MONROE SOIL & = WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT NEWSLETTER

= &nb= sp;117 North Main Str= eet Woodsfield, Ohio 43793 (740) 472-0833 &nbs= p; http://monroeswcd.org

= &n= bsp; &nbs= p; = Tammy Jones, Program Manager &nb= sp; = ; &= nbsp; Dave Scho= tt, Wildlife/Forestry Specialist

Monroe SWCD Donate= s to Community Garden

The Board of Supervisors of the Monroe Soil and Water Conservation= District made the decision to donate $100 from the= profit of the 2010 tree sale and food plot seed sales.

The Community Garden Project began early in 2010 and has be= en progressing quickl= y. Twenty 4’X12’ raised beds were constructed at the Parr= y Museum behind the one room school house. The Construction Trades Ju= nior Class, under the instruction of Mr. Daugherty, assembled the boxes.&nb= sp; Mike Sechrest, instructor at the Belmont Correctional Institution= , brought his students from the vocational horticulture and turf/landscape = management program to the garden. These individuals positioned and

Various activities are being planned at the Community Garde= n this summer. Workshops on herbs, gardening, rain barrels and preser= ving food are in the works. Watch the “Dates to Remember”= section of this newsletter for dates and times.

leveled the raised beds, added the soils, mulched = the walkways, and built the picket fence.

Through donations, Woodsfield Elementary will have two beds at the= Museum Site. St. Sylvester Elementary will have a raised bed at the = school.

J= ones Elected Secretary of Employees Association

<= /span>The Ohio Associati= on of Soil and Water Conservation District Employees (OASWCDE) Board of Dir= ectors held its election of officers at the April 22nd meeting in Columbus.= Joe Perry, Sandusky SWCD, was re-elected President, Dan Donald= son, Lake SWCD, was re-elected Vice President, Tammy Jones, Monroe SWCD, wa= s elected Secretary, and Tia Rice, Seneca SWCD, was re-elected Treasurer.

The OASWCDE is an organization that = promotes the professional development of district = employees, enhances cooperation between distr= icts through improved communications and

information sharing, and establishes a platform fr= om which to communicate with affiliated state and national associations.

The state is separated into 5 areas; each area has two SWCD= employees representing it. The Monroe SWCD lies in Area 3 which also= includes Knox, Licking, Perry, Holmes,= Coshocton, Muskingum, Morgan, Tuscarawas, Guernsey, Noble, Was= hington, Carroll, Harrison, Belmont, an= d Jefferson counties.

Directors of the OASWCDE for 2010 are:

Area 1 Joe Perry &nbs= p; = Sandusky SWCD=

= Tia Rice = &n= bsp; &nbs= p; Seneca SWCD

Area 2 Vacant

= Dan Donaldson &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nb= sp; Lake SWCD

Area 3 Tammy Jones &nb= sp; Monroe SWCD

= Ryan Fink &nbs= p; = Muskingum &nbs= p; SWCD<= /p>

Area 4 Julia Cumming &n= bsp; Madison SWCD

= Jim Dillon &nb= sp; = ; Montgomery &n= bsp; SWCD

Area 5 Cathy Bobo &nbs= p; = Athens SWCD

= Dona Rhea &nbs= p; = Delaware SWCD

Jones was appointed to the OASWCDE Board of Directors= in 2009 to fill a vacancy left by Kimberly Arbaugh of the Harrison S= WCD. The unexpired term runs through 2011.

D= ATES TO REMEMBER

&= nbsp;

May 24th– Bee Meeting—6:00PM- &nbs= p; = &n= bsp; &nb= sp; Senior Citizens C= enter

May 24th—Monroe SWCD Board Meeting, 8:00 PM, = &n= bsp; SWCD Office

May 31st– Office Closed-Memorial = Day

June 7– Plant Swap– 7:00 PM St. Clairsv= ille &nb= sp; = ; Memorial Park

June 8-Plant Swap-7:00 PM - Parry Museum

June 28th—Monroe SWCD Board Meeting, 8:00 PM, = ; &= nbsp; SWCD Office

July 5th– Office Closed –In= dependence Day

July 25-27– Summer Supervisor School (SSS)

M= an Pleads Guilty to Poaching $23,000 Trophy Buck

Largest restitutio= n for a poached deer ever imposed in Ohio

West Union, OHR= 11; A Scioto County man pled guilty to four wildlife violations in Adams Co= unty Court on Friday, April 30 and was ordered to pay $23,572.05 in restitu= tion, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), D= ivision of Wildlife.

