On November 2, the Lucas Soil and Water Conservation District board and staff were joined by 65 members of the community at the 58th meeting held at Strawberry Acres Lodge in Holland.
Guest speaker Jamie Forbush, education director at Nature’s Nursery, discussed the nursery’s mission and exponential growth in recent years. She also introduced Greta the Opossum and Lefty the box turtle.
The LSWCD also recognized several community members for their partnerships and commitment to conservation.
The 2022 Conservation Educator of the Year award was presented to Kristina Patterson, executive director of Partners for Clean Streams. “Over the years, she has been an outstanding partner of the Lucas SWCD and an integral part of the water conservation and stewardship efforts in northwest Ohio,” explained Joey Warner, district manager.
Most recently, she partnered with the district and the University of Toledo–Lake Erie Center on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration bay-watershed education and training grant project to provide water quality education and training to local teachers.
This project also includes hands-on field experience with students while cruising on the Sandpiper boat. To date, 20 teachers and 124 students have benefited from the project, which will wrap up next summer.
The 2022 Cooperator of the Year award was given to Doug and Joe Box, two producers from Providence Township who manage more than 750 acres of individual and family farmland.
For the past three years, they have participated in the eField Program assisting with field-level agricultural research done by the Ohio State University college of food, agricultural and environmental sciences.
The brothers also were among the first to sign up for the H2Ohio program in 2020 and have been steadfast participants in the program ever since.
The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program award for 2022 was awarded to Bill and Cynthia Wauford of Jerusalem Township. They have enrolled approximately 30 acres of their property in the Lake Erie CREP and H2Ohio Wetlands programs, and also installed filter strips and windbreaks throughout the project area.
Sandhill cranes, wood ducks, bald eagles and many species of water fowl as well as river otters and American beavers can be seen benefiting from the habitat the couple established and preserved.
The board and staff expressed appreciation to the award recipients and all who worked hard and are dedicated to conservation education and on-the-ground efforts to protect and preserve natural resources.
During the meeting, the LSWCD re-elected Diane DeYonker and Tom Schoen to the board of supervisors for another three-year term beginning January 1, 2023.
