Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District - News articles

Welcome Dominic, our Graphic Design Intern

6/30/2020

Dominic Zelli, Graphic Design Intern

Hi! I’m Dominic Zelli, the new graphic design intern. I’m currently studying Visual Communications at Ball State’s school of art with a minor in Sustainability.

I enrolled in Ball State knowing I wanted to pursue art. Once I declared my major in Visual Communications, I began to make connections between graphic design and how it can be used to promote sustainable, pro-environment causes. It can be difficult to get people to care about the environment and to get people to understand how we are interconnected with natural processes; graphic design and illustration can be effective tools in bridging that gap.

During my junior year, I was also a part of BSU’s Animal Activism club, and through that I participated in events like Muncie’s White River Clean-Up. I spend most of my free time making music, drawing, and watching ocean documentaries.

I’m excited to get to know everyone here, and to help with any of the district’s design needs! I'm currently working on designs for the Urban Conservation program and a logo for the Soil Health trailer.

Summer Foraging: Using Daylilies as a Food Source

6/30/2020

In the summer and early fall, the world of foraging is open to pick almost anything you want. This being said, when foraging it’s important to make sure you aren’t over harvesting. You would be amazed at the amount of plants in your yard you can eat. From chickweed, to violets, to dandelions, to daylilies. The best part? Many of the plants you have growing in your yard are hard to over-harvest. These are usually very hardy, weedy, competitive plants that will keep coming back year after year.

A fun example of a backyard plant you can eat is daylilies. These plants are non- native and offer very little in terms of wildlife habitat and food, so over harvesting isn’t much of an issue. Additionally this plant is a hardy, long lived, fast spreading perennial which offers many opportunities for foraging without harming the plant.

Daylilies are fully edible from the root to the flower. Most commonly (and most fun to use) the unopened flower buds can be used in stir fry, deep fried, or just tossed in a pan with other veggies. They are usually attributed to taste like asparagus with the texture and shape of okra. For a recipe, see below.

Caution: Not to be confused with tiger lilies or commercial lily varieties, some of which can be toxic. Most lilies are highly toxic to cats, and somewhat to dogs. A great start to identification is to look at the roots. Daylilies have fibrous roots with small nodules.

Remember: Harvesting or ingesting the wrong species of plants can have dire consequences, which is why experts suggest that you identify a plant based on three separate characteristics. Verify AT LEAST THREE between the fruit, stem, bark, flower, root, leaves, etc. Check here for an identification guide, and remember:

Never ingest or handle any type of wild plant without being certain you know what it is.
Any doubt, LEAVE IT OUT !

The Environment and COVID-19

6/30/2020

Taylor Wilson, Conservation Tech and Outreach Assistant

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a new routine and outlook on our lives and daily activities. For some, the changes have come as a welcome relief from some stressors of life. For others, this situation has increased their uncertainties and burdens. Likewise, the human response to COVID-19 has had some surprising benefits as well as drawbacks toward the natural environment. Here are a few:

Pros:

Carbon emissions in the United States are down 7% for the year, the greatest decrease since WWII
In China, lockdowns and other measures resulted in a 25% reduction in carbon emissions
Generally water quality has increased—at least temporarily. Turbidity in water has decreased giving wildlife more sunlight and visibility.
Gardening is on the rise. With extra time at home and food shortages at the grocery, many decided to start gardening or increase their garden activity. Self sustainability was a big topic of discussion during the months of March and April. See the search trends below.
Decrease in over-overfishing as the demand for fish has decreased worldwide. Overfishing has huge ecological implications from fish depletion to plastic pollution.
Scientists finally have a chance to study the impact of atmospheric aerosols

Cons:

Increase in litter from disposable masks, gloves, and sanitation materials (wipes, plastic containers, etc)
The rate of decrease in air and water pollution is not sustainable for the future
Some feel good stories, like the dolphins returning to Venice, were unfortunately untrue. Here’s information on what really happened.
There has been a spike in illegal logging in Tunisia, Brazil, and Indonesia due to the lack of ecological law enforcement in these areas during isolation.
The loss of atmospheric aerosols may be causing damage to certain ecosystems. With time, these studies will be conducted and released.

