An age-group winner by Morgan M.

Teachers, in both formal and home-school classrooms, and youth-group leaders are invited to participate in the 2012 Conservation Poster Contest.  This nation-wide contest, sponsored by the National Association of Conservation Districts is open to students in kindergarden through twelfth grade.  The theme this year is Soil to Spoon.  Interested teachers can read the contest rules   and send in the registration form.

The popular sport fish, largemouth bass. Photo courtesy of Uland Thomas, NANFA

Join Franklin Soil and Water for a Pond Management Clinic on March 8 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at ODNR Division of Wildlife, Region 1 Headquarters, 1500 Dublin Road, Columbus, OH 43215.

Steve Fender, from Fender’s Fish Hatchery, will talk about proper stocking rates so you can order knowledgeably from our fish sale.  He’ll also discuss pond management for the best fishing.  Martha Gilson, Franklin Soil and Water conservationist, will discuss algae control, pond installation regulations, pond stratification and the benefits of aeration.  Gary Comer, Assistant Wildlife Management Supervisor with ODNR, will talk about nuisance wildlife and ways to deal with Canada geese, muskrats and beavers around your pond. Harmful algal blooms will also be covered.

Cost is $5.00 per attendee.  Register online through PayPal or mail a check made out to Franklin Soil and Water along with this registration form.  Our address is 1328 Dublin Road, Suite 101, Columbus, OH 43215.

Butterflies on milkweed

One third of human food crops and 90% of flowering plants need animal pollinators for reproduction.  Pollinators include bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, birds and bats. Whether we realize it or not, each of us depends on pollinators to provide the wide range of foods we eat.  Abundant and healthy populations of pollinators can improve fruit set and quality, and increase fruit size.  On the farm, this improves production per acre.  In the wild, wildlife food sources increase.

According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) pollinators are in trouble.  Bees, bats and other animal pollinators face many challenges in the world today.  Habitat loss, disease, parasites and environmental contaminants have all contributed to the decline of many species of pollinators.

There are things that we can do in our own yards to help them thrive.  We can provide food and shelter by planting a variety of pollinator-friendly plants in our landscapes.  Shrubs and trees, including dogwood, locust, spicebush, sumac, blueberries and ninebark provide pollen and nectar at various times of the year starting in early spring.  Native flowers such as butterfly weed, asters, blazing stars and sunflowers provide a continuing food supply through the summer and into the fall.  Many also provide a food source for larvae, such as marsh milkweed does for the monarch caterpillar.  Consider planting a small native prairie patch or butterfly garden.  To attract many different pollinators, choose a wide variety of flower colors, shapes and fragrances that bloom at different seasons and heights.  Plant flowers in groups to increase pollination efficiency.

We can protect pollinators from accidental poisoning by eliminating or reducing the amount of pesticides we use in our yards.  When chemicals must be applied, they should be sprayed in the early morning or early evening when pollinators are not as active.

Provide a clean water source and consider leaving some dead tree trunks or branches for wood-nesting bees and beetles, as well as some leaf litter for shelter.  Areas of bare earth will provide ground-nesting insects easy access to underground tunnels.

To help create pollinator friendly landscapes, Franklin Soil and Water is offering a Bee and Butterfly Packet of trees and shrubs, packets of fruit trees and berries, a wide assortment of native perennials and seed packets that will provide three seasons of pollen and nectar.  You will be able to enjoy the gentle buzzing of bees in the garden, the colorful butterflies and flowers and also appreciate the fruits of their labors on your table for many years to come.

The redbud tree is one of the species available in the Homeowner Packet in the 2012 tree sale.

The 2012 Franklin Soil and Water Tree and Fish sale has begun.  This year, there are even more choices to help you put conservation practices on your land.  Several new conservation packets are available, including a Fall Color Packet to brighten your landscape; a Homeowner Packet with trees and shrubs for flowers, shade and winter interest; a Bee & Butterfly packet to support native pollinators (see article below); and a Peach Tree packet.  Yes, you can grow peaches in Ohio!