Johnny B. Clay, 37, of Minford pled guilty to four ch= arges including taking a deer in a closed sea= son, hunting without permission, no hunting license and no deer permit.&nbs= p; The Honorable Judge Roy E. Gabbert Jr. presided over the case and ordere= d Clay to pay $1,500 in fines, an additional $134 court costs, and to forfe= it the deer as well as bow he

used to kill it.

In addition, Clay will lose his hunting privileges for life= . Clay had 10 prior wildlife convictions for deer violations and has = spent time in jail for several of those offenses. He will be entered = into the Wildlife Violator’s Compact and most likely will lose huntin= g rights in 33 other states.

The Division of Wildlife is also imposing restitution for t= he deer in the amount of $23,572.05. This is in accordance with Ohio&= #8217;s revised restitution law for illegal taking of white-tailed deer.&nb= sp; The law went into effect March 2008 and allows the Division of Wildlife= to seek an increased recovery value on all illegally harvested

wildlife.

The typical trophy deer, scored according to Boone & Cr= ockett (B&C) guidelines, netted an impressive 197 2/8. This deer,= was the largest typical white-tailed deer harvested in North America durin= g 2009. In Ohio, this deer would rank fourth all time in the Buckeye = Big Buck Club records.

Concerned citizens contacted Ohio Wildlife officers Chris R= ice and Chris Gilkey about the questionable taking of the trophy deer in Ma= rch 2010. Upon closer investigation, the officers discovered th= at the deer was unlawfully taken in Adams County, Ohio during 2009. C= lay then checked the deer in as a Kentucky archery kill.

<= span dir=3Dltr>5th Grade Field Day Goes on Despite Weather

Natural Resources Division of Forestry, disc= ussed wood products. Monroe SWCD’s own Dave Schott brought in h= is tools for honey bee keeping. After his presentation, students were= given sheets of bees wax to make candles.

Despite the weather, the participants seemed to enjoy thems= elves.

information was shared with the students by Mark L= andefeld of OSU Extension. Southeastern Ohio Joint Solid Waste Distri= ct’s Kathy Bartunek talked about litter, landfills and recycling.&nbs= p; Ann Bonner, Urban Forester of the Ohio Department of

&n= bsp; Eventhough it was = rainy and cold, 5th grade field day went on as it has since its inception.&= nbsp; Over 200 fifth grade students from Hannibal, Sardis, Skyvue, Beallsvi= lle, Powhatan, Woodsfield and St.= Sylvester Elementary Schools were in attendance.

With a modified agenda, students were educated = in different areas. Always a hit, John and Bess Lusk and Glenda Thoma= s of the Monroe County Farm Bureau did the presentation on the = Pizza Farm. Students enjoyed samples. Brian Porterfield o= f the Belmont SWCD showed the effects of non-point source pollution with th= e Enviroscape model. Pam Myer of the Wayne National Fores= t demonstrated the tools needed to fight a forest fire. Deer and Turk= ey

Above: Kathy Bartunek discusses recycling with the st= udents at 5th Grade Field Day.

2010 CSP Sign-Up Deadline Nears

= Woodsfield, Ohio May 10, 2010—Monroe County landowners still have time to sign= up for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) at their local Natural R= esources Conservation Service (NRCS) office but the deadline for getting si= gned up for the second CSP ranking period is quickly approaching. Acc= ording to NRCS District Conservationist ,Jeff Bettinger, now is the time fo= r landowners and producers who have considered applying for CSP to get sign= ed up and submit documentation. USDA has announced the national cutoff date= for CSP is June 11, which requires landowners submit applications quickly.=

“If you’ve heard about = the new CSP and talked with other local producers or read about others invo= lved with it, now is the time to roll up your sleeves and get your conserva= tion operation on the list of those recognized for a quality conservation c= ommitment,” explains Bettinger. “It’s important that you = get your application and paperwork submitted so you can be part of the 2010= CSP ranking period and funding cycle,” Bettinger adds.

According to Jeff Bettinger, the cl= ock is ticking for program sign-up this fiscal year. USDA just announced th= e final cutoff date, which gives producers a brief window of opportunity to= get signed up for the CSP signup in 2010.

Ohio State Conservationist Terry Co= sby confirms NRCS teams across the state are ready to work with producers a= nd start the process. “If you’re already an NRCS cooperator and= are in the system, just meet with local field office staff. Let them know = you’re ready for CSP.” Ag producers or landowners who are new t= o NRCS or USDA will need to schedule an appointment and complete the applic= ation process and get the ball rolling.

