LaGrange County Soil & Water Conservation District
Public Board Meeting
Board Meetings are on the 4th Tuesday of every Month at 6:00 p.m.
ParGil Learning Resource Center
2335 N. State Road 9
LaGrange, IN 46761
2023 Northern Indiana Grazing Conference
The grazing conference was held on Friday February 3 and Saturday, February 4 at the Michiana Event Center (MEC) located at 455 E. Farver St., Shipshewana, IN 46565.
This year we had 2,545 people attend! Thank you to everyone who made this event possible!
Tree Sales
Our annual trees sales have started for spring 2023 pickup. Click here for a brochure and order form or call the office at (260) 463-3166 ext. 3 to have a brochure mailed to you
Quarterly Newsletter
School Programs and Field Trips
Kindergarten thru 2nd grade
Grades 3-6
VIDEO: The Dirt on Soils: Mineral Mania and Mineral Mania Lab Sheet
SJRBC North Branch Elkhart River Stream gage Installation
The St. Joseph River Basin Commission recently completed a Flood Risk Management Plan for the North Branch of the Elkhart River. Following recommendations provided in the plan, three new stream gages have been installed within the watershed, two of which are in LaGrange County. Click here to learn more on how you can easily help with this process.
Please note our District phone number:
(260) 463-3166 x 3
2023 Annual Meeting
ParGil Pollinator Project
In 2019 the District partnered with the LaGrange County Pheasant's Forever Chapter #592 to create a habitat at ParGil for pollinators. The Pheasant's Chapter awarded a grant to cover some of the expenses involved and the District provided the 3 acre field located in the back acreage of the 40 acre property. The field had previously been planted to warm season grass. After much planning and preparation, a specialized seed mix was frost seeded. Here are a few pictures showing the start and finished field.
March 2, 2021 June 14, 2021
The local Pheasant's Chapter #592 has since disbanned but a part of it will live on through the education and support they have provided to our community.
Click here to view a PowerPoint presentation Martin Franke put together
regarding pollinators.
Scholarship Opportunity
This year's scholarship winner is Luke Sharp, a 2018 graduate from Westview.
Luke is a senior at Oklahoma State University majoring in Animal Science.
Congratulations to Luke and best of luck in your endeavors!
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The District awards up to two scholarships each year to students living in LaGrange County and furthering their education in agriculture or natural resources conservation. If you are interested in applying for this scholarship, click here for an application.
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Under New guidelines from Indiana Department of Environmental Mangement (IDEM) NOIs for building projects can now be listed on our website. The Projects listed have filed paperwork that requires the LaGrange County SWCD to review these projects before they can proceed with development. These reviews are public information and can be viewed by calling our District Office.
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Uploaded 7/10/2023
William and Phyllis Troyer (1850 W 450 N, Howe, IN 46746) is submitting a Notice of Intent to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management of our intent to comply with the requirements of Construction Stormwater General Permit to discharge stormwater from construction activities associated with Troyer P.U.D. located at 1890 W 450 N, Howe, IN 46746. Runoff from the project site will be contained on site. The project site is located within one 14-digit Hydrologic water shed, which is 04050001120050 Pigeon River. Please direct questions to William Troyer at (260) 562-3815.
Uploaded 7/12/2023
Kenneth and Ruby Yoder (7110 N 675 W, Shipshewana, IN 46565) are submitting a Notice of Intent to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management of our intent to comply with the requirements of Construction Stormwater General Permit to discharge stormwater from construction activities associated with Pigeon River Designs P.U.D. located at 7110 N 675 W, Shipshewana, IN 46565. Run-off from the project site will be contained on site. This project is located within the 14-digit hydrologic water shed 04050001120050 Pigeon River and 12 digit hydrologic 040500010807 Fawn River. Please direct questions to Kenny Yoder at (260) 768-7649 or by email at kenny@pigeonriverdesigns.com.
ICSGP NOIs
Latest Project
Volunteer Jackie Myers helps the District with our Hoosier Riverwatch stream monitoring on Fawn River. She is looking at macroinvertebrates taken from (then replaced) in the river. The purpose of this program is to monitor the quality of water in the river. The District will be monitoring the four watersheds in LaGrange County including Fawn River, Pigeon River, Little Elkhart Creek, and Elkhart River North Branch. It is our hope in the future that schools will become involved to teach our youth the importance of water as a natural resouce.
"There are two things that interest me: the relation of people to each other, and the relation of people to the land."
-Aldo Leopold
News 1
We received Great Lakes Commission Grant for sediment and Nutrient Reduction in the Fawn River for $138,000.00. We plan to finish this grant in September 2021.
News 2
Great Lakes Commission Grant for conservation implementation in the North Branch of the Elkhart River for $200,000.00 is complete and the final report has been submitted.
News 3
Great Lakes Commission Grant with the Pigeon River is complete and the final report has been submitted.
This project was done in LaGrange County to reduce erosion, stabilize stream bank, and improve surface quality.
Before
After
USDA, SWCD, AND CONSERVATION PARTNERS ARE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROVIDERS, EMPLOYERS, AND LENDERS