Steuben County Soil & Water Conservation District

06/12/2026

🌿 Looking for a fun and meaningful way to spend your weekend? Join us at Pokagon State Park on Saturday, June 13 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. for a W**d Wrangle🌿

Here's what to expect:

🌿 Come to the Nature Center lawn to learn how to identify invasive shrubs and understand their impact on the park.

🌿 Get hands-on with a community effort to remove as many invasive shrubs as possible.

🌿 Enjoy the outdoors and meet other volunteers who want to help restore habitat in our community.

Please call the Nature Center at (260) 833-3506 or email Aimee Wentworth at [email protected] to register. All participants will need to complete a volunteer agreement, which will be available at the event.

Light refreshments provided by the Steuben County SWCD.

Let's work together to protect and restore our natural spaces - we'd love to see you there! Help make a lasting impact on our local environment 💚

**dWrangle

06/11/2026

The Indiana State Board of Animal Health has implemented new animal-movement requirements consistent with USDA's playbook to prevent the spread of New World screwworm, following detections in Texas and New Mexico.

Visit the link in their post, below, for more information on the requirements:

Indiana has new animal entry requirements in response to the finding of New World screwworm in TX and NM.
Entry requirements, which apply to all livestock, poultry and pets, are consistent with USDA's playbook.

Checkout the summary in the Animal Health Advisory on our website: https://www.in.gov/boah/indiana-entry-health-requirements/new-world-screwworm
Click on the NWS link on the home page.

06/04/2026

🌱 Out with the old, in with the new! 🌱

The Steuben County Soil & Water Conservation District is excited to announce that all four county line signs have now been replaced at the North (Old US RT 27), South (Old US RT 27), East (US RT 20), and West (US RT 20) entrances to Steuben County. These new signs help increase awareness of the conservation programs, services, and partnerships working every day to protect our soil, water, and natural resources.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this project a success:

🔹TLA Signs
🔹Board Supervisor Brad Hamlin
🔹Associate Supervisor Chuck Howard
🔹Board Chair Kayleen Wood Hart
🔹Arthur Franke (NRCS)
🔹Chip Porter, Samuel E. Figueroa, and Pete (Steuben County Highway Department)
🔹Argile & Marilyn Hamlin
🔹Brian Taggart

Your time, equipment, and hard work made this project possible.

The district would also like to extend its sincere appreciation to the landowners and organizations who graciously allow the signs to be reinstalled on their properties, including William VanWye, Indiana Department of Natural Resources - Pigeon River Fish & Wildlife Area, and the Lake George Conservancy.

Conservation is built on strong partnerships and a shared commitment to leaving the land better than we found it. These signs are more than just markers along the road—they are a reminder that stewardship starts locally.

The next time you enter Steuben County, keep an eye out for one of the new signs welcoming you to our community!


🌿🚜💧

05/29/2026

05/26/2026

🌱 FOOD PLOT SEED PICKUP TOMORROW🌱

The Steuben County SWCD will be hosting a Food Plot Seed Pickup on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Steuben County SWCD office located at 1220 N 200 W, Suite L, Angola, IN.

Available seed types include:

• Corn

• Soybeans

• Sorghum

• Sunflower (limited supply)

Please note:

✔ In-person pickup only

✔ No early pickups

✔ Limit 4 bags per seed type per person

✔ Available while supplies last


Any unclaimed seed will be available the following days from 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. until gone.

A special thank you to NE IN Pheasants Forever Chapter 182 for donating the food plot seed! 🦌

05/20/2026

Happy World Bee Day!🐝

Today is a chance to celebrate the tiny pollinators that play a huge role in supporting nature, biodiversity, and our food systems. Bees may be small, but they are essential, and their survival is closely connected to our own. Bees do far more than make honey, they help pollinate many of the fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds we enjoy every day. Without them, our food supply would look very different. 🍎🍊🫐🫑🥕🥒

When you sit down for dinner tonight, take a moment to appreciate the bees and consider ways we can all help support these heroes — whether that’s planting native flowers, reducing pesticide use, or simply creating pollinator friendly spaces.

Remember, not all heroes wear capes. Some wear pollen pants. 🌼 🐝 👖

FUN FACT:
Indiana is home to an estimated 400+ species of native bees!

While honey bees get most of the attention, many native bees are actually more effective pollinators for they have evolved alongside our native plants and are specially adapted to pollinate them. 🌱

05/18/2026

🌱🌽🚜 It's planting season, and our farmers are working long hours to keep food on our tables. You may see more tractors, planters, and large equipment on our roads.

Let's work together to keep our roads safe for our farmers, families, and community this planting season. Remember - a few extra minutes can make a big difference.

05/06/2026

🌱 A free program to improve how your yard functions to see more birds, butterflies, and bees & a chance to outsmart spring rains? Count us in! 🐦🐝🦋

The Less Lawn More Life challenge kicks off tomorrow. There's still time to sign up!

Native plants in the landscape don't just look good - they work hard too. They help reduce soil erosion, improve water retention, and keep your yard from slowly migrating into the nearest low spot after every downpour.

And speaking of rain......with the impressive amount we've been getting (seriously, is there a "monsoon loyalty program" we didn't sign up for?), there's never been a better time to let nature lend a hand.

In a county known for its over 101 lakes, keeping our soil and our water where it belongs is kind of a big deal.🌊

🌿 JOIN THE MOVEMENT: LESS LAWN, MORE LIFE! 🌿

Exciting news! We're partnering with Less Lawn More Life, iNaturalist.org and other leading organizations on the nationwide Less Lawn, More Life 12-Week Challenge - a FREE program to help transform America's yards into thriving ecosystems!

What you'll get:
✅ Weekly micro-challenges designed by ecological experts
✅ Great content from leaders in the rewilding movement
✅ Connection with neighbors and community members
✅ Your own Wildr Score - a free ecological assessment of your land
✅ Simple steps to create beautiful, low-maintenance habitat

This isn't just about gardening – it's about building a movement across America to bring nature back to our neighborhoods, one yard at a time.

Sign up here: https://www.lesslawnmorelife.com/
Tag a friend who would love this challenge!