Long Range Plan.pdf

FAYETTE SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT

Page

Foreword .............................................................................................................................................................3

Mission Statement ..............................................................................................................................................3

Map & Statistics ..................................................................................................................................................4

District Organization ...........................................................................................................................................5

Policy ....................................................................................................................................................................5

Inventory of Natural Resources

Soil Resources ...................................................................................................................................................6

Water Quality ......................................................................................................................................................6

Woodland ...........................................................................................................................................................7

Wildlife ................................................................................................................................................................7

Trends Since 1980

Hog Numbers ....................................................................................................................................................8

Cattle Numbers .................................................................................................................................................8

Farmland Acres ................................................................................................................................................9

Population .........................................................................................................................................................9

Population of Surrounding Counties .............................................................................................................10

Areas of Emphasis

Conservation Practices .................................................................................................................................12

Drainage .........................................................................................................................................................12

Geographic Information System ...................................................................................................................13

Education ........................................................................................................................................................13

Partnerships and Communication ................................................................................................................14

Technology and Equipment ...........................................................................................................................15

Training ............................................................................................................................................................16

Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................................16

Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................17

Certification .....................................................................................................................................................17

This Long Range plan has been developed as a guide for the staff, supervisors, and general public on what is considered to be the priority areas for the Fayette Soil & Water Conservation District.

Conservation of our natural resources is an obligation shared by everyone. Effective management of our natural resources is vital in order to provide clean water and maintain productive soils, ensuring our quality of life both now and in the future.

Various local government agencies, agricultural groups, environmental groups, and private citizens provided input into the process of developing the areas of concern that are addressed in this plan.

Meetings of the Board of Supervisors are open to the public, with public participation encouraged. We invite your comments and concerns that you feel need to be addressed as changes in direction of natural resources management become evident.

The Board of Supervisors

Fayette Soil & Water Conservation District

L to R: Jim Garland, Chairman Wayne Hidy, Gary Reiterman, Gordon Conn, Fred Melvin

Insuring the viability of Fayette County natural resources by using local leadership and community partnership to deliver quality services.

MAP & STATISTICS

Population: 28,134 (2004 est.)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Number of Workers over Sixteen

Years of Age: 13,433 (2000)

Source: OSU Extension Data Center

Area: 406.6 Square Miles

260,224 Acres

Source: OSU Extension Data Center

Roadways:

Township Roads 207.94 Miles

County Highways 304.63 Miles

State Routes 89.91 Miles

U.S. Highways 77.70 Miles

Interstate Highways 14.65 Miles

Municipal Streets 66.96 Miles

Total of All Roads 761.68 Miles

Source: Ohio Dept. of Transportation

Water Resources:

Streams & Rivers 475 Miles County Ditch Maintenance:

Open Water 397.7 Acres Open Ditches 51.29 Miles

Non-forested Wetlands 536.8 Acres Subsurface Mains 8.29 Miles

Source: Ohio Dept. of Development Grassed Waterways 6.16.Miles

Source: 2005 Fayette Co. Drainage Survey

Number of Farms: 480

Average Farm Size: 452 Acres State Rankings (2004):

Total Land in Farms: 217,000 Acres Corn for Grain 10

Percent of Land in Farms: Soybeans 7

Cropland 91.0% Wheat 31

Permanent Pasture 2.7% Cattle & Calves 72

Woodland 2.0% Hogs 33

Other 4.2% Sheep & Lambs 21

Source: 2004 Ohio Ag Statistics Report Source: 2004 Ohio Ag Statistics Report

The Fayette Soil & Water Conservation District (FSWCD) encompasses all of the lands within Fayette County. The district is a political sub-division of the State of Ohio. The district was formed by a referendum petition and was officially organized on June 4, 1946. As a unit of state government, the district was organized and operates under the provisions of Section 1515 of the Ohio Revised Code.

A Board of Supervisors sets the policies of the district. The landowners of the district elect five supervisors for a three year term. It is the duty of the board to guide the work of the district, to hire personnel to carry out this work, and to oversee the utilization of district funds. The supervisors’ dedication to conservation work is reflected in the time they spend carrying out these duties and attending many meetings throughout the year. The supervisors serve voluntarily and receive no payment for their services.

