As I sit here writing this article, the weather has been less than pleasant. I watch it transition from rain to snow, to sleet, and back to rain. Being the conservation minded person I am, I can’t help but observe streams and ditches as I drive back and forth to work. The movement of water [...]
As I drive by our streams, which are at higher water levels due to the rains from Hurricane Sandy, I can’t help but see how much flood damage could be avoided. Floods are a natural and unavoidable fact of life along streams and rivers. Loss of life and property damage can result when people choose [...]
,As I sit here today thinking about what to write … I look out my office window to the brown grass. That’s when it came to me. Water, one of the most important resources to human survival, how do we deal with a shortage or drought? What are the potential consequences? I remember the drought [...]
More than 95 percent of Ohio’s dams are owned by local landowners or other entities other than the state of Ohio. And, if you are the owner of a dam, the responsibility for maintaining a safe dam rests with you.
It’s that time of year! Late summer is when we typically begin to see the beautiful large, light gray webs enclosing branch tips of a variety of trees. As a child, I remember how much fun it was to take sticks and beat down the webs. The worms would come falling out, extremely agitated, I [...]
Attention, all livestock producers: Ohio is changing. The days of “don’t worry about it until someone complains” is not such a good idea anymore. It’s not easy farming today. Aside from the weather and commodity markets, now you need to worry even more about water quality, soil erosion and your neighbors. Complaints A vast majority [...]
This year, we have seen a tremendous amount of water due to snow melt and several 2- to 4-inch rainfall events.
Do you all know what type of soil is beneath your feet? Do you know if it’s well drained, primarily silt loam, depth to the water table, etc…? These are all things that should be taken into consideration before roads are constructed, houses are built, or most anything. Soil is the foundation of all that [...]
As I tried to put together this article it became clear to me that your local Soil and Water Conservation District is definitely “one stop shopping” for conservation education. While it all changes at the county line, there are many common threads among us as well. The Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District is fortunate [...]
