Whiteside County conservation office shows its ‘stuff’ at Fair

MORRISON – Whiteside County Fair attendees have a chance this week to see how the Whiteside County Soil and Water Conservation District helps local residents.

District officials are manning a booth at the fair where seed packets with a mix of 42 regionally appropriate native grasses and wildflower species are being sold for $2 a packet. Fair-goers can also watch a rainfall simulator at 2 and 5:30 p.m. daily. Tree bundles and information on SWCD sales and equipment also will be available at the booth.

The SWCD functions as a first stop for conservation issues with the goal to assist citizens with conservation efforts that include wildlife management or control, plant identification, agronomy, native plant management and establishment, forestry, cover crop management, wetland development, erosion prevention, conservation education, and program guidance/cost share at the federal, state, and local levels.

For most SWCDs, the two main employees are the resource conservationist and administrative coordinator. In Whiteside County, Heather Luckritz is the resource conservationist and Tricia Paxson is the administrative coordinator. The SWCD receives state and sometimes local funding for these employees. The local SWCD board determines both salary and benefits for the positions, usually based upon other county government positions and employee qualifications.

Luckritz serves the SWCD as the technical adviser and is versed in local conservation practices and programs to assist internal and external clients by using their practical and research-based knowledge to offer their best advice. Another role is to be the public face of the SWCD and to implement SWCD board policies.

The administrative coordinator’s role is to act as an office manager and liaison between the SWCD board and employees. Some of their other job responsibilities may include being a media rep, bookkeeper, sales coordinator, file archivist, receptionist, information source for the SWCD board, and to implement federal and local program assistance.

Depending on the financial situation of the SWCD, other staff may be employed to handle conservation issues in the county. The most common is the education coordinator, who directs the SWCD’s youth and adult education programs. The EC is the liaison between the SWCD and the schools, both public and private. They present programs, develop educational materials as needed, set up displays, and interact with civic organizations to further the SWCD’s education goals.

The SWCD board’s main purpose is to formulate conservation and program policies based upon the Illinois SWCD Act and state law. The board also is the final authority on local project approval and cost share. The SWCD is also responsible for the oversight of taxpayer funds.

The Education Fund is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit formed to assist the SWCD board with programs the board doesn’t have the time or resources to work on. The main thrust is conservation education and special conservation projects. Until recently, the Fund solicited small donations for projects such as conservation and conservation education that the Fund board deemed to be matching SWCD goals. Employees are normally SWCD employees whose salaries were reimbursed to the SWCD. In the future, this organization may fulfill a more important role with the Conservation Education Center that’s in the works in the western part of Whiteside County.

The SWCD’s next big event is the fourth grade conservation day scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 28 at Mississippi Palisades State Park in Savanna. They’re expecting 700 students for the educational experience, with a conservation theme featuring presentations. Anyone interested in presenting can contact the office at 815-772-2124, Ext. 3, or visit whitesidecountyswcd.com for more information.

The Whiteside County office is located at the USDA Service Center, 400 Wilkens Drive in Morrison. Office hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Board meetings are at 5 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month.