Montgomery County
Soil and Water Conservation District
Our Mission Statement
The mission of the Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District is to ensure a leadership role in natural resource conservation, provide technical service and information to the people of Montgomery County that will control and prevent soil erosion, prevent air and water pollution, conserve wildlife, grassland and forest land, and ensure land use conversion is properly managed and correctly identify areas that should remain as wetlands.
SWCD Holds 76th Annual Meeting and Elections, Welcomes New Board Member
The meeting featured remarks from outgoing Chairman and retiring director, Tony Krager. He emphasized the importance of the work that SWCDs do and the need to push the state of Illinois for a dedicated funding source which would keep the districts viable for years to come.
Next, the annual election was held. Three directors were elected to two-year terms. Two directors were re-elected and one new director was elected. Those re-elected were Dave Pastrovich and Dave Schluckebier. The newly elected director is Jason Anderson.
Resource Conservationist (SWCD) Kris Reynolds and District Conservationist (NRCS) CJ Liddell then gave the report of the district's activities during the year. They detailed such programs as Partners for Conservation's Practices Program (CPP), Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), Environmental Qualities Incentive Program (EQIP) and Conservation Security Program (CSP).
Next, Lonnie Wilson, Vice President of the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts, spoke about important legislative issues which the state association is working on, including securing funding for SWCDs, Extension, State and County Fairs, and the Harness Racing industry through the current gaming bill, which is awating a final vote and passage by the governor. He stated a major asset of the bill, which would expand the gaming industry in Illinois, is the creation of thousands of jobs. He asked for support from the group by way of phone calls, e-mails, letters, and visits to legislators. Other legislation Lonnie discussed pertained to the Open Meetings Act and Prevailing Wage Act.
Finally, Terre Ziegler, CREP Coordinator, and Debbie Fluegel, Trees Forever, spent some time discussing the state side of the program and its benefits. They stated there is still money available for those who were eligible and willing to do an extension to their federal CREP contract or a permanent easement on eligible and additional acres.
The evening wrapped up with the drawing of door prizes.
SWCDs Dependent Upon Passage of Gaming Bill There has been much talk lately of the current bill being held in the Illinois senate which would expand gambling in Illinois. It is currently being called Senate Bill (SB) 1849, or the Gaming Bill. The bill would allow for development of new casinos in Illinois and for installation of slot machines at horse racing tracks. These new endeavors would create much needed revenue for the state of Illinois, and it is also expected to create upwards of 25,000 new jobs. On the last vote in the house, the bill failed to pass. It is currently being held there awaiting a rewrite which will suit the governor along with the house and senate members.
Ag groups around Illinois, particularly, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, are anxiously awaiting this rewrite and the next vote, which should come in February. If signed into law as it stands now, this bill would provide $12.5 million dollars, appropriated annually, in dedicated funding to the 97 SWCDs in Illinois. This is money the SWCDs desperately need to be able to continue functioning as fully funded, fully staffed entities. Currently Districts are funded at around $3 million, the majority of which is used for health insurance, training and salaries, leaving just under $1 million state-wide for conservation practices.
SWCDs have typically been funded through the General Revenue Fund as a pass through grant with the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Stable, dedicated funding is something the districts have been in dire need of for the past few years. Many districts are down to half or part time staff because of the recent reductions to operating dollars. Also, the reductions in the amount of cost share dollars coming into the districts means fewer conservation practices are being put on the ground. Montgomery County has been promised its lowest amount of cost share dollars in recent history at only $22,000 for Fiscal Year 2012.
The Montgomery County SWCD would like to ask for your assistance in contacting legislators to voice your support of passage of gaming bill. Besides providing new funding for SWCDs and creating new jobs, revenue from this expansion will also be used to supplement other agriculture based entities as 4-H, University of Illinois Extension, county fairs, state historical sites, and others. If you will, please call or visit your legislators and ask them to vote yes in support of conservation, agriculture, and jobs in Illinois by passing this legislation. A list of talking points concerning the jobs this legislation would created can be obtained at the link below:
Gaming Bill and Creation of Jobs
Natural Resources Conservation Service
http://www.il.nrcs.usda.gov/
Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts
http://www.ilconservation.com
Illinois Farm Service Agency
http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA
Illinois Dept of Agriculture
http://www.agr.state.il.us/
Illinois Dept of Natural Resources
http://www.dnr.state.il.us/
Illinois Farm Bureau
http://www.ilfb.org/
