Highlights of the last year
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- December 10, 2022
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As we wind down through the last days of 2022, we would like to highlight some of our accomplishments as your Soil and Water Conservation District this year.
Our district has experienced both change and growth this year. We brought on two new supervisors to our board of supervisors, as well as a new district resource specialist to serve as the floodplain manager for Tuscarawas County.
As we are moving beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to take advantage of more opportunities for workshops and public events. We also have worked to build and sustain new partnerships in the community.
One of the ways we work closely with landowners in our county is to assist them in pursuing the Environmental Quality Incentives Program through the Natural Resources Conservation Program. This is a federal grant that helps farmers, ranchers and those with forests improve soil health, prevent erosion and improve forest habitats.
This year we were able to bring in over half a million dollars to our county from this grant. If this sounds like a program you would like to learn more about, please reach out to the Soil and Water Conservation District as they can provide more information.
Another way we assist landowners is through our No-Till Drill program, where farmers can lease our drill, which provides a way to plant crops while reducing the risk for soil erosion.
This year we replaced our older drills with a new drill that is slightly narrower and much more user friendly. We hope this helps encourage more residents to take advantage of this program.
Our district has been ambitious with our education and outreach programs this year. We have partnered with the Harrison County Soil and Water Conservation District to conduct a forestry management workshop and developed a series of soil health workshops with the Holmes County Soil and Water Conservation District.
As mentioned, our district brought on a district resource specialist to oversee our county’s floodplain management program, which we are now in charge of. This year we have monitored 20 watersheds across the county to ensure properties are compliant with laws and regulations for building on floodplains. We have processed several permits, and we have worked to build an awareness of this program.
We also have focused on mitigating some flood risk to our community by tackling log jams along a few streams and rivers. Thanks to grant funding from the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District and assistance from the Tuscarawas County Engineer’s Office, we have been able to have log jams cleared from Goettge Run and Pone Run. We are now working to secure additional funding to tackle other log-jam projects identified across the county.
Lastly, as it is the end of the year, we would like to remind everyone to be on the lookout for our annual tree seedling sale. Information on what we have available will be posted on our website at www.tuscsoil.com, and we start taking orders Jan. 1.
Alex McCarthy is the Tuscarawas Soil and Water Conservation board secretary.