#SWCD20by2020

1. CISMA Launch Event

District Manager John Hazlett is co-chairing the Circle City CISMA (Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area) formed in 2019.  The CISMA includes over 15 local conservation partners working to combat invasive species to nurture native habitats throughout Indianapolis and held its first annual Weed WrangleⓇ event in May at Graham Martin Park (led by Keep Indianapolis Beautiful) and Eagle Creek Park (led by the City’s Office of Land Stewardship).  

2. Watershed Leadership Academy and Stormwater Booklet Update

Our urban conservationist, Cheyenne Hoffa participated in the Indiana Watershed Leadership Academy in the spring of 2019. Along with gaining knowledge of watershed planning and networking with partners, she updated an erosion and sediment control field pocket guide as part of her final project. With funds from the City of Indianapolis DPW, this guide will be used to educate contractors throughout Marion County on proper erosion and sediment control practices on construction sites.

3. NACD Webinar Presentation

The National Association of Conservation Districts hosts Urban and Community Conservation Webinars to feature projects and programs led by conservation districts. The July 2019 edition featured Marion County SWCD’s District Manager John Hazlett and Soil Health Specialist Kevin Allison to highlight our technical assistance in urban soil health and our partnerships with local growers and community organizations. https://www.nacdnet.org/general-resources/webinars/

4. Christian Park Rain Garden and State Fair Rain Garden Makeover

The district led the rehabilitation of two “mature” rain gardens located at the Normandy Barn at the State Fairgrounds and Christian Park adjacent to IPS School #82.  Both projects demonstrated the importance of consistent long term maintenance and were renovated with the goal of simplifying future maintenance efforts. Various partners included CareSource staff at the fairgrounds rain garden and our partners at Citizens Energy Group, Christopher Burke Engineering, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and the City’s Office of Land Stewardship at the Christian Park project. 

5. Drainage complaint database

Our IU intern Elizabeth Grubb utilized historical drainage complaints dating back to 1974 to create a database that was digitized and geocoded in the City’s GIS system.  This database will be utilized to inventory future private property drainage assistance work performed by staff member Julie Farr.

6. DigIndy Tunnel Tour

In July of 2019, Citizens Energy Group took us 250 feet below the city for a tour of the Deep Rock Tunnel. Once complete, the tunnel will capture more than 95% of the 6 billion gallons of combined sewage overflows (CSOs) that currently flow into Indianapolis’ waterways every year. 

7. Eagle Creek Pond Edge Enhancement Workshop

In September 2019, experts from the Marion County SWCD, City of Indianapolis Office of Land Stewardship, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and Eco Logic hosted a pond management and restoration workshop at two ponds along the Eagle Creek Greenway Trail. Attendees learned about maintenance strategies to improve water quality and reduce erosion, proper native plant selection, goose and other wildlife habitat management strategies, and gained excellent insight from a local HOA’s experience with pond shoreline restoration. The agencies and attendees finished the workshop by planting native plugs around the ponds.

8. Dragonboat Races-Sept 2019

Staff members John Hazlett and Kevin Allison participated in the 2nd annual Dragonboat Races, a fundraiser for The White River Alliance.  This is our second year participating and we will be back! It was once again a thrilling team competition for a good cause. More information and a highlight video can be seen here: https://thewhiteriveralliance.org/programs/dragon-boat-race/

9. Library Seed Giveaway

The SWCD has been creating and distributing free cover crop seed packets to backyard and community gardeners since the beginning of our soil health initiative. We often hold seed giveaways in conjunction with workshops and will even set up shop at local coffee establishments and farm stands. In 2019, the Indianapolis Public Libraries assisted in our mission and gardeners could find seeds at the Glendale, Pike and Spades Park branches. We look forward to continuing this partnership and are excited about IPL’s expansion into seed libraries!

10. Water Summit-August

District Manager John Hazlett attended the Indiana Water Summit, a day long interactive conference to support regional and statewide coordination to improve Indiana’s water resources.   A session on soil health and agriculture featured many of the practices our district is trying to encourage in small scale urban agriculture operations and Representative Carey Hamilton shared plans for a task force on Rural and Urban Stormwater in Fall 2019 at the statehouse.

11. ROW LFC Watershed Plan update efforts

Our district completed a watershed management plan for Lower Fall Creek in 2009 that doesn’t meet the current US EPA plan checklist required to pursue 319 funding through IDEM.  We worked with various partners including Reconnecting our Waterways (ROW), The Children’s Museum, Citizens Energy Group and a local developer to raise funds for a plan update in 2020.  Our goal is to pursue implementation funding in Fall 2020 for the revised plan based on updated critical areas and water quality improvement goals. 

12. St. Alban’s River Friendly Farmer Award

Annually, each SWCD can nominate a farmer for the River Friendly Farmer Award, a statewide initiative that recognizes farmers, who through good production management practices helps keep Indiana’s rivers, lakes and streams clean. This year, the SWCD nominated the Peace Garden at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church for their outstanding work in soil and water conservation, not to mention their dedication to providing produce to food pantries. The Peace Garden utilizes sound crop rotations, cover crops, mulching, biological pest management, native plantings and much more. The awards ceremony took place at the Indiana State Fair, and a well-represented St. Alban’s received a thunderous applause for their enthusiasm for conservation and community support.

