Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District

Transcription

1 Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District VOLUME SIXTY- FOUR ISSUE S UMMER 2008 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Bruce Goodwin Tom Spellmire Mark Steiner Shirley Lutmer Vince Uetrecht ASSOCIATE SUPERVISORS Marian Chace Robert Chace NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE John Lafferty Civil Engineering Technician The Warren County SWCD s 64th Annual Meeting Will be held at Camp Kern s SCHIEWETZ HALL August 27, :00 pm 9:00 pm Please see Page(s) two & three for more information and this years Candidates. DISTRICT STAFF Guy Ashmore Caitlin Botschner Nathan Currin Dave McElroy Don Norman Amy Pond Marsha Rolph Dawn Stiles Jeff Thomas Contents Election News 2 3 Calendar of Events 3 Annual Meeting 3 Kid s Crossing 4 Rain Garden 5 Big Tree Contest 6 Warren County SWCD mission is to promote wise stewardship of our natural resources through cooperative partnerships, educational programs and technical assistance in land and water management.

2 Shirley Lutmer is a resident of Lebanon. Shirley and her husband Jim have been life long farmers of Warren County and have been on their Drake Road farm for the past 25 years. Shirley farms 600 acres. They have installed grassed waterways, practice no-till and conservation tillage and have corn, bean and wheat rotation. When Shirley is not on the tractor or in the combine, she is actively involved, along with the rest of the family, with the county s 4-H program. Shirley has been a 4H Advisor for over 13 years and was the past president of the Warren County s 4H Committee. Shirley has been on the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation Board since Shirley believes that the conservation of our natural resources concerns everyone. She is concerned about the rapid growth in the county and how urban and rural areas are going to have to work together to maintain the health and quality of our natural resources. Shirley is looking forward to being an active part of this task with the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District. Amy Sigg -Davis was raised on a farm in Warren County. She began farming when she was old enough to ride a tractor. She was in 4-H until she turned 18. After college and her husband s military years, she returned to Warren County in 1978 and began farming with her father. After his death in 1987, she continued to farm the family farm in Warren County s old Shakerland swamp. She continues farming Shakerland Farms today. Amy is a past president of Warren County Farm Bureau. She represented southwestern Ohio on the Ohio Soybean Council for 16 years and on The United Soybean Board for 9 years. She currently sits on the Warren County FSA Committee and the Ohio Soybean Association Board. Amy has sold real estate for 30 years specializing in land and farms. She holds a real estate license in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, and currently manages the Sibcy Cline office in Lebanon. Amy attended Ohio State and holds B.S. and M.A. degrees from California State U. Amy believes that land and water resources must be protected by vigilance and good management practices. She believes that US farmers are some of the finest conservationists in the world. Conservation is a grave concern in our area, however, due to past and future development. Amy believes that a strong Soil and Water Board will help ensure that our precious resources are protected. Tim Smith is a native of the Lebanon area. A graduate of Lebanon High School and Sinclair Community College, Tim lives on Hamilton Road with his wife, Alicia and two young daughters. After college Tim began working for Warren County with the Sewer and Water Department. During his five years with the County, he began pursuing his passion for landscaping as a part-time business. In the last 15 years, he has grown this passion into Smith Landscaping and Garden Center located on Mound Court in Lebanon. Through this business, Tim has gained hands on experience in appropriate land use, erosion control, and water conversation methods. Designing and installing retaining walls and water features, along with maintaining a modern green house facility for native plants, contributes to the preservation of the natural beauty of a growing county. Tom Spellmire is a native of Warren County where he and his brothers, John and Bill, have been farming full time for over 20 years. He has a B.S. in Agronomy from The Ohio State University. The Spellmire Brothers farm over 2000 acres of grain and were named the 1990 Ohio Conservation Farmer for Southwest Ohio and were a 1995 finalist for the No-Till Farmer Award. Tom Spellmire has been on the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation Board since Tom has played a key role in initiating in the Erosion & Sediment Control Regulations. He is very active in conservation. Tom was the past Chairperson of the Open Space/Farmland Preservation Sub-Committee for the Warren County Regional Planning Commission. He is a past president of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Conservation Council, past president of the Miami Valley RC&D and Warren County Chapter of the Ohio Farm bureau. Tom served as a member of Governor Voinovich s Ohio Farmland Preservation Task Force from Page two Candidates are running for one of two places on the Board of Supervisor Look in your August 2008 Issues of The Western Star News-Paper for Legal Notice and Voting Information