If you would rather pay for your order with a check, download the tree sale issue of Frankly Speaking, which has information about the fish, trees and conservation tools we are offering this year.  Frankly Speaking also has order forms.  If you just need to print an order form, here is one for the Fish Sale and here is one for the Tree Sale.
Tree Sale Online Ordering Open Now!

Important Dates

• March 8: Pond Clinic, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the ODNR Division of Wildlife, District 1 Headquarters, 1500 Dublin Road, Columbus, Ohio 43215.  Call (614) 486-9613 for more information.
• March 23: Last day to order fish.
• March 29: Fish Sale pick-up from noon to 1:00 p.m. behind the Franklin Soil and Water office at 1328 Dublin Road, Columbus, OH 43215
• March 30: Last day to order trees.
• April 20: Tree sale pick-up from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. behind the Franklin Soil and Water office at 1328 Dublin Road, Columbus, OH 43215
• April 21: Tree sale pick-up from 8:00 a.m. to noon behind the Franklin Soil and Water office.
• May 16: Rain garden kit pick-up date.  In our office, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Tree Sale Online Ordering Open Now!

Click here to download a registration form.  Please be sure to include name for all attendees.

Or register online with PayPal.

Tree planting at Hellbranch Meadows

This is the time of year that many nonprofit organizations remind you to review your charitable giving plans.  Did you know that gifts to Franklin Soil and Water may also be included with your other donations for tax purposes?   Our Conservation Fund is the beneficiary of proceeds from the annual tree and fish sale and the silent auction at the annual meeting, along with donations made through our Web site.

The Conservation Fund is how Franklin Soil and Water is able to implement or grow conservation projects that are not grant funded, including conservation easement acquisition, water quality improvement projects, demonstration rain gardens and tree plantings.  These projects vary in size and complexity from one-day volunteer tree plantings for Earth Day to neighborhood-wide green infrastructure planning.  In the same way, donations from a few dollars to thousands all play a role in protecting natural resources in Franklin County.  The cumulative value of small donations is shown every year in the Salvation Army’s red-kettle program.  Or if you would like to leave a legacy of clean water, productive soils, and improved wildlife habitat in Franklin County, feel free to contact assistant director, Emily Weber, at (614) 486-9613 about sponsoring or naming a Conservation Fund project.

If you would like to help conserve, protect and improve soil and water resources in Franklin County, type in your preferred amount in the “Donate Today!” box on the right side of this page and click “Contribute Now.”  This will allow you to use your credit card securely through PayPal.  You do not need a PayPal account to donate.

Teachers, did you know that you can receive continuing education credits through these fun and stimulating environmental education workshops?  Through a collaboration among Metro Parks and Delaware and Franklin Soil and Water Conservation Districts, four science-based workshops for educators will be held January through May 2012.

  Franklin Soil and Water environmental education specialist, Linda Pettit, is able to offer one graduate semester hour credit through Ashland University.  To receive credit, completion of any two sessions and the accompanying assignment is required.  Workshop information and fees are available here.

Responding to continuing requests from Franklin County landowners, Franklin Soil and Water staff are compiling lists of “Staff Picks” to help you in your efforts to protect soil and water resources and wildlife habitat.  The first of our Staff Picks is Plants to Attract Wildlife.  Many of these will be available from our annual tree and fish sale, so be sure to hit the “Contact Us” button at the top of the page and send me your information to be added to our mailing list.  The photo above is from Bob Harder who provides the wildflower seeds for our annual tree and fish sale.

Wildflowers:

Vine, Shrubs, Trees:

Hellbranch meadows with beans

Today,Bob Sherman, Water Quality Field Technician, and I took a trip to Hellbranch Meadows to see how harvesting was going.  The beans were smaller than Bob’s own fields because this area tends to be wet and it was a very wet spring, delaying planting.

You can see in the photo at the left where the combine has passed.  Even though my grandfather farmed, I didn’t know what a soybean looked like, so here is a photo of a handful of beans.

Soybeans

Combines are amazing machines.  They cut the plant and then separate the beans from the pods and the stalks.  When you  look at the photo below of the combine in the distance, the “dust” trail you see is the unneeded part of the plants being spread back on the field.

Combine in bean field at Hellbranch Meadows