Google search frequency of the term "raised beds" with a large spike in April of 2020. Similar trends are seen with the phrases "garden" "gardening" "how to garden" etc.

The biggest takeaway, from an ecological standpoint, are that the world did achieve all of the pros listed above. Through a forced experiment, we have demonstrated that it is possible to change the environment and quickly assist in its recovery. The trick now is to find a way to maintain this while not entirely changing people’s chosen lifestyles. Like stated before, many of us may have enjoyed the peaceful solace of COVID. Now is a great time to take those lifestyle changes, make them work for you, and commit to them for a greener future.

Note: These are not the findings of the Hamilton County SWCD, but instead a compilation of different fact sources.

Saharan Dust: Great for Soil, Bad for Oceans

6/30/2020

Taylor Wilson, Conservation Technician and Outreach Assistant

You may have heard about the Saharan dust storms that blew across the country in the last few weeks. Believe it or not, this is a common phenomenon that happens yearly at some degree. This year, however, is the most dust we’ve had in 50-60 years. This type of dust storm can look like haze, loss of long distant visibility, milky skies, or a fine dust covering cars and homes especially after it rains.

The yearly dust storms are a part of a natural phenomenon that connects two polar opposite ecosystems: the Saharan desert to the Amazon rainforest.

How does this work?

Milky L.A. skies courtesy of Christopher Bannan on Twitter

1. In the Saharan summer the sun warms the sand, which warms the air near the surface.

2. This hot air rises and brings small particles of Saharan soil with it.

3. As the hot, dusty air rises it joins in with the strong prevailing easterly winds and blows across the Atlantic to South America and the Gulf of Mexico.

Saharan soil is full of iron and phosphorus. These minerals act as a fertilizer in the Amazon, replenishing the minerals that are often leached out of soils by the frequent rains. Think of it this way: when you have a big year in your garden you have to replenish the nutrients lost in the soil. The Amazon needs the same thing.

Fish kill caused by algal blooms. Photo from arcgis.com

The issue with this comes from the deposit of phosphorus laden soil (dust) into bodies of water. This is especially a problem in the Gulf of Mexico. The gulf already experiences an abundance of phosphorus each year from agricultural runoff. Too much phosphorus can cause algal blooms (red tides), fish kills, and a myriad of other ecological issues. While Saharan dust storms are a natural event that deposit dust into the gulf every year, in conjunction with the algae issues already present from human activities water quality becomes a major problem.

Since the 2020 dust storm is so large, fish kills and water quality may be worse this year. In 2018 the algal blooms were worse than normal, and it was speculated that Saharan dust may be the culprit. Looking at the graph below, you can see that 2018 had a larger than average dust storm. Time will tell how the gulf is impacted in 2020.

As the dust deposits over parts of the United States this year we may experience a variety of impacts in soil and water quality. These likely won’t be large enough to visualize an impact and there’s nothing we can do to control it. What you can do is enjoy the beautiful sunsets caused by light scattering dust particles, stay indoors if you experience respiratory issues, and continue to protect our soil and water resources where we can control impacts.

Want to see more?

Visit EarthWindMap and set the Mode to Particulate. This shows you how the dust is moving in real time.

For more information, visit the links below.

Graph showing the AOD, a measure of dust, of storms in different years.

Rain on Main Returns for Year Six

6/29/2020

Claire Lane, Urban Conservationist

The pandemic health crisis has led to the cancellation of many beloved annual events in 2020, but we are happy to share that Rain on Main is returning for its sixth year this August! Rain on Main is a painted rain barrel art competition and silent auction held each year by the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), City of Carmel Utilities Department, and Carmel Stormwater Departments.

