Putnam County Soil & Water Conservation

09/22/2026

5th Grade Conservation Tour got underway today. This annual field trip for local schools is always such a great event. We can't thank our presenters enough for spending their day with us and for the Ottawa Parks & Recreation for letting us use the park.
Stops include:
Dairy Barn Tour - Dan Ellerbrock
Trees - Paulding Soil & Water Conservation District
Soils - Kevin Edinger, NRCS
Agriculture - Curtis Tobe, Putnam SWCD
Edible Bugs & Invasive Species - Jeff Nordhaus, Putnam SWCD
4-H - Ohio State University Extension in Putnam County
Recycling - Alaina Siefker, Putnam County Commissioners
Ecosystems & Food Chain - Bonnie Brooks, Putnam SWCD
Mammal Adaptations - Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Wildlife - The Quarry Farm
We will be back at it again Thursday with the other half of Putnam County schools.

09/21/2026

Henry and Kathleen Weiss opened their property and home (The Wigwam) to pass on information they have learned about conservation practices they have incorporated across their land over the past several years. Neighbors Dylan and Molly Lauth, joined in with wisdom about their adjoining property.

Leo Schroeder kicked off the evening with an informative look at Purple Martins and what landowners can do to provide living spaces for them. Purple Martins east of the Rockies rely almost solely on nesting spaces provided by people in order to survive.

Participants walked the property, explored different conservation practices, and had the opportunity to chat with the owners about the specific methods they use in their conservation plans.

It was a great reminder that conservation doesn’t have to happen on a grand scale. Sometimes, it starts right at home—with a little planning, a willingness to try something new, and a love for the land.

Thank you to Henry and Kathleen for opening up their property and sharing their conservation journey with us!

09/16/2026

We are so excited for this month's WFL - Homesteading!! Send us a message to register or give us a call!

09/14/2026

Look at this beauty. This is an Ohio native called Closed Bottle Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii). While this darling does quite well in moist, rich soils, and floodplains, it sure does love our native garden here by the office. Bumblebees are the only insect which will pollinate them because they’re the only insect that has enough strength to open the closed pedals to reach the nectar. They grow 1-3 feet tall. 

09/14/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 Award Winners!
Conservation Farmer-of-the-Year: Fischbach Brothers (Bill, Paul & Robert)
Conservation Leader: Rick Wilson

09/09/2026

On the right in both photos, is a soil core sample taken from a field that has been conventionally farmed for over 100 years. The location is in Putnam County, OH on the edge of what was once the Great Black Swamp. The cores on the left were taken out of a small woods beside the field. It is soil that has never been plowed and farmed, it is an example of what the soil looked like when we first started to farm NW Ohio.

09/07/2026

Check out this cool opportunity!

09/04/2026

Hiding under the rocks in local streams are all kinds of amazing aquatic organisms. Based on the types and amounts we find, they shed light on long-term living conditions in a watershed. They are spineless creatures that we can see with the naked eye.

This past week, Anne Coburn, Executive Director of the Blanchard River Watershed Partnership, and Bonnie Brooks, SWCD Program Specialist, went out to county rivers and streams to test the water. What they found was great biodiversity of life in the streams and rivers across the county, with excellent conditions in the larger rivers tested including the Ottawa, Auglaize, Riley and Blanchard.

09/03/2026

Women for the Land is back for September - Join us at Narrow Road Homestead

09/01/2026