Ohio's Wood County Soil and Water Conservation District receives Ohio EPA funds

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) recently announced a $14,900 grant to help fund a project from the Wood County Soil and Water Conservation District (Wood SWCD), called Demonstrating Innovative Conservation Practices.

The grant comes from the Ohio Environmental Education Fund and is one of seven recently awarded across Ohio, which total $261,183. The fund supports projects aimed at educating Ohio students from kindergarten to university, Ohio citizens and Ohio communities.

The Wood SWCD project, run in conjunction with Ohio State University Extension, is dedicated to showing residents and producers how crop rotation and topsoil preservation can promote soil health. The conservation district will host workshops to demonstrate the effectiveness of these practices, using sample plots to show tillage practices, cover crops and conservation practices that can benefit Lake Erie through reduced phosphorus runoff. The project will also feature a driving tour where interested parties can view the practices in action throughout a growing season.

The Ohio EPA is currently accepting letters of intent and applications for the next round of environmental education grants. The funding is available for environmental groups, schools, universities, businesses, trade organizations and state and local governments. Interested parties should submit letters of intent by Jan. 8, and applications by Jan. 15.