Artists are currently hard at work preparing their beautiful creations on 65-gallon urn style rain barrels. The barrels will make their debut on the Rain on Main Facebook page and along Main Street in Carmel on Friday August 7th. There are many ways to take part in Rain on Main, including purchasing a barrel!

View the barrels in person throughout the week of August 7th-14th along Main Street in Carmel.
See the barrels on the Rain on Main website or Facebook page and vote for your favorite in the People’s Choice competition by “liking” the Facebook photo of your favorite barrel. Voting ends at 12 noon on August 14th and the winners of the People’s Choice will be announced.
Follow the Rain on Main Facebook page to see the announcement of the art competition winners!
Place a bid to purchase your favorite barrel. The online silent auction opens at noon on Friday August 14th!
See the barrels in person at the Carmel Farmers Market on Saturday August 15th.
Place your final bids---the online silent auction closes at 11am on Saturday August 15th!

To stay up to date with the most current Rain on Main information be sure to follow Rain on Main on Facebook and check out the Rain on Main website at www.RainonMain.com.

Did you know? Carmel residents are eligible for a $50-$75 rebate from the Carmel Stormwater Department after installing a rain barrel?
Learn more at www.rainonmain.com/carmel-rain-barrel-subsidy

Developing a Horse or Barn Animal Manure Management Plan for the Hobby Farmer

6/29/2020

Ginger Davis, Conservation Administrator

No one knows how many horses there are currently in Hamilton County (1,074 in 2017) but most enthusiasts would agree that the popularity of horses continues to rise. At the same time, new residents keep arriving. Forecasters estimate 180,000 more people will live in Hamilton County by 2050. As a result of these trends, recreational horse owners in our area increasingly find themselves in the middle of rapidly growing suburban areas, where they often receive more scrutiny from their neighbors than do their counterparts in rural areas. To maintain good relationships, it is critical to know and practice proper manure and pasture management. Manure handling is viewed as a necessary evil of stall management with horse owners naturally preferring to ride rather than clean stalls. Did you know that one horse can call for the removal of about 12 tons of manure and soiled bedding from its stall annually? The good news is that manure can be a tool to improve soils. The burden of manure can be turned into a benefit to help improve your soil resources.

Often, suburban horse facilities have limited or no acreage for disposal of manure and soiled bedding. Several alternatives for handling manure include land spreading on pasture or crop ground, removal from stable site to storage area for private or commercial hauling, stockpiling, and composting. Some stables have developed markets to distribute or sell the stall waste as a fertilizer resource to gardeners and landowners. Whether in a suburban or rural setting, proper manure management is based on simple principles that virtually eliminate environmental pollution impacts and nuisances such as odor and flies.

Developing a horse manure management plan may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be. Most plans can be developed and implemented using an integrated holistic approach. A holistic approach means thinking about the big picture. An integrated approach means to work with your current needs and issues to find solutions that could benefit other aspects of your land or neighbors and fit it into the environment piece by piece (i.e. manure as a fertilizer source for poor soils). If you look at the big picture first then deal with each component keeping the big picture in mind, it allows you to see how each part of the system can work together. Departmentalizing the components of a manure management systems plan allows you to evaluate what is feasible, what options may be available, as well as, determining how the components may work together in order to develop a sustainable plan into the future. Because no two farms are exactly alike, each plan must be developed individually considering the land, water, soil, air, and neighborhoods in the area.

Developing the Plan

Need a Manure Management Plan Checklist - Click here

Before anything else, it is a good idea to think about, write down, and draw a map of what encompasses your respective horse farm. Key points to consider here include:

Describe your horse or animal farm – goals, objectives, partnerships, business opportunities, and recreation
Land based resources – Identify how many acres you own or lease and how many of these acres are “usable”. Usable acres refer to acres that are appropriate for specifically managing and/or taking care of your horse or animal or land that could be used to spread manure. Acres to exclude from this calculation would be any area where manure should not be spread, or acres where it is not feasible to spread manure including: wetland and/or wooded areas; areas close to surface water, drains, or water wells; acres that encompass where your home, barn, riding arena, etc.; land adjacent to public roads, property lines, residences, or businesses. Setbacks from these areas are a good practice to eliminate environmental pollution impacts or nuisances like odor.
Number of horses or animals that currently reside on your farm and plans for expansion.
Manure expectations– Include volume produced and collected, storage, composting, transfer and application, nutrient utilization, and records or calculations of your manure expectations

