Soil and water conservationists from around the state are meeting in Indianapolis this week at the annual convention of the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. IASWCD Executive Director Liz Rice says networking is a huge part of conservation efforts around the state.
“So, the great thing about this meeting is we have people from all over the state who are involved in conservation at their local soil and water conservation district as staff, we have NRCS partners here, we have ISDA, and, of course, we have producers and Soil and Water Conservation District supervisors from all over the state to network with each other, to learn, to advance our understanding of the science, and the purpose of conservation and why we do it.
“We always leave here feeling reconnected and recommitted to our mission of getting conservation on the land and respecting the blessings that we’ve been given for future generations.”
Rice says the SWCDs are the first line of defense for conservation here in the United States and especially across Indiana.
“We have just about the highest level of cover crop usage here, highest amount of no-till, and just generally getting conservation on the ground. So, Indiana is a great state to be for conservation and for land management, for land protection, and ensuring that we have clean water and healthy soil for generations to come. And it’s all thanks to our local soil and water conservation districts.”
Rice says they’ll make their way to the Statehouse Tuesday morning to thank Indiana legislators for their increased investment in Clean Water Indiana.
Hear the full HAT interview with Rice below.