The Association of Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Districts brought board members and employees of Soil & Water Conservation Districts, Conservation Planners from the Capacity Building Initiative, and other supporters of soil health to the Illinois State Capitol for Soil Health Week 2024. AISWCD board members participated in Lobby Day on Wednesday March 6, and... Continue reading→

The Fiscal Year 2024 funds are now available online. Update April 10: Deadline for FY 2024 Section 319(h) Nonpoint Source Pollution Notice of Funding Opportunities has been extended to May 15, 2024 at Noon. The NOFOs are available online.   Information on the Illinois Nonpoint Source Pollution Management program can be found at: https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/water-quality/watershed-management/nonpoint-sources.html  Information on... Continue reading→

AISWCD Executive Director Dr. Michael Woods says thanks to everyone who attended 2024 Soil Health Week Lobby Day Wednesday and The Art and Science of Soil Health Advocacy in Action Day Thursday at the Illinois State Capitol. Couldn’t make it to Springfield for the Soil Health Week rallies? You can still make an impact. Contact... Continue reading→

Rylee Phillips was a winner in the Association of Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Districts’ 2024 Illinois Soil Health Week Essay Contest. She’s a fifth grader from Mulberry Grove and represents Bond County Soil & Water Conservation District.  See also story on fellow winner Toby Williams for Stark County Soil & Water Conservation District. Watch... Continue reading→

Toby Williams was a winner in the Association of Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Districts’ 2024 Illinois Soil Health Week Essay Contest. The Stark County High School freshman, of Toulon, represents Stark County Soil & Water Conservation District.  See also story on fellow winner Rylee Phillips for Bond County Soil & Water Conservation District.  Watch... Continue reading→

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the launch of a new Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) conservation effort – the Northern Bobwhite Pilot Project, which offers agricultural producers and landowners the tools to conserve wildlife habitat for northern bobwhite quail by improving East-Central grasslands while achieving other critical conservation benefits, including sequestering carbon and... Continue reading→

Press release (copy and send to your local media) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Association of Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Districts (AISWCD) will host The Art and Science of Soil Health Advocacy in Action Day, featuring the Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources (STAR) initiative, in the Capitol Rotunda March 7. The day will feature presentations from... Continue reading→

AISWCD Executive Director Dr. Michael Woods composed this letter to the editor in response to a January 28, 2024 front page story in the Chicago Tribune . . . Karina Atkins’ January 28 portrayal “Illinois farmers struggle to balance livelihoods with reducing agricultural runoff, a major contributor to Gulf dead zone” addresses the realization agricultural...

Announcing the 2024 National Association of Conservation Districts Stewardship Week Theme: May The Forest Be With You Always. The educational materials are available for FREE download. More details may be found on the NACD Contest website. Teachers: here’s some resources to integrate the contest into the curriculum | Empowering Actions lesson plan | Tree Life Cycle... Continue reading→

Since taking on his role as Executive Director of AISWCD, Dr. Michael Woods has enjoyed visiting regional meetings to celebrate conservation efforts while sharing the importance of soil and water conservation districts and to boost local voices within the Association. “SWCD staff and directors are the linchpins to local conservation, those in our cause that... Continue reading→