CSP is a voluntary program that enc= ourages producers to maintain existing conservation activities and adopt ad= ditional practices on their operations. The program is popular for producer= s who go the extra mile with conservation and sustainable operations—= whether they’ve accomplished goals on their own, with other conservat= ion partners, or through USDA and NRCS programs.

“CSP is the perfect program b= ecause it recognizes ag producers and landowners who do the right things an= d it moves them forward as they add new resource protection practices on th= eir land,” Jeff Bettinger adds.

While CSP applications are accepted= on a continuous basis, only applications received by the national cutoff d= ate of June 11 will be considered for funding in fiscal year 2010. For more= information about CSP, including eligibility requirements, visit your coun= ty USDA Service Center in Barnesville today.

Woodsfield, Ohio May 1= 0, 2010—= ;Monroe County landowners still have time to sign up for the Conservation S= tewardship Program (CSP) at their local Natural Resources Conservation Serv= ice (NRCS) office but the deadline for getting signed up for the second CSP= ranking period is quickly approaching. Accor= ding to NRCS District Conservationist ,Jeff Bettinger, now is the time for = landowners and producers who have considered applying for CSP to get signed= up and submit documentatio= n. USDA has announced the national cutoff date for CSP is June 11, which re= quires

landowners submit applications quickly= .

“If you’ve heard about the new CSP and talked= with other local producers or read about others involved with it, now is t= he time to roll up your sleeves and get your conservation operation on the = list of those recognized for a quality conservation commitment,” expl= ains Bettinger. “It’s important that you get your application a= nd paperwork submitted so you can be part of the 2010 CSP ranking period an= d funding cycle,” Bettinger adds.

According to Jeff Bettinger, the clock is ticking for pro= gram sign-

up this fiscal year. USDA just &n= bsp; announced the final cutoff date, w= hich gives producers a brief window of opportunity to get signed up for the= CSP signup in 2010.

Ohio State Conservationist Terry Cosby confirms NRCS team= s across the state are ready to work with producers and start the process. = “If you’re already an NRCS cooperator and are in the system, ju= st meet with local field office staff. Let them know you’re ready for= CSP.” Ag producers or landowners who are new to NRCS or USDA will ne= ed to schedule an appointment and complete the application process and get = the ball rolling.

<= span dir=3Dltr>2010 Poster Contest Winners Announced

<= /span>Each year the Nati= onal Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) hosts a poster contest.&n= bsp; The contest begins at the local level with the Soil and Water Conserva= tion Districts. Local winners advance to the State Contes= t which is hosted by the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Dis= tricts Auxiliary.

Posters are judged by the following grades: K-1, 2-3,= 4-6, 7-9, 10-12

Three local schools participated in the contest;

Monroe Central, Skyvue, and St. Sylvester. T= here was a total of 130 entries; 108 from MCHS alone.

The Board of Supervisors judged the posters at the April 26= th board meeting. They decided to pick 1st and 2nd place winners even= though only 1st place will go on to the state competition. First pla= ce winners were awarded $25 checks, with second place receiving $15 checks.=

Winners were as follows:

K= -1 1st place Elizabeth Schnegg, 2nd place Julian Stuckey both

from St. Sylvester

<= span dir=3Dltr>4-6 1st place Cassidy = Rainey, 2nd place Ashtin Austin both from St. Sylvester

<= span dir=3Dltr>7-9 1st place Al exiss Gardner, 2nd= place Darlene Weddle both from MCHS

<= span dir=3Dltr>10-12 1st place Josh Duffy, 2nd Place= Kelly Winland both from MCHS

We appreciate the hard work that each student put into thei= r artwork. We hope to have even larger participation next year.

Poster Contest Winners Left L to R Kelly Winland = and Josh Duffy of Monroe Central. Center St. Sylvester St= udents Julian Stuckey, Ashtin Austin, Cassidy Rainey, and Elizabeth Schnegg= . Right: Alexiss Gardner and Darlene Weddle of Monroe Central.&= nbsp;

H= ONEY BEE MEETING

Monday, May 24, 20= 10

Monroe County Seni= or Citizens Center 118 Home Ave., Woodsfield

6:00 PM

Discussion Leaders:

Gerald Haney–= ; Monroe County Bee Inspector

Dave Schott-Monroe= SWCD

Raymond Bauer̵= 1; Monroe County BeeKeeper

For more informati= on contact the OSU Extension Office at

(740) 472-0810 or = Monroe SWCD at (740) 472-083.

Monroe Soil And Wat= er Conservation District and NRCS prohibits discrimination on the bas= is of race, color, national origin, gender, disability, age, sexual orienta= tion, religion, political beliefs, and marital or family = status.