The Hamilton Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is currently developing its long-range “Soil and Water Resource Conservation Plan” (SWRC) for Hamilton County, and is encouraging local citizens to contribute their concerns and ideas in an upcoming planning meeting.

According to Hamilton SWCD Chair Linda Pruismann, the SWRC plan will guide the focus and actions for conservation priorities in Hamilton for the next five years.

“We want our plan to be locally led, and to truly reflect the resources and the conservation issues and objectives of our county,” said Pruismann.

Pruismann said the goal for Hamilton County’s 5-year SWRC plan is to develop “four or five specific priorities that can be agreed upon as the principal objectives for achieving improved resource conservation in Hamilton.”

These priorities must be leading-edge issues for Hamilton County that need immediate and sustained action, and each priority must have defined metrics to determine progress over time. Topics will include concerns regarding soil and water resources, recreation and wildlife, local conservation practices, and “urban and rural partnership.”

The Soil and Water Conservation District has responsibilities under state laws for carrying out a countywide soil and water conservation program. With constant change, an operating strategy can seldom be long lasting and needs to be re-analyzed periodically, Pruismann said.

“The update of our long-range program will reflect our objectives and priorities as we plan to meet the land and water needs of our people,” she said.

Interested members of the public are encouraged to plan on participating in the “public input meeting”, scheduled for Friday, Feb. 12 , at 9 a.m. Because of the ongoing concern regarding COVID-19, the 1-1/2 hour session will be held online, using the Zoom platform. Citizens may attend either via online video, or by conference call.

“We know Hamilton County citizens, rural and urban, care about soil health and water quality, and this is your chance to make a difference in the future of conservation in our communities,” said Pruismann.

To participate, residents should contact Hamilton SWCD Conservation Assistant Jennifer Rank by email: Jennifer.Rank@ia.nacdnet.net. An invitation to the Zoom session will be offered in reply, including a conference call contact.

“Every citizen can and is encouraged to make a meaningful contribution towards implementing this conservation program,” said Pruismann. “Only through cooperation by everyone can we hope to complete this most important task before some of our resources are irretrievably destroyed.”