Newsletters

1.  The Conservation Kaleidoscope

The St. Joseph County SWCD publishes an 8-page newsletter, The Conservation Kaleidoscope, on a quarterly basis. The Conservation Kaleidoscope reaches out to more than 1200 people, from homeowners to businesses, to governmental agencies. The Conservation Kaleidoscope contains information and events on soil and water conservation projects, district programs and services, the annual tree sale, and educational events.

GO GREEN - With rising costs and budget cuts, the District is juggling funds so that more funds are available for conservation and conservation education programs. 

Please help us defray costs of printing and mailing our newsletter and let us deliver it electronically. Please review the benefits:

• We'll save money on postage and printing  
• We'll be able to share more conservation news, stories, and articles with you
• Newsletter articles will be available online for download
• We'll be conserving natural resources

Subscribe to The Conservation Kaleidoscope- To subscribe to our free newsletter, e-mail us at  contact the office staff at 574-291-7444 ext 3.  Just let us know if you would prefer to receive your newsletter through e-mail or snail mail.  

If you already receive our newsletter through snail mail and would like to GO GREEN, e-mail us at

 or contact the office staff at 574-291-7444 ext 3. 

Previous issues of the newsletter can be accessed in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format from the links below.  If you have never downloaded the free Adobe Reader program that is necessary to read these files, you can download it by CLICKING HERE.  

You can also view the recent previous issues of The Conservation Kaleidoscope in your browser through our Google Documents portal by CLICKING HERE.  

2011 Oct/Nov/Dec Newsletter (.pdf; 972 kb) - CURRENT ISSUE    

2011 July/Aug/Sept Newsletter (.pdf; 593 kb) 

 2011 Apr/May/Jun Newsletter (.pdf; 674 kb) 

 2011 Jan/Feb/Mar Newsletter (.pdf; 695 kb)

 2010 Oct/Nov/Dec Newsletter (.pdf; 847 kb)

 2010 July/Aug/Sept Newsletter (.pdf; 1246 kb)

 2010 Apr/May/June Newsletter (.pdf; 725 kb)   

 2010 Jan/Feb/Mar Newsletter (.pdf; 609 kb)

 2009 Oct/Nov/Dec Newsletter (.pdf; 644 kb)

 2009 July/Aug/Sept Newsletter  (.pdf; 500 kb)

2.  The Conservation Spotlight

In 2010, with the financial assistance from a Clean Water Indiana Grant, the St. Joseph County SWCD also published a supplemental newsletter called The Conservation Spotlight.   While The Conservation Kaleidoscope is aimed at a broad audience, each issue of the The Conservation Spotlight focuses on a particular audience (Producers/Farmers; Homeowners/Renters; Wildlife Enthusiasts, etc.).

Each issue of The Conservation Spotlight can be accessed in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format from the links below.  

You can also view the recent previous issues of The Conservation Spotlight in your browser through our Google Documents portal by CLICKING HERE.  

 The Conservation Spotlight 1.8 (November/December 2010) (Producers) (.pdf; 301 kb) - FINAL ISSUE

 The Conservation Spotlight 1.7 (October 2010) (Wildlife Enthusiasts/Backyard Conservationists) (.pdf; 271 kb)

 The Conservation Spotlight 1.6 (September 2010) (Homeowners/Renters) (.pdf; 210 kb)

 The Conservation Spotlight 1.5 (August 2010) (Producers) (.pdf; 181 kb)

 The Conservation Spotlight 1.4 (July 2010) (Citizens living in the St. Joseph River Watershed) (.pdf; 627 kb)

 The Conservation Spotlight 1.3 (May 2010) (Producers) (.pdf; 947 kb)

 The Conservation Spotlight 1.2 (April 2010) (Homeowners/Renters) (.pdf; 1879 kb)

The Conservation Spotlight 1.1 (March 2010) (Producers) (.pdf; 1090 kb)

3.  The Environmental Educator

The St. Joseph County SWCD also distributes an annual electronic newsletter called The Environmental Educator.  

This newsletter is emailed at the beginning of each school year, and is aimed at educators (school, home, daycare, etc.) who are interested in booking our office for programs.  Check out the Education & Outreach page of this website for even more information on programs we offer for students.  

Subscribe to The Environmental Educator - To subscribe to this free newsletter, e-mail us at

 or contact the office staff at 574-291-7444 ext 3.  Just let us know if you would prefer to receive your newsletter through e-mail or snail mail.  

Previous issues of The Environmental Educator can be accessed in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format from the links below.  

 You can also view the recent previous issues of The Environmental Educator in your browser through our Google Documents portal by CLICKING HERE.  