The major function of the district is to determine the natural resource concerns in the county and then to develop and implement programs and practices that protect and develop these resources. The district works cooperatively with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Farm Service Agency, The Ohio State University Cooperative Extension Service, Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Conservation Districts, Miami Valley Resource Conservation & Development Council, as well as other groups and agencies to carry out its mission. The application of conservation practices is a voluntary, cooperative effort between the district and land users.

The district provides services to individuals, groups of individuals, units of government, and others who request assistance.

The relationship between the district and those who request assistance is a cooperative one. It is our hope that we can instill in those that we work with a desire to use our natural resources wisely and manage them for the benefit of future generations.

The district operates primarily on funding provided by the Fayette County Commissioners with matching funding from the Ohio Soil & Water Conservation Commission.

Fayette Soil & Water Conservation District prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and services on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status.

The Fayette Soil & Water Conservation District encompasses all of the lands of Fayette County, Ohio. (260,224 acres). Source: The Ohio State University Extension Data Center).

Approximately 83.5% of the land in Fayette County is crop land. The soil and water are our major natural resources. The surface relief ranges from nearly level to undulating on the till plain. On the terminal moraines, it ranges from gently rolling to hilly. This relief is adapted to intensive farming. Nearly the entire drainage system of the county lies in the Scioto River Basin. A very small portion of the Northwest corner of the county lies in the Little Miami River Basin.

There are four general soil associations in the county which present a mixture of conservation problems. These four areas and their associated conservation problems are:

Miamian-Celina: A well to moderately well drained association that is gently sloping to steep. It lies generally in the southern and eastern portions of the county and is formed from glacial tills.

          It is susceptible to soil erosion by water.

Brookston-Crosby-Celina: A very poorly drained to moderately well drained association that is nearly level to gently sloping. It is formed in glacial till. A majority of the soils in Fayette County are of this type. These areas may contain inclusions of the more rolling Miamian-Celina association.

The level areas suffer from lack of internal drainage and are susceptible to wind erosion. The inclusions are susceptible to soil erosion by water.

Milton-Millsdale: A well drained to very poorly drained, nearly level to sloping association. It is formed in glacial till and weathered material from underlying limestone. This association is found in a very small area in the southwestern portion of the county.

Concerns with this association include erosion, lack of internal drainage and shallow depths to bedrock.

Westland-Fox-Ross: A very poorly drained association that is formed on nearly level flood plains and glacial out wash terraces.

This association is prone to flooding and lacks internal drainage.

The lack of adequate surface and subsurface drainage and the associated lack of gravity outlets is the primary restraint for intensive agricultural production in the county. Ninety percent of the crop land needs improved drainage. Without adequate drainage, production is suppressed along with farm incomes. This suppression directly impacts the ability and willingness of cooperators to adopt conservation practices.

The water quality within the district is directly related to erosion control and proper installation of drainage practices. In order to achieve an acceptable water quality within the county, non-point source pollution, in the form of sedimentation from gully and sheet erosion, and chemical run-off need to be controlled.

Only remnants of the original forested areas of the county remain. What timber exists is of poor quality being left after timber harvest. Tree planting and woodland management need to be stressed.

Much of the wildlife habitat has been lost due to the removal of fence rows and woodlands. Restoration of existing wetlands and development of new wetlands and warm season grassed areas can greatly improve the wildlife habitat within the county.

TRENDS SINCE 1980

The predominant trend in Fayette County since 1980 has been the decline in the number of livestock raised. This is a trend that has occurred in the counties adjacent to Fayette as well. The following graphs illustrate this continuing decline:

Source: Ohio Agricultural Statistics Annual Report 2004; 2003.

Fayette County has had one of the greatest declines in hog numbers (-81.4%) and the highest decline in cattle numbers (-66.5%) of these counties. Fayette County has also experienced the second largest decline in farmland acres (-11.8%) over this same period.

What has increased in the area over this time period is population. Fayette County’s population has grown 2.4% since 1980. This growth is small when compared to the growth of our neighboring counties, which  averaged 21.5%. 

Fayette and Surrounding Counties

Population Changes

1960-2004

Fayette County population growth since 1980 = 2.4%

Population growth of surrounding counties since 1980 = 19.7%

Average population growth of surrounding counties since 1980 = 21.5%

While the population was growing, it was also becoming more mobile. In 1990 3,344 Fayette County residents commuted to work outside of the county. By the year 2,000 this number had grown to 4,090. These numbers only include those workers going to the top seven counties of destination. When all counties are considered, the number of commuters increases to 4,715. This represents 35.1% of the total Fayette County workforce of 13,433 workers over the age of sixteen. The top two destinations for these commuting workers were Franklin and Clinton Counties with approximately 1,250 and 1,230 people respectively commuting to each. (Source: The Ohio State University Extension Data Center).