Spreading raw horse manure in combination with soiled bedding (stall waste) on your horse pasture is not an advisable practice. The reasons for this include the following: A) if you are spreading raw horse manure on your pasture or crop fields, you could potentially be spreading parasites and weed seeds, and B) stall waste with wood products such as sawdust or wood shavings can actually deplete the soil of nitrogen (needed for grass/plants to grow) due to the breakdown of carbon. This can result in an undesired outcome when attempting to grow forage.

The 4Rs of nutrient management serve as a guide for environmental concerns prevention planning:

Right Source (type of manure or fertilizer; composted vs raw, etc.)
Right Rate (application rate of manure to fields)
Right Time (time of year, weather forecast, neighbor relations)
Right Place (topography of the field, proximity to surface waters and wells)

Lastly, prevention is the most important way to avoid a possible manure spill. See our guidance below or in the checklist for an example emergency spill response.

By doing this initial exercise, you get an unbiased perspective as a starting point rather than a reactive attempt at a solution. By approaching your manure management plan one step at a time, you can organize your resources to make the process more efficient and less overwhelming. The Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District has prepared a Manure Management Plan Check List with resources that may help in this planning. Manure & Nutrient Management may be eligible for assistance through the Natural Conservation Resource Service offices. Contact us for more information soil.water@hamiltoncounty.in.gov Happy Trails!

Emergency Spill Response

Should a spill occur, here are the spill response steps that should be followed:

Human safety first – always the number one priority. Make sure that everyone involved in the situation is safe and has received medical attention if needed,
Control the spill – the source of the spill,
Contain the spill – It is best to keep the manure in one area if possible and prevent it from flowing into nearby surface waters. Ideas or considerations for this may include damming up an area using dirt or utilizing straw/hay bales as a buffer to absorb manure,
Contact the appropriate authorities – Specifically in Indiana, The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) (888) 233-7745 or (317) 233-7745; Regulated Drains or Stormwater Drain impacts: 317-776-8495
Clean-up the spill,
Document the spill – this serves to protect you as it is proof that you made a concerted effort to minimize any associated environmental risk.

Donate Your Garden Vegetables to a Local Food Pantry

6/26/2020

Andrew Fritz, Urban Conservation Technician

Are you beginning to wonder what to do with your surplus garden vegetables? Wonder no more. Donate them to your local food pantry!

In partnership with the Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank, the Hamilton County Soil & Water Conservation District has updated its popular “Donate Your Vegetables” map including the most recent information for gardeners to donate produce safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Food insecurity in Hamilton County is real and many food pantries have limited fresh food items. Donating your extra garden vegetables, no matter how few, is needed.

Ecoforma and Egoforma: Two new words to describe how we relate to a landscape.

4/21/2020

Andrew Fritz, Urban Conservation Technician

From when I was a child and into high school, I often went out to the woods on the land where I grew up with my beagle dog, Sawyer. I’d pick a sitting spot, usually perched up on a mild ridge of higher elevation, and watch Sawyer put his nose to the ground, stick his white-tipped bobbing tail to the sky, and sniff out rabbits. Over the course of the next hour or so I’d sit, watch, and listen as Sawyer coursed with the subtle contours and shape of the land. He’d disappear behind worn ancient sand dunes, remnants of when current Lake Michigan reached far into northwest Indiana, only to reappear moments later sniffing and cajoling a rabbit in my direction. He would waddle to the edge of a wetland and look into it. I’d look into it, too. He’d find nooks and crannies – the kind where most of life happens beyond sight – examining each spot, following a phantom invisible path that the evolution in his nose could detect. Even when Sawyer would disappear for longer stints, I could hear him rustling through layers of dead leaves off in the distance. On a calm day it was quiet enough to hear for miles. But even when the wind blew, I could still hear him amidst the dappling canopy above, the groans of trees as they swayed, or in the rustling of grasses that grazed my shoulder. On occasion, if the wind was just right, I could smell the rich earthy aroma of the sandy soil ridge where he scratched to get a better scent. There were some days I felt a deeper trust of the space and allowed myself to sit longer. On these days I’d witness a sort of magic on display on the surface of the land. The shadows, animated by the changing perspective of the sun, moved an otherwise inanimate landscape. I’d sense the changing temperature of the air and soil and feel, at one moment, the afternoon warmth brush my left cheek, and then, like turning a page in a book, an evening cool response on the right cheek.

