VOL. XL No. 3 C e l e b r at i n g 7 8 Y e a r s Free Seed Packets The Vanderburgh County SWCD has FREE seed packets available for pick-up at the office. These seed packets will be given away on a first come basis and are a great way to increase pollinators in your yard. These seeds will be great frost seeded this winter for bloom this spring. Before making a trip to the office please give us a call at 812-423-4426 x3 to make sure the office is open, as we are frequently out in the field. fall2018 Urban Conservation Cost-Share funds The Vanderburgh, Posey, and Warrick SWCD s were recently awarded a Clean Water Indiana for $49,032. The grant will provide cost-share money for the following practices for anyone in Vanderburgh, Posey and Warrick Counties: Conservation buffer=$150 Rain Garden=$250 Rainwater Harvesting System=$60 Tree Planting=$75 Xeriscaping (Native flower planting)=$200 Soil Testing=$15/sample Pollinator Plot Less than 2,500 sq. ft= $50 2,500 sq. ft and up to.25 acre=$200 Greater than.25 acre=$350 An application must be completed with the details of the project, receipts must be turned in and a site check will be completed to ensure the project was completed. Once these have been done a reimbursement will be issued to the applicant. Cost-share practice applications can be picked up at Vanderburgh SWCD office, please call 812-423-4426 x 3 before you make a trip to the office. The Vanderburgh SWCD is installing a showcase of urban conservation projects at the Master Gardener display site off the Lloyd Expressway. Construction has started and will have several phases throughout 2018. A Soil Health Garden has been implemented South of the Log Cabin with nice display signs showing soil health practices. We are working on installing a large pollinator plot along the whole South side of the display site with about 1,400 plants being planted at the end of September. We are also going to be updating an existing raingarden with proper soil and new plants and adding some plants throughout the site. We will be hosting a open house this fall upon completion of the site. Look for more information on the open house on our facebook page under Vanderburgh County Soil and Water Conservation District, also from the Master Gardeners. New Pollinator logo Shirts for Sale The Vanderburgh County SWCD has a limited amount of Tshirts for sale in Orange with white lettering featuring our Get your buzz on, plant pollinators logo. The price of the T -shirt is $10, no matter the size. We do have a royal blue long sleeved shirt in the same pollinator logo and these will sell for $15. Please call the office at 812-423-4426 x 3 for more information. MISSION STATEMENT : OUR MISSION IS TO PROVIDE QUALITY CONSERVATION SERVICES RESULTING IN A HARMONIOUS BALANCE BETWEEN NATURAL RESOURCES, SOCIAL CHANGE AND ECONOMIC HEALTH WITHIN VANDERBURGH COUNTY BY FOSTERING INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS
Page 2 C o m i n g T o g e t h e r N e w s l e t t e r fall Invasive Control with EDD MapS By: Heather Zengler Invasive species are a recurring theme when it comes to dealing with natural areas. Invasive species are introduced species that cause damage to the environment, economy, animal or human health. Not all introduced species are considered invasive species. Some characteristics of invasive species include, but are not limited to, rapid growth, prolific seed production, high reproductive rates, and the ability to spread quickly. Some invasive species include Multiflora Rose, Autumn Olive, Callery Pear (Flowering Pear), Kudzu, and Phragmites. Of the 50,000 introduced species in the US, only about 4,300 are considered invasive (Corn, et. al, 1999). The cost to control invasive species ranges in the billions of dollars per year on over 100 million acres of land (TNC). Invasive species play a big role in the destruction of native habitats. Invasive species are one reason for forest decline. Invasive vines and shrubs, like Asian Bush Honeysuckle, Burning Bush, and Oriental Bittersweet, take resources from and prevent native saplings, like, Oaks, Hickory, and Maples, from growing. Without the native saplings in the understory when larger, older trees fall, there are no younger trees to take its place. Instead, invasive species will take that opening to grow larger and overtake more native species, drastically reducing biodiversity in a short amount of time. New invasive species are moving into Indiana every day. That is why it is important to practice Early Detection and Rapid Response, or EDRR. EDRR can help to prevent or even stop the spread of invasive species in the state of Indiana. An example of this was when Mile-a-Vine (Polygonum perfoliatum) had been reported in Monroe County, Indiana and thanks to EDRR, it was controlled before it could spread to other areas. One good tool to use for EDRR is EDD MapS. EDD MapS stands for Early Detection and Distribution Mapping Systems. EDD MapS is an online mapping system for citizens to use to report and map invasive species in their area. The types of invasive species that you can report include plants, insects, diseases, and wildlife. Information collected from EDD MapS can help with invasive species data collection. For the point to be added to the map it must be a verified species. Therefore, it is important to include pictures in your post. EDD MapS is used to see the impact EDD Maps Indiana map of Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) by county. As can be seen from the map, Japanese Honeysuckle has invaded every county in the state. (https:// www.eddmaps.org/distribution/ uscounty.cfm?sub=3039) invasive species have on the local or national level. The data that is then collected can show how a species is invading a nature area or along roadways. This data that is collected can be used to help get species ranked on the Invasive Species List. To get added to the Invasive Species List, a species is ranked using the