Commercial development is increasing in the county as well. This development is evidenced by the Wal-Mart Distribution Center, Home Depot, Ethanol Plant, and JD Equipment expansion. Interest also continues for development land along the I-71 and US 35 corridors.

What do these trends mean to for Fayette Soil & Water Conservation District? FSWCD cannot ignore the potential for increasing urbanization and development of the county. This is true particularly in light of the rate that this development is occurring in our surrounding counties and beyond. Now is the time for FSWCD to begin preparing for the conservation needs and challenges of an urban environment. FSWCD can be of much more service to the public if it is prepared for such change rather than reacting to it after the fact.

The work of FSWCD can be classified into several areas of emphasis. Each of these areas is described below.

The primary emphasis of FSWCD will remain the promotion, design, and implementation of suitable conservation practices within the county. Current economics dictate these practices being centered on those that are agriculturally related and cost-shared. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) will drive our conservation practices for the near future. The Conservation Security Program (CSP) will be another large factor once it is scheduled for Fayette County.

If the pilot Water Quality Credit Trading Programs are successful and spread throughout the state, they could have a major impact on the rate of conservation practice implementation. These programs have the potential of generating millions of dollars of additional funding for watershed specific water quality improvement practices.

FSWCD will work with the State Forester to identify and encourage individual landowners to improve timber stands and to plant trees as a part of conservation planning whenever feasible.

FSWCD will work with landowners, stressing wildlife management on farms doing conservation planning. FSWCD will also work with ODNR Division of Wildlife, Pheasant’s Forever, and other wildlife conservation groups to development wildlife and wetland habitat.

As population and urban development increase, FSWCD must be willing and able to adapt to the new conservation demands that will result. FSWCD should gather information and insight from more urban SWCDs in order to better understand what types of practices/programs might be needed in the future and how best to plan for them.

Drainage

While not strictly a conservation practice, drainage remains of vital importance to the economic well being of the county. As previously stated, drainage increases the productivity potential of agricultural lands. This increase in productivity makes the land users more inclined to invest in conservation practices. Therefore, FSWCD participation in drainage projects is of benefit to the public in more than one way.

The goal of FSWCD is to work through the current backlog of petitioned drainage projects during the next five years, while at the same time avoiding the formation of a new backlog. A full time Drainage Coordinator may need to be hired in order to accomplish this goal. This hire will of course depend on the availability of sufficient funding.

Oversimplified, GIS is an integrated mapping and database system. This system can contain a virtually unlimited number of attributes and can be manipulated in a variety of ways. This manipulation is useful for all means of planning, design, construction, and tracking. GIS has become indispensable in those areas that are fortunate enough to have it.

Since 2004, FSWCD has been developing, with assistance from several other county agencies, a local GIS capability. FSWCD will continue to design, implement, and develop access to these GIS services. GIS related projects which are currently in progress or are planned include; Aerial Orthophotography, Road Centerlines, Digital Soil Survey/Digital Soils Information, Parcel Mapping, Access through he County Server, and ultimately Access through the World-Wide Web. As the capability and demands for these GIS services increase, we envision a point in time where this office will leave FSWCD and become a department of Fayette County. Whether this point in time occurs during the period of this long range plan or a future one is unclear at present.

Beginning in 2006, FSWCD will place a greater priority on adult education and will begin developing suitable programs for this target audience. These programs may include Conservation Field Days, Realtor Seminars, County Farm Tour, and Introduction to GIS for public and private uses.

A large portion of the present success of FSWCD is due to our ability to leverage our expertise by cooperating with other groups and agencies. Some of these have included the Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, Paint Creek Watershed Coordinator, Pheasant’s Forever, Fayette County Engineer’s Office, Miami Valley Resource Conservation & Development Council, and multiple private groups. The continued success of FSWCD will require us to not only strengthen the partnerships that currently exist, but to also seek out and develop new ones.

How best to communicate and advertise the services available at FSWCD is an important question to answer. FSWCD has relied on one-on-one contact, newsletters, and occasional radio spots to accomplish this. However, several public surveys cast doubt on whether or not these methods are optimal. These surveys suggest the public ranks websites and newspaper articles as their top two preferences for receiving information. Newsletters in particular ranked rather low in these surveys.