13. White River Indy Star article on stormwater

John Hazlett was interviewed by the Indianapolis Star for an article about the impacts of urban stormwater on water quality in Indianapolis.  The article was part of a series of pieces featuring the White River, culminating in a story about the 20th anniversary of the 1999 Fish Kill.  The article is available at this link: https://www.indystar.com/in-depth/news/environment/2019/09/23/white-river-biggest-problem-hiding-plain-sight-toxic-stormwater-runoff-pollution/2207338001/

14. NRCS Local Working Group-participation by City Office of Land Stewardship and Purdue Extension

Local working groups have met annually to provide recommendations on local natural resource priorities to assist the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in providing Farm Bill conservation programs. In 2019, representatives from the Office of Land Stewardship and Purdue Extension joined the SWCD and NRCS, providing  valuable knowledge and insight to the discussion. 

15. Forty-Seven Soil Health Workshops

In the face of climate change and obstacles in food access and quality, education on carbon farming and regenerative agriculture is of utmost importance. Soil health’s impact on soil, water, crops, and climate is key to navigating the pressures of our current reality. We take our message everywhere, giving presentations or hands-on-workshops at numerous local farms, the Indiana Small Farms Conference, libraries, Purdue Extension courses and master gardener conferences, STEM programs, our demonstration garden, and even to the top of the Salesforce tower for corporate education. We are thankful to all of our partnering organizations that help make this possible, and to everyone who has come and engaged in soil health with us. Forty-seven workshops/presentations in one year! 

16. IU interns-Nick and Elizabeth

We partnered with the Indiana Sustainability Development Program to host two interns, Elizabeth Grubb and Nick Schwaberow.  Elizabeth created an electronic database of nearly 2,000 historical private property drainage complaints dating back to 1974 which were then geocoded in the City’s GIS system and will be utilized for inventorying future drainage complaints.   She also performed an analysis of the Lower Fall Creek Watershed Management Plan in preparation for our 2020 plan update effort. Nick is assisting with various soil health workshops, creating a rain garden “hot spot” map to inform future outreach efforts and coordinating with our partners at NRCS on riparian property owner grant funding opportunities. 

17. Growing Food with Beneficial Insects and Pollinators Workshop featuring Heather Holm

Each year, we strive to provide educational opportunities to assist our local food growers with conservation. On December 6, we held a fully attended workshop at the wonderful Holliday Park Nature Center entitled Growing Food with Beneficial Insects and Pollinators. Heather Holm, the award-winning author of Pollinators of Native Plants, discussed interactions of native plants and bees and insects. Kevin Allison and Elli Blaine of the Marion County SWCD presented best management practices for planting native plants, including considerations for spacing, timing, plant species selection, souring, cost, and planting methods. This workshop was made possible with funding support from ISDA’s Clean Water Indiana program.

18. Native Plantings for Beneficial Insects and Pollinators Guide

The SWCD is proud to release a new guide entitled Native Plantings for Beneficial Insects and Pollinators!  This guide provides a recommended species list and methodology for establishing a native planting with a focus on providing habitat that benefits vegetable production on small farms and gardens. The guide was created with support from Indiana State Department of Agriculture’s Clean Water Indiana program with technical contributions from Kevin Tungesvick. Check it out under our soil health tab!

19. Marion County SWCD Eagle Creek Demonstration Garden – Natives Establishment

Located alongside Eagle Creek Trail near 56th and Reed Road, the SWCD Eagle Creek Demonstration Garden serves as an educational resource for growing vegetables with regenerative agriculture techniques such as no-till, cover crops, mulching, and nutrient management.  In the spring of 2019, the SWCD staff established a native planting to provide habitat for beneficial insects to decrease crop pests and increase pollination, while adding a beautiful aesthetic along the trail.

20. Partnership with Women 4 the Land and Marion County Farm Bureau to execute Women Grower Workshops

Through a generous donation of $5,000 dollars from the Marion County Farm Bureau, the SWCD partnered with Hoosier Heartland and Women 4 the Land to put on educational events and workshops to reach urban women growers in Marion County. Elli Blaine, SWCD soil health outreach coordinator, was instrumental in helping to organize workshops, provide content materials, and perform outreach to urban women clients.

We held workshops and learning circles on soil health, cover crops, nutrient management, pollinator plantings, and permaculture. Two hands-on workshops incorporated native plantings on two local women-owned farms and each woman participant received native plant plugs. In the fall of 2019, funds were utilized to support a panel discussion with women growers entitled “Indy Women in Agriculture: Agents of Change for The Indianapolis Food System” with Purdue Extension as partners. We concluded the workshop series with “Healthy Soil, Healthy Plants, Healthy People”, a training focused on bringing together soil health, nutrition, and permaculture resources to help women enhance growing operations within their organization. Finally, funds from the Marion County Farm Bureau were used to provide scholarships for three women to participate in Purdue Extension’s Urban Agriculture Certificate Program in 2019-2020.

With this funding, we were able to put on 8 workshops and reach over 100 attendees. We provided honorariums to the organizations that hosted the workshop, which further supported urban women-run organizations in Marion County.

Looking forward to another great year!  #SWCD20by2020