It’s hard to imagine my life would be the same without my years spent gazing at the landscape of my youth. It’s fascinating to imagine our early human ancestors doing the same thing – watching how animals, like Sawyer, guide our psyche into hidden realms of the landscape, sitting patiently for nothing in particular except for maybe a mystery revealed and leaving us wanting for more.

Today at 38 years old I look back at this time of contemplative, contentful, and curious observation - I never once made a judgement of my experience. I only noticed and learned. But I didn’t learn the names of things or how processes and earths systems worked. I learned a kind of knowledge that goes beyond the intellect and into the deeper aspects of my humanity; what some call the interior landscape. I can’t help but think that, because I sat in an unconditional acceptance of this landscape, it’s forms and contours, its way of relating to me, that it also reminded me of who I am, and, like the topography of the land, also enlightened the contours of my life. This is what I’ve come to call ecoforma; a whole acceptance of the landscape as it is. As a byproduct of its acceptance, it also accepted me and provides a mutual nurturing relationship of transformation. Ecoforma is to imagine that every living thing, even though different on the surface in form and habit, mirrors one another in the deepest way. Ecoforma is the recognition that we cannot be human without the Earth or the land we walk on. Ecoforma is when our posture and way of being reciprocates this acceptance.

There were also mosquitos and ticks, poison ivy and sand burs. There were incredibly hot days and sometimes very cold days. I am aware that for some a particular landscape can trigger traumatic events in their life. Some landscapes can be confusing, mysterious, complex, or seem unsafe. In other words, discomfort and unpleasantness can sometimes interrupt the gaze of acceptance. Though I didn’t know it at the time, there were also invasive plant species that likely impeded the health of the forest. If I sat there today with the working knowledge that I have now, it would be easy for me to imagine managing the forest to be healthier or to manage its appearance and pleasantness so that there would be fewer interruptions. I might want to spray for mosquitos at the risk of culling birds and bats that require them. I may want to remove the shrubs and distorted trees so that I could see further into the woods and feel a comforting safety. Doing so would remove the hidden trails and nooks and crannies that Sawyer found delight in. I would lose whole registers of sounds that played among the different plant and insect communities. Maybe even the soil aroma would change. But I would feel safer from distraction and worry. If I were to do this, my relationship to the landscape would change and its transformative benefits alter. This relationship is what could be referred to as egoforma; where my concerns impose the needs of the ecosystem, economy, and the well-being of myself and others. It does not see the whole and or accept the whole. Egoforma forgets that to be human is also to be of the Earth. But it’s great at managing, controlling, and being productive. Egoforma is conditional.

Ecoforma and egoforma does not limit us from caring for a space. What they are attempting to describe is how our attitude or posture toward the landscape reveals to us the type of relationship we have to the land. In other words, the way we manage and view the landscape is a mirror into who we are.

Truthfully, we likely exist somewhere on a spectrum between the two that changes with time, mood, culture, knowledge, and life experience. Yet, as the complexity of world events continue to interrupt our awareness of safety and comfort it may be more necessary to liken ourselves toward an egoforma attitude.