FSWCD has several pages on the Fayette County website, but the workload of the county Information Management Office makes upkeep of these pages problematic. Accordingly, FSWCD should by 2007 investigate the feasibility of developing its own in-house website. Maintaining a visually compelling, timely website will allow FSWCD to have an around-the-clock virtual presence in and beyond Fayette County. Information developed for the website can also be submitted to the Record Herald for inclusion in their newspaper and subsequently for distribution to those citizens who do not yet have internet access.

Technology and Equipment

The pace of technological development continues unabated. Trying to keep up with this pace is a daunting task. Our cooperators have become accustomed to the increases in speed and productivity that technology has provided. These same cooperators expect FSWCD to be capable of matching this speed and productivity. The advent of GIS has only exasperated this situation.

FSWCD foresees a need for several pieces of equipment. An increasing number of cooperators are asking for copies of plans or large GIS produced materials. FSWCD currently relies on an obsolete blue-line machine to reproduce plans. We currently have no means of copying other large materials such as GIS produced maps. In 2006, FSWCD should seek to work with other agencies that may benefit to jointly purchase a large format scanner. This scanner will allow large documents to be digitized, stored, manipulated, and/or reproduced. A mid-grade personal computer may also need to be purchased in conjunction with this scanner. This computer will additionally fulfill other needs within the FSWCD Office.

The computer hardware and software resources of FSWCD should be placed on a rotating schedule of replacement. The use of such a schedule will spread the cost of replacements over several years rather than concentrating it into a few. Some PC resources will probably need to be upgraded or replaced every year. Two staff members are using PCs that are incapable of running any GIS related software. These two are the most critically in need of replacement. One is scheduled for replacement in 2006. The other will be replaced in 2007 or in conjunction with the purchase of the aforementioned scanner. Other PCs in the office will be scheduled according to their capacity to meet the demands placed upon them.

FSWCD owns two vehicles, a 1997 Ford minivan and a 2000 Ford ½ ton truck. The minivan is used as a general transportation vehicle and to haul materials needed for our educational programs. The truck is used as a survey vehicle. The truck should be replaced as the primary survey vehicle by 2007 or 2008. FSWCD has the capability of operating two survey crews if a suitable second vehicle was available. The minivan should be kept as it adequately serves its intended purpose and it has little trade-in value.

FSWCD’s most valuable assets are its people. No amount of planning, equipment, or technology is of any use unless there are capable people present to implement the plans, operate the equipment, and seek better ways of providing services. FSWCD must endeavor to keep its staff adequately trained. This training should include the Technician Development Program, the Administrative Assistant Development Program, GIS applications, AutoCAD, Microsoft Office applications, and other workshops or courses needed to maintain proficiency and productivity. Capable, motivated people are the key to our future success.

We are entering into an exciting time for Fayette Soil & Water Conservation District. The future holds a great many challenges that must be met and overcome. It also holds as many or more opportunities, if we have the foresight and willingness to find them. Together, we can build a better quality of life for all residents of Fayette County.

Fayette Soil & Water Conservation District

Natural Resource Conservation Service

L to R: Jay McElroy, Chet Murphy, Kevin Persinger, Kathryn Smith, Mark Lucas, Ashley Wilson, Scott Cormany, Bob Groff, David Payne

The success of Fayette Soil & Water Conservation District depends upon the cooperation and participation of many agencies and organizations. These include:

USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service

USDA Farm Service Agency

The Ohio State University Extension

ODNR Division of Forestry

ODNR Division of Soil & Water Districts

ODNR Division of Wildlife

Ohio Association of Soil & Water Conservation District Employees

Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Conservation Districts

Ohio Soil & Water Conservation Commission

Paint Creek Watershed Coordinator

Fayette County Auditor

Fayette County Commissioners

Fayette County Engineer

Fayette County Prosecutor

Fayette County Recorder

Fayette County Tax Map Office

Fayette County Treasurer

 

Fayette Soil & Water Conservation District prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and services on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status.

 

This Long Range Plan was approved by the Fayette Soil & Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors as a resolution recorded in the minutes of the Tuesday, February 14, 2006 board meeting.

 

__________________________                                                           ________________________

Wayne Hidy, Chairman                                                                             Fred Melvin, Secretary

Board of Supervisors                                                                                Board of Supervisors