Non-native Plant Invasiveness Ranking Form, this tool uses a science-based, transparent risk assessment process. One of the questions EDD MapS helps to answer is Evidence of Invasion. Data collected from EDD MapS helps to show the plant invading across the state. How to make a report: To make a report on EDD MapS it is very easy. There are two different ways to do a report. Either on eddmaps.org or on the app Great Lakes Early Detection Network. Online: On the EDD Maps website, you will click on Report Sighting. It will then ask you what State you are in. Click Indiana and it will ask you what type of species. For the example, I clicked Plants. It will then go to the page Report an Invasive Plant Occurrence and there will be a variety of fill in the blank categories. The ones that must be filled out will be Red. This included Pest name, Observation date, State, and County. All the rest of the information answer to the best of your ability. It is highly recommended that you include pictures in your reporting. If pictures are included the report can be verified. Once verified the point will be visible on the maps. Not only can EDD MapS be used for report it can also be used to see prior reports or to get more information on an invasive species. This can be found on the website under Species Information, invasive species can be searched on the right-hand search bar. App: When using the app, click on All Species on the top menu page. Up in the right-hand corner there is a magnifying glass. Click it and type in the name of the invasive species. I typed in Japanese Honeysuckle. If you click the name Japanese Honeysuckle, it will bring you to the reporting page. It will then ask you a variety of fill in the blank and drop-down questions as can be seen in the pictures. Once you have filled in the information to the best of your ability, click the Save button. Clicking the save button does not upload your entry. When back on the home menu, click the Upload Queue. On the next screen you should see your report and the word UPLOAD in the upper right-hand cover. Once you click UPLOAD it will upload your report to the internet. This feature allows you to wait to upload until you have Wi-Fi. If on the app and would like to see more information on the plant, on the right-hand side of the All Species menu there
2018 C o m i n g T o g e t h e r N e w s l e t t e r Page 3 will be an i with a circle around it by each of the species, if you click on this icon it will bring you to a page that will give information, pictures and a map of other points. When mapping with EDD MapS, there are a couple of different ways that you can go about it. I would recommend picking one plant species to report consistently. This way you are not stopping every foot to report a new species. You can rotate the species you pick to report every time you go out to map. By picking one species, it is easier to see the species and be able to give an accurate report. Good ways to include EDD MapS would be while out hiking, biking, or doing outdoor activities, take a picture and report it. This will only take a few minutes! Happy Mapping! -Heather Zengler, Invasive Species Technician Sources: TNC - https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/urgentissues/ land-conservation/forests/invasives-101.xml www.eddmaps.org Corn, L.C., E.H. Buck, J. Rawson, and E. Fischer. 1999. Harmful Non-Native Species: Issues for Congress. Congressional Research Service Issue Brief, RL30123 Soil Health Forever Stamp Nearly 60 years ago the US Postal Service issued a Soil Conservation stamp emphasizing the importance of soil and water conservation measures like contour plowing to those who farmed and its relationship to those living in urban areas. 25 years later they issued a stamp for Soil and Water Conservation Districts commemorating 50 years of the SWCD movement in the US. And in the years since, while they have issued stamps about farming and wildlife conservation, they have not returned to focus on the one unifying piece that makes all of it possible, our soil. 1959 Stamp The Indiana State Department of Agriculture is leading an effort asking the USPS to issue a Soil Health Forever stamp in the near future to promote the growing movement across the country and has sought local support and national support. UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who responded. Our suggestion packet has been sent off to the USPS Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee. In addition to our formal suggestion, we were able to include 69 letters, from national, state and local organizations from all over the country, as well as over 700 signatories of the letter below, representing 43 states, 2 territories and someone from Spain. The Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee's website states if they decide to proceed, it takes about three years for a suggestion to be issued. They receive many, many suggestions and only print a couple dozen a year. So please keep your fingers crossed that in 2021 we'll get our stamp. Meg Leader, Director of Soil Health, Division of Soil Conservation, ISDA, One North Capitol, Suite 600, Indianapolis, IN 46204 or email it to mleader@isda.in.gov. Considering Planting Cover-Crops This Fall? Cost-Share Funds are Available! The Big Creek Watershed cost-share program offers funding for many different agricultural practices, including covercrops. In order to be eligible for this program, the fields being considered must lay within certain areas of the Big Creek Watershed. The Watershed encompasses about 164,000 collective acres of Gibson, Posey and Vanderburgh Counties (IN) that contribute surface water to Big Creek. About 65% of the watershed s land area is in Posey County, 26% in Vanderburgh County and the remaining 9% in Gibson County. The Big Creek Cost-Share Program is funded by a Section 319 grant that originates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). The Section 319 program came about by an amendment to the federal Clean Water Act in 1987 recognizing the need to reduce non-point source pollution. Some examples of non-point source pollutants include: Road debris, oil drippings from automobiles, sediment from fields or E-coli from failing septic systems that get washed from surfaces by rain or melting snow. These pollutants can then make their way into local streams and rivers where they can negatively impact wildlife habitat and human health. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) manages section 319 funds for the State. Due to local water quality impairment, funding for the Big Creek Watershed was secured in 2016 by the Posey County Soil & Water Conservation District. This program will cost-share on 54 different best management practices. Practices such as filter strips, grassed waterways, dry dams and of course cover-crops are included. For those in qualifying areas of the watershed, 75% of covercrop expenses can be covered by the program for up to a total of $5,000/year. Other best management practices pay between 50% - 75% of the cost up to a total of $10,000/ year. Anyone wanting more information about the program is encouraged to contact the Big Creek Watershed Coordinator, Rob Brown at robert.brown@in.nacdnet.net or by calling 812-838-4191 extension 3. SWCD Newsletter Needs Your Updates! The Vanderburgh County SWCD would like to update their Newsletter mailing list. If you are currently receiving the newsletter and would like to unsubscribe please call the office at 812-423-4426 x 3 and we will remove you from the list. Also, If you have moved and need to update your address we have on file, please let us know. We are now offering the option of having the newsletter to be emailed in a pdf format. If you would rather have an email newsletter please call the office and we can change that for you. The office phone umber is 812-423-4426 x 3. Did you know that we have a Facebook page at Vanderburgh County Soil and Water Conservation District, please like and follow our page. The SWCD also has a brand new Instagram account found at Vanderburgh SWCD please look for us on this site also. The SWCD has a website, www.vandswcd.org please look at the website for office information, staff and upcoming events.
Page 4 C o m i n g T o g e t h e r N e w s l e t t e r fall Invasive of the Edition: Winter Creeper Euonymus fortunei By: Heather Zengler Chemical Cut stump large individuals with glyphosate. Foliar application for small patches with glyphosate or triclopyr. Before applying any chemicals, be sure to read and follow pesticide label and state laws. Winter creeper is an invasive vine that likes to invade forest openings and margins. It can grow in full sun or in full shade. It can also tolerate a wide variety of soils, including acidic, basic, or low nutrients. It however does not like wet soils. Winter creeper is native to Japan, Korea, and China. It was introduced to the United States in 1907 as an evergreen ground cover. It was known for being drought tolerant and having very rapid growth. Winter creeper is a dense ground cover that can grow as a climbing vine or a vining shrub if there is nothing else to climb. Leaves are opposite dark green with finely toothed or waxy edges. They are evergreen to semievergreen about 1 inch in size. They are egg shaped, often veined with silver. With there being more than 50 cultivars, some winter creeper cultivars have variegated leaves. What is does to the Ecosystem? Winter creeper forms dense mats of vegetation on the ground, restricting the growth of native plants. When winter creeper comes to a tree it will start to vine up the tree, sometimes reaching heights of 40 to 70 feet. These vines can kill the tree, as it contests with the supporting tree for light. Winter creeper have little wildlife value, although birds and other mammals help disperse the seeds. Winter creeper blooms in midsummer. The blooms are about ¼ inch in size and has 4 parts. The blooms are greenish white in clusters. These flowers will mature into pinkish red capsules in the fall that will split to reveal a seed that is orange in color. Fruits develop off climbing vines in full sunlight. Native Alternatives: Wild Ginger Asarum canadense Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia Trumpet Honeysuckle - Lonicera sempervirens Sedge Carex sp. Photos provided by: Emily Finch, SICIM, and Heather Zengler Calling all Vanderburgh County school teachers The Vanderburgh SWCD has funding for your school or class conservation project! Funding is available for the following project types: conservation awareness, conservation buffers, cover crops, native landscaping, pollinator habitat, rain gardens, rainwater harvesting, school gardens, sensory gardens, and tree plantings. If you want to try something that's not listed, contact Andrew Smith and pitch it! Application deadline is Friday, October 19th. For more information, contact Andrew Smith at 812-897-2840 ext. 3, message me on FB or email at andrew.smith@in.nacdnet.net for more details. If you live in Vanderburgh County and are interested in installing a project listed above at your house, please contact Erin Shoup as money is available to Vanderburgh County residents for some of these projects at 812-423-4426 x3 or erin.shoup@in.nacdnet.net Posey and Warrick teachers and residents NOTE: If your school or residence is in Posey or Warrick Counties, we may still have funding for your project. Contact your local SWCD office for more info.. Posey SWCD phone is 812-838-4191 and Warrick SWCD phone is 812-897-2840 x3. There is money set aside for pollinator plots, rain gardens, tree planting, soil testing, xeriscaping and conservation buffers. These projects are open to schools and residents in these counties. Control: Manual Pulling out young individuals, making sure to pull out all the roots. If all the roots are not removed, sprouting is a possibility.
