to many property owners, like autumn olive, Japanese honeysuckle, and poison hemlock. But others are less advertised, like winged burning bush, ornamental pear, and Chinese maiden grass, all of which are common in garden centers, but spread quickly. A more complete list of local invasive plants can be found at Marshallcountyswcd.org/invasive-species.

Not only does SWCD have educational programs and

material about these concerns, but they also have programs to come alongside property owners to help fix these presentation problems and rejuvenate the land. It’s a job that Overmyer finds extremely rewarding. “I get the opportunity to be a cheerleader for conservation practices and for the environment in our county,” she said.

For more information about SWCD, visit Marshallcountyswcd.org or Facebook.com/ Marshallcountyswcd, where they provide helpful and interesting information about Marshall County conservation as well as upcoming events. To receive the SWCD’S quarterly newsletter or to ask Overmyer to speak to a class or group, email her at info@ Marshallcountyswcd.org.