Organization Profile
Our Mission
To provide guidance and education to the youth and adults of St. Joseph County and to administer programs to preserve, protect and improve soil, water, air, plant, and animal resources for future generations.
Our Vision
Working together to put conservation on the land and to spread the wisdom of conservation stewardship.
St. Joseph County Soil & Water Conservation PARTNERSHIP
The St. Joseph County Soil and Water Conservation Partnership is comprised of two government agencies, working together to help landowners protect our country's natural resources. The partnership consists of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the St. Joseph County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). The SWCD is referred to as simply “The District” at times.
What We Do
- Coordinate technical, financial, and education resources to meet local conservation needs
- Help landowners,managers, and residents make wise land use decisions
- Improve and protect our cropland
- Assist in stormwater management for construction projects
- Protect and develop our forests and preserve our wildlife
- Educate and provide awareness on the “how to’s” of natural resources conservation and the importance of conserving our natural resources
- Have a daily working relationship with the NRCS, including the fact that we assist in facilitating the USDA Farm Bill Programs that are administered through the NRCS.
- Serve as a member of the Michiana Stormwater Partnership, which includes providing educational and outreach components for the EPA’s National Pollution Discharge and Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II water quality program
- Newsletters - The District publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Conservation Kaleidoscope, that is available free to all residents of St. Joseph County and the surrounding areas. In 2010, as part of a Clean Water Indiana Grant, the District began to publish a supplementary newsletter called The Conservation Spotlight, which comes out roughly once-a-month. Learn more about our newsletters by CLICKING HERE.
- Programs - The District regularly sponsors programs on conservation in your backyard, pasture and manure management, forestry, sediment and erosion control, pond management and other such topics. If you need a special speaker for your community meeting or classroom, give us a call at 574.291.7444 x 3, and we’ll see if we can come up with something that meets your needs. Learn more by CLICKING HERE.
Other Resources Available From Our Office (For Free, For Sale and For Rent)
- For Free: Educators - We have a number of resource materials and tools that are available for use free of charge
- For Free: Many brochures and fact sheets on a wide variety of conservation issues. (Available free of charge if picked up)
- For Sale: Conservation Trees, Groundcover and Wildflowers. Click HERE for more information
- For Sale: Soil Survey CD (last updated in 2007)- $5.00 picked up or $7.00 mailed (You can access the continuously-updated Web Soil Survey (WSS) online at http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov or by doing a Google Search for “web soil survey”. There are help documents on the website to assist you, but feel free to give a call if you “get stuck”.
- For Sale: Marking/Survey Flags for sale: $.10 per flag
- For Sale: St. Joseph County SWCD’s FAT TRAPPER™ Starter Kit & FAT TRAPPER™ Refill Packs of Foil-Lined Bags
Finally, an end to the dilemma of how to dispose of cooking Fat, Oil, and Grease (FOG)!
The FAT TRAPPER™ countertop container with foil-lined bags is a perfect solution for FOG...
FAT TRAPPER™ Starter Kit (countertop receptacle & 2 foil-lined bags) - $5.00
FAT TRAPPER™ Refill Packs ~ 5 bags @ $3.00 or 10 bags @ $5.00
For more information on the important issue of FOGs, CLICK HERE
- For Rent: Warm Season Grass Drill
Through a partnership between the St. Joseph County SWCD and the Elkhart County SWCD, a warm season grass drill is available for rent.
The drill is used in area counties to promote the establishment of warm season grasses for wildlife areas. The drill can be used to plant food plots, seed filter strips, and pasture plantings.
To use the drill, you will need access to a 90 hp tractor with an external hydraulic system.
Landowners who are interested in planting pastures and hay will be charged a flat fee of $50 for the first five acres. After the first five acres, there will be a charge of $5 per acre.
Those who wish to plant warm season grasses, food plots, and filter strips will be charged a flat fee of $25 regardless of the number of acres planted.
Please contact the St. Joseph County SWCD staff at 574.291.7444, x 3, if you are interested in renting this drill.
- Still Haven’t Found What You’re Looking For?
Need a Plat Book? You can purchase one at the South Bend office of Farm Credit Services (574-291-1277; 5310 South Main Street, South Bend, IN)
The LaPorte County SWCD has a number of products available. Visit them online at www.laporteswcd.com or call them at 219.362.6633, x 3.
The Elkhart County SWCD has a number of products available. Visit them online at www.elkcoswcd.org or call them at 219.362.6633, x 3.
The Kosciusko County SWCD has a number of products available. Call them at 574.267.7445 x 116
In fact, many of Indiana’s 92 SWCD’s have items for free, for purchase or for rent. Find more SWCD websites at THIS LINK.
You can also try clicking on some of the Google search results for a “Indiana SWCD for rent” ... Follow THIS LINK to see the results of this search.
***All St. Joseph County SWCD programs and services are offered on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status or handicap.
***All St. Joseph County SWCD services and many programs are available free of charge.
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