Indiana Wildlife Federation Recognizes CCSI & LaPorte SWCD

The Indiana Wildlife Federation serves our state through "promoting the conservation, sound management, and sustainable use of Indiana's wildlife and wildlife habitat through education, advocacy, and action." Like the IASWCD, and our 92 local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, IWF works with state agencies and similar organizations. They monitor and work to improve and protect Indiana's wildlife and habitats, which are made up of the natural resources SWCDs work to protect as well.

Last weekend, IWF recognized the work of two Soil and Water Conservation District entities: one program called the Conservation Cropping Systems INitiative (CCSI) and one standout staff member, Nicole Messacar (Education Coordinator for the LaPorte Co. SWCD).

CCSI received the Agriculture Conservation Award "for its work promotinv environmentally-friendly farming techniques." Nicole earned the Conservation Educator of the Year award for the work she does to educate children about wildlife and conservation.

We are proud to work with these award winners, and excited to celebrate our positive relationship with the Indiana Wildlife Federation! Conservation is something that concerns all of us. Though we work differently, our goals are similar - to protect this land for now, and for future generations.

May is American Wetlands Month

Photo credit: Natural Resources Conservation Service

May marks the 22nd anniversary of American Wetlands Month. It is a time when we all should celebrate the vital importance wetlands play in our world protecting our soil and water resources.

It is also a great opportunity to teach others about the important role wetlands play in our environment and the significant benefits they provide — improved water quality, increased water storage and supply, reduced flood and storm surge risk, and critical habitat for plants, fish, and wildlife.

Wetlands are the vital link between land and water, where the flow of water, the cycling of nutrients, and the energy of the sun meet to produce highly productive ecosystems with unique plant and animal life.

Wetlands are often referred to as the "kidneys" of the landscape for their ability to remove excess nutrients, toxic substances, and sediment from water that flows through them, helping to improve downstream water quality. Natural wetlands have also been effective in removing contaminants such as pesticides, landfill liquids, dissolved chlorinated compounds, metals, and stormwater runoff.

Wetlands play an important role in reducing the frequency and intensity of floods by acting as natural buffers — slowing, absorbing, and storing significant amounts of floodwater. Since flooding is the most common natural hazard in the nation, wetlands play an integral role in managing this risk, particularly through planning approaches that consider the entire watershed.

The presence of wetlands on the landscape can also mitigate flood damage inland. A study by the Wetlands Initiative concluded that restoring wetlands along the 100-year flood plain of the Upper Mississippi River could increase storage capacity to 39 million acre-feet of flood water--a similar volume to the Mississippi Flood of 1993 that caused $16 billion in damages.

The ability of wetlands to store and filter water helps to protect and replenish surface and underground drinking water sources.

As nurseries of nature, wetlands are among the most biologically productive natural ecosystems in the world, comparable to rain forests and coral reefs in their productivity and in the diversity of species they support. Mixtures of vegetation and shallow water zones provide diverse habitats for a variety of species — plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, shellfish, and mammals. Many species rely on these critical habitats for survival as sources of food, shelter, and breeding grounds.

For example, frogs, toads, and salamanders depend on small, isolated wetlands during their development. It is estimated that one-half of all North American bird species nest or feed in wetlands, and despite the fact that wetlands comprise only 5% of the land surface in the conterminous United States; they are home to an estimated 31% of plant species.

Source: U.S. EPA

Soil Stewardship Week

Jane Hardisty

by Jane Hardisty
State Conservationist, Indiana NRCS
When you picked up your spoon to eat some food today, did you think about where the food came from? Did you make a connection as you ate a bowl of cereal to the dairy and grain farmer? Or the hay or grain the dairy cow ate? Or the fact that the grain and hay grew in the soil? We sometimes take for granted that it’s so easy to go to the grocery store to buy our food. But it’s a long process to get the food from the soil to the grocery store shelf.


National Soil Stewardship Week is April 29 through May 6, 2012, and the theme this year is “Soil to Spoon.” Keeping the soil healthy is a primary focus of the agency I work for, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Our agency is working hand-in-hand with Indiana’s 92 Soil and Water Conservation Districts every day to help farmers and private landowners improve soil health and protect natural resources.

The world population is on the rise, while agricultural land is shrinking. A careful balance will be required to make more room for more people, while at the same time, more food to feed those people. Healthy soil and good conservation choices can ensure we have the resources we need for now and for generations to come. 

Making the connection back to the soil, where our food gets its start is so important. The next time you sit down to a meal, take a minute to think about where your food came from, and the farmers and ranchers who helped produce it. As they work to produce food for the growing population, Indiana’s farmers are dedicated to using responsible land-management practices to ensure a sustainable food supply and healthy land and soil for future generations. Please join me in thanking our local agriculture producers for their role in caring for the land, while providing the food and fiber for our nation and the world.

National Soil Stewardship week reminds us of our personal and social responsibility to care for the natural resources for which we all depend. There is a Soil and Water Conservation District in each county in Indiana where NRCS and other partnership staff are available to serve you and help you make the connection between soil and the food we eat.