C o m i n g T o g e t h e r N e w s l e t t e r 2018 Vanderburgh County CISMA Meeting September 19th, 2018 5 p.m. Central Vanderburgh County SWCD Office 921 North Park Dr. Evansville, IN 47710 RSVP at 812-423-4426 x3 or Email heather.zengler@in.nacdnet.net (CISMA) is a Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area is a local working group promoting invasive species awareness in the community. Calling all Vanderburgh County residents that are wanting to learn why invasive species are such a threat to our community and share their knowledge. Please join us for our call out meeting and see how you can get involved in this nationwide initiative. Do you have invasives on your property or maybe your neighbor does, come learn how you can stop the spread of invasives. Lite refreshments will be provided! RSVP by September 17th, 2018 Other Local CISMA Meetings Posey September 19th, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Alexandria Library Wabash Room Mt. Vernon, IN Pike & Gibson August 28th, 6 p.m. Eastern Sugar Ridge FWA Conference Room Winslow, IN Warrick September 18th, 9 a.m Warrick County SWCD office Boonville, IN Please contact Heather Zengler at 812-423-4426 x3 or at heather.zengler@in.nacdnet.net for more information on any of these meetings. New 2018 plat books are here! The Vanderburgh County SWCD is proud to announce we have the new 2018 Plat Book. The books have data from 2017 and cost the same price of $20/book. These new plat books are much larger, in fact, what was 1 page previously is now on 4 pages. They are much easier to read and now include aerial views of the land. The books can be picked up at the office during normal business hours M-F from 8:004:30 p.m. Please call ahead before making the trip to the Office as we are sometimes absent from the office due to the nature of our work. You may reach us at 812-423-4426 ext.3. We accept cash or check only. Page 5 Wonderful Wabash: Paddling Down Posey County By: Carrie Parmenter The Posey County SWCD hosted a community float trip travelling from Harmonie State Park to Dogtown Ferry Boat ramp on August 11th. Over 90 participants paddled their way down the 11 ½ mile stretch of the Wabash River. About halfway, the group stopped at a sandbar for educational programs. Curt Carter, Land for Learning director, talked about the human connection to water. Heather Zengler, Invasive Species Coordinator, educated people on Asian Carp, Zebra Mussels and terrestrial invasives. The event is an opportunity for the general public to experience the Wabash on a more personal level. Carrie Parmenter, Posey County SWCD Technician, organizes this annual event because she feels that people will only protect what they know. And floating for 4-5 hours on it is a great way to get to know the Wabash!
