In Memoriam: Fred Cooke

Photo L to R: Fred Cooke and Commissioner Cliff Mears.

It is with heavy hearts, we share the sad news of the passing in December of Board Supervisor Fred Cooke.

Photo L to R: Fred Cooke and Commissioner Cliff Mears.

It is with heavy hearts, we share the sad news of the passing in December of Board Supervisor Fred Cooke. Fred has been a Board Supervisor since 2017, most recently serving as Treasurer. Among his many contributions, he assisted with the hiring of current director, Erica Thomas, was an advocate for the district and didn’t hesitate to offer suggestions for programs and services. Fred was a long-time farmer, member of Farm Bureau and a former Shelby Vo-Ag teacher and FFA advisor. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to Fred’s family and friends. Fred will be dearly missed.

Welcome, Environmental Intern Hollee Stegeman

Hi. My name is Hollee Stegeman and I am one of the new interns. I work under the direction of Dan Herrold to do storm water field work.

Hi. My name is Hollee Stegeman and I am one of the new interns. I work under the direction of Dan Herrold to do storm water field work. I have a strong interest in protecting the environment. I have loved being outside ever since I was a little girl and early on understood the importance of keeping Mother Nature happy which is why I am more than excited about this new internship. I hope to learn all about erosion, pollution prevention, and storm water.

I am from Cincinnati and am in my third year at Ohio State University in Columbus majoring in Environment,

Economy, Development, and Sustainability with a specialization in Business and Sustainability.

When I am not at Richland SWCD, I keep busy with classes and my two other jobs as a waitress and receptionist. I also love to lift weights, shop (especially second hand), try new restaurants, and spend time outside.

Thank you so much to the Fran and Warren Rupp Fund of the Richland County Foundation for funding the grant for this position. I have had so much fun in my short time at Richland SWCD and am excited for what is to come!

Welcome, Cora Crilow, Communications Intern

Hello! My name is Cora Crilow and I am working as the Spring Communications Intern. I attend Ohio State ATI where I major in Agricultural Communications,

Hello! My name is Cora Crilow and I am working as the Spring Communications Intern. I attend Ohio State ATI where I major in Agricultural Communications, and will graduate with an associate’s degree in May.

I’m originally from Holmes County and graduated from West Holmes High School. Throughout high school, I was heavily involved in 4-H and FFA, which ignited my love for agriculture and conservation.

When I’m not working or in class, I enjoy sheep farming, time with friends and family, and playing with my corgi, Tula. I also operate my own photography business on the side.

Thank you to the Fran and Warren Rupp Fund of the Richland County Foundation for funding the grant for this position. I’m very excited for this experience at Richland SWCD!

Continental Divide Contest Underway

While driving around Richland County, have you noticed new green and white signs with Continental Divide and our logo at the top?

While driving around Richland County, have you noticed new green and white signs with Continental Divide and our logo at the top? The signs are part of an initiative to create more awareness of the Continental Divide and watersheds in Richland County. The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) gave us a grant to have road signs printed showing when you are entering and leaving the Lake Erie and Ohio River Watersheds. Richland County Engineer Adam Gove and his staff placed the signs at designated spots along the Divide line.

To further increase awareness, enter the Continental Divide Contest. All you need to do is take a selfie with your smartphone at a sign, post it to social media with the sign location and #RCD.

Because we are expected to be in the path of the total solar eclipse slated for April 8, contest participants following the guidelines will receive a free pair of solar eclipse glasses. One entry per person due to the limited supplies of glasses. Glasses are available while supplies last and may be picked up at the office.

To help with the contest and learn more about the Continental Divide in Richland County, visit our Drive the Continental Divide web page.

The signs are one example of how we partner with other organizations for the betterment of the county. Thank you to MWCD and the Richland County Engineering Department to help bring the signs into fruition.

