Every fall the SWCD brings you a wide selection of native trees and shrubs for your landscape and conservation needs. This year we have added 11 new native species to our inventory.  Indiana native trees are the best choice for your project because they are uniquely suited to our soils, weather, and pests AND they have unique and crucial relationships with the insects, pollinators, and birds our ecosystem depends on.  The tree sale is the SWCD's biggest annual fundraiser and all proceeds go right back in to conservation in Hamilton County. 

Rain on Main is an annual event held to increase awareness of water quality and conservation in Carmel and to raise funds for water education signage in Carmel Clay Parks.  Join in the fun and see 20 rain barrels painted by local artists!  The barrels will be on display along Main Street in Carmel’s Art and Design District August 13-20, 2021. Vote for your favorite on the Rain on Main Facebook page and place a bid in the silent auction to take a barrel home!   See the barrels and learn more at the link below.  

Join HIP for a presentation by Mary Welz, SICIM Regional Specialist, to learn about some emerging invasive plants to watch out for and report here in Central Indiana. There will be information on identification, negative impacts, and distribution, as well as options for reporting these species if you encounter them escaping into natural areas.

Join HIP for a presentation by Mary Welz, SICIM Regional Specialist, to learn about some emerging invasive plants to watch out for and report here in Central Indiana. There will be information on identification, negative impacts, and distribution, as well as options for reporting these species if you encounter them escaping into natural areas.

Mulching with Organic Materials - by Marian Rodriquez-Soto, Regional Urban Soil Health Specialist

Even if not considered the most exciting part of gardening, mulching can be a simple source of many benefits. Some benefits of mulching are weed suppression, soil moisture retention, increased soil organic matter, temperature regulation, erosion reduction, decreased soil compaction, and the improvement of a garden's appearance, among others. Mulch supports the soil health principle of keeping the ground covered and is commonly defined as any plant or suitable material applied to the land surface.  In other words, almost any material used to cover the ground could be considered a mulch, and could be synthetic or organic.

GrowLocal Urban Gardens Network –a garden network in the greater Lafayette, Indiana area– uses two different mulches at a couple of their gardens. One of the growers and garden managers, Harry Smith, uses wheat straw and wood chips donated from various sources. Harry applies wheat straw for annual crops and wood chips for permanent walkways and perennials, including fruits, trees, bushes, nuts, and berries.

Crop Insurance Premium Discount Program - by Mark McCauley, Resource Conservationist

The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), The Nature Conservancy and partners throughout the state have worked with the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) to establish an initiative in the West Fork Upper White River watershed counties to increase cover crop usage in Indiana. Our focus for this program is to target first time cover crop users in an effort to expand awareness and the adoption of cover crops as a tool to improve farm resiliency.

This program is providing a $5/acre crop insurance premium discount for farmers who employ a cover crop on insured acres in the Upper White River watershed. We will be promoting year round to raise awareness and give farmers time to plan for a cover crop in the Fall. More detailed info can be found at the link to the left.   

What Does Conservation Mean to Me? - By David Bradway, Conservation Administrator

When I think about conservation, I consider both the bigger picture of conservation on a broad scale and a local level. How is what I am doing at home affecting the county, state, region, etc.? I think about the miles I drive to work and wonder what difference it would make if I rode my bicycle to commute once or a few times per week. If I remove invasive species on my property and explain why to my neighbors, will this affect the overall program of invasive removal? Where is the water that is running off my roof, gutters, and property ending up, and how can I conserve this water to help ensure the water quality of ponds and streams around me?

The first of what will be a series of boot brush stations was opened at Cool Creek Park. These stations have invasive species educational signage and encourage trail users to wipe clean their shoes using the attached boot brush. Our shoes and gear can carry microscopic seeds of invasive species so making sure your shoes, gear, and pet paws are clean before entering and upon exiting a trail can help limit the spread of invasives from site to site.  These stations will be located at various trailheads across the county but the first is now available at the main trailhead at Cool Creek Park.

More information about the activities listed above, upcoming Weed Wrangles and HIP events, and invasive species info can be found online.  See the link below.

Come see us at Pathway to Water Quality at the Indiana State Fair - by Diane Turner, Conservation Technician & Outreach Assistant 

The Indiana State Fair is back!  The staff at Hamilton County SWCD will be helping with education and outreach at the Pathway to Water Quality Exhibit through August 22, 2021.  The exhibit is located on the northeast side of the fairgrounds.  We hope to see you at the Indiana State Fair.