3 Calendar of Events August 13 SWCD Board Meeting 7:00 pm August 23 Heritage Days in Mason 8am 4pm August 27 Board of Supervisor Elections 5:30 7pm August 27 Annual Meeting & Dinner 6:00 7pm September 1 Office closed Labor Day September 8 Urban Pond Cottel Park 6:30 pm 2008 Annual Meeting Buffet Information Location: YMCA Camp Kern 5921 St.Rt.350,Oregonia, Ohio Date: August 27, 2008 Voting: 5:30 pm 7:00 pm Dinner: 6:00 pm 7:00 pm Awards and Program: 7:00 pm 9:00 pm Menu Plan: Pulled Pork, Baked Tilapia, new red potatoes, green beans, mixed green salad, dessert & beverage This years Annual Meeting Guest Speaker : Anne Lyon (Vice-President Little Miami River Partnership).Anne Lyon is the Water Quality Project Director at the Greenacres Foundation, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to preserving the environmental and cultural arts. Anne is responsible for the Foundation's school and citizen-based water quality monitoring and education programs. Anne has over 22 years experience in volunteer water quality monitoring and environmental education. ANNUAL MEETING TICKETS On sale beginning July 25, 2008 $12.00 Buy them at the SWCD office or from a SWCD Supervisors listed below, or fill out, cut and mail this form with payment to: Warren Co. SWCD, 320 E. Silver St., Lebanon, Ohio Please reserve ticket(s) to be held on will-call at the door August 27, Camp Kern for: Name Address Phone dinner tickets x $12.00 = $ Payment must be included to reserve tickets. Ticket reservations are due by August 22, 2008 Checks payable to: Warren Co. SWCD BUY YOUR TICKETS FROM WARREN COUNTY SWCD SUPERVISORS: Bruce Goodwin Shirley Lutmer Tom Spellmire Mark Steiner Vince Uetrecht Annual Meeting Ticket 2008 WARREN SWCD Holding Special Election of Supervisors on August 27, 2008 This year (2) two supervisors will be elected to a three year term of office. The term of current supervisor Tom Spellmire and Shirley Lutmer will expire on December 31, 2008 and both are seeking re-election, also running are Amy Sigg-Davis and Tim Smith. All County residents and landowners 18 years of age and older may vote either in person August 27, 2008 at the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District Office (320 East Silver Street, Lebanon-Ohio) from 8:00am-4:00pm OR at the Annual Meeting from 5:30pm-7:00pm located at Camp Kern (5291 St.Rt. 350, Oregonia-Ohio). All those who voted last year are preregistered, and those not pre-registered may register at the time of voting. Those individuals unable to Vote at the Annual Meeting on August 27, 2008 may request an absentee ballot from the Warren County SWCD office (513/ ) : In writing between August 6, and August 24, 2008 (no more than 21 days prior to election and no later than 3 days prior to election). The Official Application For Absentee Ballot and Registration Envelope (Form SEL1) will be mailed out. Once that form is completed and returned the ballot and registration will be mailed. In Person between August 6, and August 27, 2008 (no more than 21 days prior to election and no later than close of business day of election) The Official Application For Absentee Ballot and Registration Envelope (Form SEL1) will be given to the person to be completed. Once it is completed the ballot and registration envelope will be handed out. Individuals shall limit requests to their own personal ballot and registration form, except that written requests signed by other qualified electors in the same household may be mailed in one envelope. Page three

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5 Your personal contribution to cleaner water Homeowners in many parts of the country are catching on to rain gardens landscaped areas planted to wild flowers and other native vegetation that soak up rain water, mainly from the roof of a house or other building. The rain garden fills with a few inches of water after a storm and the water slowly filters into the ground rather than running off to a storm drain. Compared to a conventional patch of lawn, a rain garden allows about 30% more water to soak into the ground. Why are rain gardens important? As cities and suburbs grow and replace forests and agricultural land, increased stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces becomes a problem. Stormwater runoff from developed areas increases flooding; carries pollutants from streets, parking lots and even lawns into local streams and lakes; and leads to costly municipal improvements in stormwater treatment structures. By reducing stormwater runoff, rain gardens can be a valuable part of changing these trends. While an individual rain garden may seem like a small thing, collectively they produce substantial neighborhood and community environmental benefits. Rain gardens work for us in several ways: Increasing the amount of water that filters into the ground, which recharges local and regional aquifers; Helping protect communities from flooding and drainage problems; Helping protect streams and lakes from pollutants carried by urban stormwater lawn fertilizers and pesticides, oil and other fluids that leak from cars, and numerous harmful substances that wash off roofs and paved areas; Enhancing the beauty of yards and neighborhoods; Providing valuable habitat for birds, butterflies and many beneficial insects. Please support our sponsors that support conservation. Motz Enterprises, Inc. Fortress Rocks, the rock like retaining walls for streams and hillsides Page five

6 W ARREN COUNTY SOIL & W ATER CONSERVATION D ISTRICT 320 E SILVER ST STE 300 LEBANON, OH NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO CINCINNATI, OHIO Phone: Fax: All NRCS/SWCD Programs and services are offered on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation and marital or family status. Each year the Warren SWCD holds a contest for the largest tree in the county. This year s species is the Ash. Due to the Emerald Ash Borer, the Ash may well be a disappearing feature of our landscape. The Emerald Ash Borer is an Ash killing insect that was accidentally imported from Asia and threatens all Ash trees. Thirty four counties in Ohio including (Warren) as well as the entire states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois are under quarantine right now. This means the insect has been discovered and it is illegal to move Ash trees, Ash logs, Ash branches, Ash wood chips, Ash bark, and all hardwood firewood out of the county. The Warren SWCD would like to honor a stately Ash tree now, while they are still relatively common. Any type of Ash located in Warren County will qualify, even if it is infected. If you have a large Ash, take a measurement of its circumference at four feet up the trunk and make a rough estimate in height. To enter, just call our office with your measurements between 8:00am and 4:30pm, Monday thru Friday at (513) Deadline for entries is August 1 st. If your entry is among the largest, we will contact you and make arrangements to have the tree measured by our judges. The winner will receive a nice plaque commemorating the tree. Formal presentation will be at the Warren SWCD s Annual Meeting Banquet on the evening of Wednesday, August 27 th at the YMCA Camp Kern Schiewetz Center.