Logan County Conservation District

04/28/2026

📆 Mark your calendars! Riverology: A Field-Based Educator Institute is back in Tahlequah on July 20-22!

Learn More: https://bit.ly/4sMTTzz

Formal and informal educators are invited to attend this all-inclusive professional learning experience designed to reinvigorate instruction through real-world, field-based learning.

With a new theme of Groundwater, participants will use rivers and surrounding landscapes as a living laboratory.

Educators will receive standards-aligned curriculum for grades K-8, including a brand-new educator guide from Project WET!

The experience concludes with a guided Illinois River float trip — an ideal way to wrap up summer learning!

This event is limited to 40 participants, so register today!

PS - Register before May 31 to secure lower Early Bird pricing!

Oklahoma Blue Thumb Project WET

04/28/2026

May is one of the busiest planting months, and it’s a great time to get both vegetables and flowers going 🌼
🍅 Tomatoes and peppers can go in once the soil has warmed up
🥒 Cucumbers and beans are quick growers and easy to start now
🍓 Strawberries and melons do well if you have the space
🫐 Blueberries are worth planting if your soil conditions are right
🌻 Sunflowers and zinnias are some of the easiest flowers to grow
🧡 Marigolds and petunias are great for adding color and helping around the garden
One thing I always focus on this time of year is consistent watering, especially for new plants. It really helps them get established faster 🌱

04/28/2026

🌿 Perennials to Plant in May for Year-After-Year Blooms 🌸

Still time to plant! These hardy perennials establish quickly and reward you with beautiful blooms season after season:

🗓️ Best Timing:
• US Zones 3–9
• UK – Plant after the last frost
• Australia (cool–temperate) – Plant now for spring color

🌼 Top Picks:
• Garden Phlox – Loves full sun; attracts butterflies
• False Indigo – Bold, drought-tolerant, and long-lasting
• Yarrow – Tough and a magnet for pollinators
• Shasta Daisy – Classic summer blooms
• Coneflower (Echinacea) – Hardy and bee-friendly
• Bee Balm – Draws in hummingbirds and bees
• Black-eyed Susan – Thrives in heat and poor soil
• Poppy – Easy to scatter, stunning in groups
• Allium – Eye-catching globe flowers pollinators love

🌱 Plant now, and enjoy a garden that comes back stronger every year!

🌿

04/27/2026

04/27/2026

04/23/2026

That green-and-black striped caterpillar on your parsley just grew orange horns.

She didn't have them a second ago. You touched the stem, she reared up, and two bright orange forked projections appeared from behind her head. They look like a snake's tongue. They smell terrible.

That's a defensive gland found only in swallowtail caterpillars. It deploys when she's threatened. The orange forks release a sharp smell that drives off ants, wasps, and small predators on contact.

She's a black swallowtail caterpillar. She's eating your parsley, your dill, your fennel, or your carrot tops. She'll feed for about two weeks, form a chrysalis, and emerge as one of the more recognizable butterflies in the eastern half of the country.

The parsley grows back. The butterfly doesn't.

🌿 What to do:

- Leave her — she'll eat some parsley but she won't take down the plant
- If you want both caterpillars and herbs, plant a few extra stems and let her have them
- Don't handle the orange gland — it won't hurt you but it smells unpleasant and can stain
- If you see orange horns, you're looking at a future swallowtail

The horns are her only defense. The parsley is her only food. Both of those things are in your hands 🌿

04/23/2026

Watering is one of those things that gets easier once you stop treating every vegetable the same 💧
🍅 Fruiting plants usually need the most consistency
🥬 Shallow-rooted crops dry out faster than people think
🥔 Some vegetables need extra water at key stages, not all the time
🌦️ I always adjust for heat, rain, and soil type instead of following a chart too strictly
I check the soil first and let that tell me what to do.

04/23/2026

Free Well Water Testing!

Private well water is unregulated meaning well owners are responsible for testing and maintaining their household drinking water. Oklahoma State University Extension, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Oklahoma State University and OWRC is partnering to host a fourteen county free well water testing event in Southeast Oklahoma.

Participants, including those who do not live in the counties, can bring their well water to any of the 14 locations to get it tested.

Learn more here: https://bit.ly/40yfBed

04/21/2026

The 2026 NACD Stewardship Week theme, Soil. Where It All Begins, celebrates the incredible power of soil to support life in all its forms. Soil is not just the ground we walk on. It is the starting point for healthy food, clean water, thriving habitats, and resilient communities. From backyard gardens to forests and city parks, everything begins with what is beneath our feet.

Soil does a lot more than grow plants. It holds water, cycles nutrients, and provides homes for billions of living organisms that help keep nature in balance. It keeps roots in place, helps prevent flooding, and supports wildlife and people alike. The trees in our neighborhoods, the food on our tables, and the natural places we love all depend on healthy soils.

Conservation districts across the country work every day to protect this vital resource. Through education, technical support, and local partnerships, they help landowners and communities keep soil healthy, productive, and resilient. Districts also provide free educational resources to schools, families, and community groups to inspire the next generation of soil stewards and help people of all ages connect with conservation in meaningful ways. Whether it is helping farmers manage erosion or supporting school gardens in town, conservation districts lead the way in caring for the land.

When we take care of soil, we are taking care of everything it supports. That is why soil is where it all begins.

Held annually since 1955 from the last Sunday in April through the first Sunday in May, Stewardship Week unites communities in celebrating and protecting our natural resources. Conservation districts and their partners host workshops, field visits, and community events to promote soil health, water quality, and pollinator habitats.

04/10/2026

The Payne County Conservation District seeks a full-time Shared Soil Conservation Technician to provide USDA program support and conservation planning assistance to local landowners. Candidates will work on-site at the district office or in the field during working hours with limited exceptions and will work under the supervision of the NRCS supervisor and the Conservation District board. Duties include but are not limited to developing engineering designs for conservation practices such as ponds, terraces, waterways. Further duties include surveying projects and interpreting soil and field maps, assisting the District with high workload activities with short deadlines, etc. High school diploma and either one year of agriculture experience or 12 semester hours of Natural Resources, Agriculture, or Engineering related courses or a combination of experience and education are required. Starting salary is $3,558.61/month with benefits that include insurance allowance, retirement, vacation and sick leave. To apply please submit by email [email protected] or bring in a cover letter and resume with references to the Conservation District or NRCS offices at 2600 S Main, Suite C. Stillwater, OK 74074 hours M-F 7 AM- 3:30 PM. The deadline to apply is 3:30 pm on Friday May 1, 2026. For more information, please contact the district at 405-571-3371
The Payne County Conservation District is an Equal Opportunity Employer