Notes:
The two words, ecoforma and egoforma, are created using two Latin words, ego/eco and forma, together. Eco, in Latin, means “relationship.” Ego, in Latin, means “I”. Forma, in Latin, means “form, contour, figure, shape; appearance, beauty, an outline, pattern, design, or condition.”

Annual Meeting Recap

4/8/2020

Taylor Wilson, Conservation Technician and Outreach Assistant

The Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District held the Annual Meeting on February 20th to showcase their activities in 2019. During the meeting the District celebrated conservation, honored conservation awards winners, and held an election for a board supervisor. This year the District hosted Melissa Widhalm from the Purdue Climate Change Research Center to speak about climate change and Building Resiliency for Tomorrow's Climate.

Each year the district awards organizations and individuals for outstanding work in protecting our natural resources. Conservation awards for 2019 included Jason Armour from the City of Fishers Storm Water Program was awarded the Outstanding Partner of Urban Conservation award. Kim Gauen was awarded the new individual partnership award for Outstanding Partner of Urban Conservation The Nature Conservancy was awarded the Partner in Conservation award. Amy Jo Farmer of Farmers Gold, Inc. won the River Friendly Farmer award, and Jennifer Jacks from Sand Creek Elementary won Outstanding Natural Resources Educator. Doug Quear was also recognized with a Service Award for his contribution as Soil and Water District Board Supervisor since 2007.

Attendees re-elected Jared Kakasuleff as a supervisor for the Hamilton County SWCD Board. After the vote Hamilton County Council member Ken Alexander graciously conducted the oath of office. Jared is a grain farmer who lives in Arcadia, Indiana and has served 14 years on the SWCD board. Supervisors on the SWCD board give guidance and insight to the SWCD’s activities. The board meets once a month to discuss the goals of the District in relation to their five-year strategic plan. Board members serve a three-year term and donate their time to provide conservation leadership and help to protect the natural resources in Hamilton County.

COVID-19 Event Updates

4/7/2020

Claire Lane, Urban Conservationist

Statewide CISMA Conference Postponed
The statewide CISMA (Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area) conference originally scheduled for March 26th has been postponed until August 20th, 2020. Tickets will be honored on that date. More information on CEUs, an agenda, and registration options are all available at www.cisma2020.eventbrite.com

Postponed- 2020 Spring Sustainability Workshop- Invasive Species
The annual spring sustainability workshop, this year focusing on invasive species and their management, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We hope to reschedule this event for later in 2020 and will also be sharing a series of videos and/or online webinars and resources to help you learn about invasive species this spring. Hamilton County Weed Wrangles

Weed Wrangles
At this time, Weed Wrangles status is being decided on a case by case basis as there are developments. Check the Weed Wrangle website or with the event host directly for confirmation of even status. In late April and on Saturday May 2nd, the Hamilton County Invasives Partnership will be hosting a series of Weed Wrangles across Hamilton County. These events will be perfect opportunities to join with other like-minded individuals for a volunteer workday targeting invasive species that are threatening beloved local natural areas.
At Weed Wrangles, volunteers (supervised by an expert) across America are learning to identify and manage invasive plants. Six Weed Wrangles are being held in Hamilton County and we invite you to find one to be part of. Visit our Weed Wrangle webpage for more details and to learn how to sign up! https://www.hamiltonswcd.org/weedwrangle.html
Hamilton County Parks Weed Wrangle (Noblesville) 4/22/2020 from 1pm - 3pm

Potter's Bridge Park Fishers Spring Service Day 4/25/2020 from 8am-1pm Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve
Teter Organic Farm and Retreat Weed Wrangle (Noblesville) 5/1/2020 - Event is full
Fishers Weed Wrangle 5/2/2020 from 9am - 12 pm

Cheeney Creek Natural Area Hazel Landing Park Week Wrangle (Carmel) 5/2/2020 from 9am - 12 pm Hazel Landing Park
Westfield Weed Wrangle 5/2/2020 from 9am -12 pm Midland Trace Trail

Noblesville Weed Wrangle 5/2/20 from 9am-12pm Dillon Park