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→

The Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, its Center for Rural Health & Social Service Development, and the Farm Family Resource Initiative have a series of virtual sessions on farm succession to help farmers and farm families planning for the future and weighing retirement options. It is estimated more than 70 percent of the farmland... Continue reading→

Leaders from soil and water conservation districts from around the country gathered in San Diego February 10-14, 2024 for the National Association of Conservation Districts 78th Annual Meeting. “Getting together with people from all over the US, it broadens your horizons on what the conservation issues are,” said Steve Stierwalt, immediate past president of the... Continue reading→

Calendar details via Illinois Stewardship Alliance Advocacy in Action – Please join your fellow conservation colleagues, SWCD directors/staff, and stakeholders from across the state as we bring our message of clean water, healthy soil to Springfield and our state’s elected officials during Soil Health Week March 4-8. First, will you please download and print/post this... Continue reading→