What to Do About Ponding

As the temperature goes down and the ground beings to freeze, you may notice ponding in your yard. This may be an indicator of a drainage problem.

As the temperature goes down and the ground beings to freeze, you may notice ponding in your yard. This may be an indicator of a drainage problem. If the ponding water hasn’t drained into the soil within 24 hours, consider adding soil to allow the water to shed. Another option is to install tile to help drain the area.

Another factor to consider is how the proposed solution will affect your neighbors. Will the solution cause a drainage problem for them? We encourage all landowners and residents to work with each other to avoid problems down the road.

Did you know that in addition to offering technical services and advice, we also provide educational information to landowners about what they can and cannot do as it pertains to drainage? Before you take any steps to fix a drainage problem, please contact us at Contact@richlandswcd.net or 419.747.8686 for information. You may also consult our website for good resources on drainage and stormwater.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

Road Salt: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

It’s 2024 which means we have a new MS4 theme!

But first, what is MS4? In addition to requirements Richland County landowners follow for earthmoving activities through the Richland County Stormwater and Erosion Control Program,

It’s 2024 which means we have a new MS4 theme!

But first, what is MS4? In addition to requirements Richland County landowners follow for earthmoving activities through the Richland County Stormwater and Erosion Control Program, communities with 1,000 or more people per square mile must follow the Stormwater Non Point Discharge System (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) (NPDES) General Permit for Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) to further effectively manage water pollution. The Richland County Commissioners are mandated by Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) to create and manage this added accountability for stormwater runoff. The NPDES (MS4) communities in Richland County are: City of Mansfield, City of Ontario, Village of Lexington, Madison Township, Mifflin Township, Springfield Township and Washington Township.

This year’s theme will focus on “Pollution Prevention.” The EPA defines pollution prevention as “any practice that reduces, eliminates, or prevents pollution at its source before it is created.” It is important to prioritize doing this because pollution has many negative effects on human health and the environment.

The good news is, preventing pollution is something everyone can do. Throughout 2024 we will share different pollution prevention techniques to apply in your daily lives.

We all know that road salt is good, right? Road salt helps melt the snow and ice on the roads we drive on, so they are not as slippery during winter storms, but… is there a negative side to road salt? Unfortunately, there is, and the effects can be substantial.

Road salt can cause damage to your vehicles, health, and ecosystems. Have you ever noticed how vehicles primarily driven in states that use road salt rust out a lot quicker than vehicles in states that do not use road salt? Road salt contributes to cars rusting. Americans spread more than 20 million tons of salt on our roadways each winter.

So, the question is, how does all this salt affect us and the environment? First, it causes our roadways and bridges to break down. Then the salt goes into our waterways. If water pipes are in poor shape, lead may flake off and enter our drinking water potentially causing health problems.

Good water quality is important for everyone. We are especially mindful of it at Richland SWCD because it’s one of our areas of expertise. Did you know in Richland County, three watersheds above the Continental Divide flow to Lake Erie and five watersheds below the Continental Divide flow to the Ohio River and ultimately, the Gulf of Mexico? We don’t want to be a bad neighbor and pass along contaminated water to our neighbors. Find out more about watersheds and the Continental Divide in Richland County on our website.

An example of poor water quality was the added nutrients in water that contributed to the harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie and the oxygen dead zone in the Gulf.

We need to start utilizing more feasible alternatives that keep the roads safe while not damaging our health and environment. Placing sand on top of ice and snow provides traction for shoes and tires, but also absorbs sunlight to melt ice faster. Another alternative to salt as a de-icer is to use beet juice. Beet juice allows for ice to melt at lower temperatures, and it is gentle on roads, plants, grass, cars, and concrete.

If salt must be used on roads, sidewalks, and parking lots, please apply it sparingly, so that you can help with Pollution Prevention.

Are you a gardener? If so, did you know you’re also a livestock farmer?