The Environmental Educator (Fall 2010) (.pdf 29 kb) 

The Environmental Educator (Fall 2009) (.pdf 34 kb) 

Publications

1. St. Joseph County SWCD Annual Reports    

These reports are annual summaries of the work of the St. Joseph County SWCD. They are published each year in the January after the wrap-up of the previous year.

Issues of our Annual Report be accessed in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format from the links below. 

To view printed copies of Annual Reports not listed below, contact our office at 574.291.7444 ext. 3 or email us at  

 2010 Annual Report (.pdf; 1984 kb)  - CURRENT ISSUE

 2009 Annual Report (.pdf; 7.51 mb)

 2008 Annual Report (.pdf; 434 kb) 

2007 Annual Report (.pdf; 1253 kb) 

2. St. Joseph County SWCD Annual Financial Reports    

These reports are annual summaries of the finances of the St. Joseph County SWCD. They are published each year in the January or February after the wrap-up of the previous year.

Issues of our Annual Financial Report be accessed in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format from the links below. 

To view printed copies of Annual Financial Reports not listed below, contact our office at 574.291.7444 ext. 3 or email us at

 2010 Annual Financial Report (.pdf; 14 kb) - CURRENT ISSUE

2009 Annual Financial Report (.pdf; 16.3 kb) 

2008 Annual Financial Report (.pdf ;14 kb) 

2007 Annual Financial Report (.pdf; 16.7 kb) 

2006 Annual Financial Report (.pdf ;16.7 kb) 

2005 Annual Financial Report(.pdf ;16.2 kb) 

3. St. Joseph County SWCD Board Meeting Minutes

You can view the St. Joseph County SWCD monthly meeting minutes from recent years in your browser through our Google Documents portal by CLICKING HERE . 

To view printed copies of the minutes, contact our office at 574.291.7444 ext. 3 or email us at

4. St. Joseph County SWCD Business Plan for 2008-2012

2008-2012 Business Plan (.pdf; 2.61 mb) 

5. Electronic Brochures, Fact Sheets, News Releases and Other Information Developed/Adapted by the St. Joseph County SWCD  

To view printed copies of these materials contact our office at 574.291.7444 ext. 3 or email us at

 Recent St. Joseph County SWCD Press Releases can be viewed in your browser through our Google Documents Portal by CLICKING HERE.  These include:  

• February 2, 2011 "Cover It Green" Cover Crop Cost-Share Program Press Release
• November 24, 2010 Protecting Indiana's Water Supply Video Available Online and on DVD  
• August 9, 2010 Foresty Field Day Press Release (Pre-Event)
• July 23, 2010 Waterlife Film Screening Press Release (Pre-Event)
• July 29, 2010 Cover Crop Workshop Press Release (Pre-Event)
• May 7, 2010 "Cover It Green" Cover Crop Cost-Share Program Press Release
• March 23, 2010 Producers' Breakfast & Recertification Workshop Press Release (Post-Event)

10 Things You Can Do to Improve Water Quality in Indiana (2-Page Brochure) (.pdf; 228 kb) 

Compost and Composting Slideshow (15-Pages) (.pdf; 1.02 mb) 

How to Make a Rain Barrel (2-Page Leaflet) (.pdf; 52.6 kb) 

Keep Your Drains Free of Fat, Oil & Grease: A Guide for Homes, Businesses, and Food Establishments on Proper Disposal of Fat, Oil, & Grease (FOG) (2-Page Brochure) (.pdf; 308 kb) 

Protecting Indiana's Water Supply Video Available Online and on DVD  (2-Page Press Release) (.pdf; 67 kb)   

Recycling Rainwater: How to Save Money and Conserve Water with Rain Barrels (2-Page Brocure) (.pdf; 219 kb) 

Sammy Soil: A Coloring Book Story (Adapted by St. Joseph County SWCD from the Sammy Soil story by Ernest H. Whitaker and Sandra L. Purdue; Designed by Melanie Anderson) (18-Page Booklet) (.pdf; 2.00 mb) 

Stormwater Activity Guide Booklet (Adapted by the St. Joseph County SWCD) (13-Page Booklet) (.pdf; 3.98 mb) 

Thirstin’s Wacky Water Adventure (Adapted by the St. Joseph County SWCD) (13-Page Booklet) (.pdf; 749 kb) 

Water Conservation Around the Home: How to Save Money and Conserve Water (2-Page Brochure) (.pdf; 134 kb)

Web Soil Survey Excerpts/Tutorial (8-Page Pamphlet) (.pdf; 250 kb) 

Where Can I Buy a Compost Bin or Rain Barrel Locally? (1-Page Leaflet) (.pdf; 39.2 kb)