Page 6 C o m i n g T o g e t h e r N e w s l e t t e r fall Free Septic Workshop Presented by Indiana State Department of Health Thursday, September 13 6:30-8:30 p.m. Vanderburgh 4H Center Conference Room 201 E. Boonville New Harmony Rd. Evansville, IN 47725 Topics: -Basics of how a septic system tanks works -Do s and dont s on what you can put down the drain -Maintenance -When to call a professional Sponsors: Posey County SWCD Indiana Sate Department of Health Big Creek 319 grant through IDEM Contact: Rob Brown Big Creek Watershed Coordinator 812-838-4191 x3 robert.brown@in.nacdnet.net Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/posey-county-soiland-water-conservation-district-17632622364 Or by Calling Rob Brown at 812-838-4191 x3
C o m i n g T o g e t h e r N e w s l e t t e r 2018 Page 7 VANDERBURGH COUNTY SWCD BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: Ron Adler, Chairman, Farmer/Operates a Peach Orchard Kevin Rexing, Vice-Chair, Farmer Wayne Fehd, Treasurer, Farmer/Business Owner Linda Freeman, Member, Chief Deputy Surveyor Joe Schalasky, Member, Farm Manager at Seton Harvest OFFICE STAFF: SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT (SWCD) Mark Abell, Water Quality Specialist Erin Shoup, Administrative Assistant Heather Zengler, Invasive Species Technician Board Meetings are held on the fourth Monday at 6 p.m. of each month Unless otherwise advertised. The public is invited to attend all meetings ASSOCIATES: Paul Bouseman, Botanical Curator Kay Hoffherr, Teacher, Central High School Jeff Mueller, County Surveyor Heath Hamilton, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Biologist Scott Winiger, Farmer Eldon Maasberg, Farmer Davie Sue Wallace Litov, Business Owner Steve Helfrich, Retired USI Facilities Director NATURAL RESOURCE, CONSERVATION SERVICE (NRCS) Rita Becker, District Conservationist INDIANA STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (ISDA) Linda Voglund, Resource Specialist OFFICE LOCATION VANDERBURGH COUNTY SWCD 921 North Park Dr. Evansville, IN 47710-3629 http://www.vandswcd.org TELEPHONE: (812) 423-4426 X 3 FAX (855) 408-4686 This newsletter is compliments of the following sponsors and all of the organizations that make our program successful during the year. UMBACH & ASSOCIATES, LLP CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS Warren J. Ingram, CPA, Partner NIEDHAMMER EXCAVATING CAMERON NIEDHAMMER 3500 Mann Rd., Haubstadt, IN (812) 963-9014 CELL (812) 459-0184 Basements, Grading, Lakes, Clearing, Septic Systems, Yard Finishing (812) 386-6580 Fax: (812) 386-7537 E-mail: john@kieselent.com 1198 S. KIESEL DRIVE PRINCETON, IN 47670 www.kieselent.com Ad space available 400 Bentee Wes Court Evansville, IN 47715 (812) 477-2244 Fax (812) 421-9303 wingram@umbach.com www.umbach.com POSEY COUNTY CO-OP Haubstadt Poseyville St. Wendel Mt. Vernon (812) 838-4468 Goedde Oil, Inc. 1240 E. SR 68 Haubstadt, IN 47639 800-758-6196 812-768-5232 Fax: 812-768-5178 Email: goeddeoil1@sit-co.net 812.536.2261 800.796.1523 woodsprinting.com Paul Goedde - President Ad space available USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. Ad space available
NONPROFIT ORG. U.S.POSTAGE PAID Evansville, Indiana 47708 Permit No. 47 R e tu rn Se rvi ce R e q u e ste d Pl ea s e D o n t T ra s h M e - Pa ss M e! I m r e cy cl e d an d r e cy cl abl e In This Issue: Free seed packets Urban cost-share funds Invasive control with edd maps Soil health forever stamp Cost-share funds for cover crops Invasive of the edition: winter creeper Calling all Vanderburgh county school teachers CISMA meetings Wonderful Wabash Free septic workshop Women conservation learning circles This newsletter is compliments of the following sponsors and all of the organizations that make our program successful during the year. Farm Equipment No added ingredients 10100 Hwy. 165 N. Poseyville, IN 800-245-9180 Hwy 41 N Princeton, IN 800-245-1680 www.jlfarm.com www.jlprinceton.com MARTIN FARM DRAINAGE, INC. E: craig@vieirabrothersexcavating.com Allen Relleke Excavating, LLC Field Tile Installation Laser Equipped Ditch Cleaning and Dump Truck Service Scraper Rental - Backhoe Work - Dozer Work Drydam Installation - Rock Chutes and Tile BUD MARTIN (812) 845-2796 Brad & Craig Vieira O: (812) 867-2887 C: (812) 305 5424 F: (812) 867-3228 Clearing, Lakes, Conservation Work RANDY MARTIN (812) 874-2723 812-305-3051 812-963-5000 Evansville 812-423-6481 Haubstadt 812-768-6121 Grain Marketing 812-385-3487 www.superiorag.com Evansville Water Hauling, Inc. 812-867-5858 RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL SERVICE W E HAVE M ODERN STAINLESS STEEL DELIVERY T ANKS S WIMMING P OOL F ILLING SPECIALIST VANDERBURGH COUNTY FARM BUREAU, INC. Business, Financial & Tax Consultants 1010 W. Buena Vista Rd. EVANSVILLE, INDIANA 47710 PHONE: 812-426-2761 P.O. Box 459 Poseyville, IN 47633 Phone: (812) 874-3627 Ad space available All programs and services of the Soil and Water Conservation District are offered on a Nondiscriminatory Basis, Without Regard to Race, Color, National Origin, Religion, Sex, Age, Marital Status or Handicap.