That’s right! Just not the type of livestock you’re probably thinking of. Instead of cows, pigs, or chickens, you’re farming macro and microorganisms. A teaspoon of healthy soil can contain BILLIONS of microorganisms.

That’s right! Just not the type of livestock you’re probably thinking of. Instead of cows, pigs, or chickens, you’re farming macro and microorganisms. A teaspoon of healthy soil can contain BILLIONS of microorganisms. Microorganisms in the soil are things such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes. Many of these organisms are essential for building healthy and resilient soil systems, which give us healthy and resilient plants in return.

Organisms like mycorrhizal fungi, for instance, will attach to a plant’s root and effectively become a root itself, transferring nutrients and capturing water through a symbiotic relationship. Certain types of bacteria in the soil can transform unavailable forms of nutrients (such as nitrogen) into a form the plant can then uptake.

Healthy soils will also contain various macroorganisms. These are organisms you can see in the soil without a microscope, such as earthworms. Macroorganisms, called shredders, help break down detritus on top of the soil and pull/incorporate organic matter and nutrients into the subsurface layers of the soil. Earthworms create pore spaces within the soil which bring air to the subsurface and create voids where roots can grow. They also promote a nutrient-rich casting called globules which help with the aggregate stability of the soil.

All these organisms and many more play a role in soil health and sustainability and should be looked after as one would look after their traditional livestock. Cover cropping, no tilling, avoiding compaction, and increasing biodiversity are among the main strategies to keeping your soil and soil-livestock healthy.

Lessons From the Outside World

At the beginning of the year I (Evan) decided to start taking a short walk outside each day during work. Since most of my day is spent in a chair or in a car,

At the beginning of the year I (Evan) decided to start taking a short walk outside each day during work. Since most of my day is spent in a chair or in a car, it’s nice to get out, stretch the legs, and breath fresh air for a few minutes. It does me good to look at something other than screens and cubicle walls.

During one of these first walks, I had the idea to snap a photo of a particular part of my walk that leads behind a grove of conifers and sidles up next to a small urban stream. Soon after I decided to come back the next month, and the next, to repeat the photo. I wanted to see how the landscape changed month after month and if there would be any interesting occurrences in that regard.

I finished taking my last picture in November of 2023, having collected my years’ worth of data. Time to look at the pictures!

As you might imagine there wasn’t anything extremely surprising. The pale, dried grass and bare twigs of January and February gave way to a stronger tint of green in the lawn for March. In April the vibrancy of the grass increased one hundred-fold and buds on nearby bushes and trees began to show. In May there was again a vast change as bare branches filled with fresh leaves, an explosion of life. June and July saw the greens turn darker, and then August and September saw a blush of yellow as the dry, hot days of summer stretched on. Finally, in October, the sky gray as I photographed it, the trees had turned orange and yellow and the vegetation on the creek bank was dead and brown. In the final photo at the end of November the conifer trees had already turned their flame orange and dropped their needles, and the grass was littered with them and the dried leaves of the deciduous trees.

This glorious cycle happens every year, has for thousands of years, and will hopefully for long into the future. I started taking these pictures because I have been feeling disconnected from nature this past year. The feeling is like having an old friend to which you haven’t talked in a very long time. Then one day you wake up to realize you wish you’d kept in touch more. The pictures, and the walks, gave me a small way to remain “in” nature in a way while viewing the process of the constant cycle of death and renewal.

It is said in conservation that one must love nature first, then conserving it naturally follows. And what better way to learn to love nature than to spend time in it. That is why this coming year (2024) I am embarking on a quest to spend one hundred hours in nature, preferably alone in contemplation, and preferably in the woods which is my chosen place to solitude. Numerous studies and anecdotal accounts abound on the health benefits, both psychologically and physiologically, of spending time outdoors. Famous author Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.”

