EDUCATION & OUTREACH
EARTH DAY & ARBOR DAY
US Senator Gaylord Nelson, spearheaded efforts for a national day that focuses on environmentalism. His concern for the environment arose after witnessing a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara California in 1969. Thus, in 1970 the first Earth Day was celebrated! Today Earth Day is recognized globally. Millions join together to recognize and show appreciation for our precious natural resources. Earth Day is held annually on April 22nd. Celebrating Earth Day doesn't have to be stressful and require hours of preparation! Take a walk in nature, plant flowers for the bees, plant a vegetable garden, plant trees, feed the birds, cleanup litter. Little is much and We believe EVERYDAY IS EARTH DAY!
Arbor Day, translated means "tree" day! This special day celebrates the planting, upkeep and reservation of trees. The origins of Arbor Day dates back to the early 1870s when Julius Sterling Morton proposed a day that would encourage all to plant trees in their community.
In observance of Earth Day and Arbor Day, Pike SWCD donated over 200 trees and several bat houses to the Village of Waverly. Those trees will be used to enhance Bristol Ballpark. Rain barrels and garden seeds were donated to local residents. Educational presentations were conducted with local 4-H'ers and schools. Call us for further information at 740-947-5353.
ENVIROTHON!
Beautiful weather and nature welcomed students to the 2023 Area 5 Envirothon. The event was held at Lake Hope in Vinton County on April 25th. Pike County schools participating in this year's event were Pike Christian Academy (Advisors Dan Stoll and Greg Slone); Waverly High School (Advisors Carla Evans and Christopher Murphy w/3 teams); Piketon High School (Advisor Ally Shaw w/2 teams).
The Envirothon is an outdoor, academic event testing high school students', grades 9-12, knowledge on aquatics, current environmental issues, forestry, soils, and wildlife. Competitions are held throughout Ohio as Area events. Those placing in their Area competition advances onto the Ohio Envirothon.
Thank you to all who worked hard to make the event a success!
"ONE WATER"
One hundred and seventy-four entries were received in the 2023 Pike Soil & Water Conservation District's Conservation Poster Contest! This year's contest theme was, "One Water". Our goal was to instill in our youth watershed knowledge and a desire to be good stewards of our water resources.
County Winners: First Place Bailey Love (Jasper)
Second Place Anniston Hattle (Eastern)
Third Place Nick Martin (Miracle City Academy)
Fourth Place Ava Flint (Waverly)
Fifth Place Meradith McKee (Eastern)
Cover crops seems to be such a buzz word in agriculture today and the benefits they offer continue to come to light as farmers are speaking out to share their experiences more and more. When it comes to conservation practices cover crops are proving to be an invaluable practice for producers, but also for soil health and water quality. The vegetative cover provided by these crops helps to protect the soil from both wind and water erosion. Exposed soil, which has little to no cover, can quickly be blown away and taking away the essential topsoil can prove detrimental to vegetation being able to grow in an area. It is estimated that 5.8 tons of topsoil is lost per acre per year on farmland. If nothing is done to prevent the erosion, farms losing that much soil a year can also experience a 15 bushel crop loss if no additional inputs are added to their farm management. If nothing changes topsoil is being lost at a rate of 18 times faster than it is being built naturally without using beneficial practices like cover crops to build topsoil through management.
The Pike Soil and Water Conservation District partnered with OSU Extension Pike County and Pike County Farm Bureau to hold a Cover Crop Field Night. The event was held at Corcoran Farms, Piketon, Ohio. Speakers: Cover Crops, Dan Corcoran; Regenerative Farming Lydia Dresbach.
Cover Crop Field Night
at Corcoran Farms