Especially in this time of cold weather, world crises that are hard to digest, and personal worries, perhaps some more time in nature would be good for you also. In our ever-changing world and life nature is still there, constantly going through the same old cycles, the predictability comforting in a way. So, if you haven’t yet done so, I challenge you to fall in love with nature this year and see where it takes you.

USDA-NRCS News

Popular NRCS Conservation Program Expediting Rankings, Funding Contracts

Ohio producers interested in the popular Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Inflation Reduction Act – Environmental Quality Incentives Program – (IRA-EQIP) funding can take advantage of the ACT NOW process,

Popular NRCS Conservation Program Expediting Rankings, Funding Contracts

Ohio producers interested in the popular Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Inflation Reduction Act – Environmental Quality Incentives Program – (IRA-EQIP) funding can take advantage of the ACT NOW process, which immediately approves and obligates applications when the application meets or exceeds a state-determined minimum ranking score. Applicants will experience a targeted, rapid streamlined application and contract approval process. EQIP and IRA-EQIP provide financial and technical resources to producers and landowners to improve their operations, commodity production and environmental benefits.

Call 419-747-8691, Ext. 3, visit the Ohio NRCS EQIP website or visit our website for more information.

Conservation Stewardship Program Funding Available to Ohio Landowners, Producers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Ohio Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications from landowners interested in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to build on existing conservation efforts to increase operational efficiencies and environmental benefits as well as reduce overall input costs. This year, Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding is providing additional financial opportunities for select conservation practices and enhancements to increase direct climate mitigation benefits.

Ohio NRCS is increasing the minimum annual payment for agricultural producers participating in CSP from $1,500 to $4,000 starting in fiscal year 2024. The increase addresses challenges faced by small scale, underserved, and urban producers and improves equity in the program by making participation more financially beneficial for smaller operations. The new minimum payment is available for new and renewed CSP contracts, and applications for the program.

Additionally, producers and landowners can take advantage of the ACT NOW process, which immediate approves and obligates applications when the application meets or exceeds a state-determined minimum ranking score. Applicants will experience a targeted, rapid streamlined application and contract approval process.

For more information, call 419-747-8691, Ext. 3, visit the Ohio NRCS CSP webpage or visit our website.

2024 H2Ohio Enrollment is Now Open

H2Ohio is now accepting new enrollments for 2024! H2Ohio is a voluntary program that pays farmers to adopt practices that will reduce phosphorus leaving the farm, such as planting cover crops.

The first step to participate in H2Ohio is to have a Voluntary Nutrient Management Plan. If you wish to seek the opportunity for possible funding to help with the cost of a Voluntary Nutrient Management Plan and you are willing to work with the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and a Technical Service Provider, you can apply for EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentive Program) in January 2024 by contacting Jason Ruhl, NRCS District Conservationist, or Jordan Miller, Soil Conservationist at 419-747-8691 x3. More information here: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/apply-for-environmental-quality-incentives-program-eqip.

Important Dates

January 5
Board Supervisor Meeting
9:00 a.m.

January 9
Conservation Creation Arts & Crafts Workshop: Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me
6:00 p.m.

January 5
Board Supervisor Meeting
9:00 a.m.

January 9
Conservation Creation Arts & Crafts Workshop: Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me
6:00 p.m.
Longview Center
$12 per person. Registration required.

January 15
Office closed in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

January 22 & 23
Office closed for staff development

January 25
Plant Marauders of Water, Field and Forest: Invasive Species to Know and How to Control
5:30 p.m.
Longview Center
$10 per person. Registration required.

February 12
Board Supervisor Meeting, 9:00 a.m.

March 11
Fingerling Fish Sale Begins

March 12
Board Supervisor Meeting, 9:00 a.m.

April 5
Clear Fork FFA Alumni Tree Seedling Sale
Clear Fork High School and Richland County Fairgrounds Nature Park.

April 11
Fingerling Fish Orders Due

April 19
Fish Sale Pick up
10 – 11:30 a.m.
Richland County Fairgrounds Horse Barn