Fulton County Soil & Water Conservation District - Indiana

05/13/2026

Community Rain Garden Workshop coming your way on June 4!

05/05/2026

Our office is closed today. We will be open tomorrow.

04/29/2026

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1589339988834561

04/27/2026

04/24/2026

Mark your calendars! One of our favorite partners, Jes Hatt with ISDA, has been working on a rain barrel demonstration in collaboration with McCord's Do-It-Best. Jes will demo how to convert a suitable container into a rain barrel at Science Project in Logansport on April 24, 6-8 pm. A $12 workshop fee, payable on the day of the workshop, will cover a beverage and educational materials. Meanwhile, McCord's Do-It-Best is collaborating with the Cass Co. SWCD to offer the materials to make a rain barrel at a very reasonable price. Stop into McCord's and mention "SWCD rainbarrel" for the order form for supplies. Science Project Brewing Company

04/24/2026

Join us May 2nd at Prairie Edge Nature Park for the annual free tree giveaway by the Friends of the Fulton County Parks and Recreation, Inc.

04/24/2026

The tree in your yard isn't just shade. It's the base of a food chain.

Nesting chickadees need a remarkable number of caterpillars to raise one clutch — far more than most people would guess. Native trees host those caterpillars. Most non-native ornamentals host very few. The difference between what you plant determines what can nest nearby.

🌿 Native trees ranked by how many caterpillar species they support:

- Oak — more caterpillar species than any other tree genus in North America. One mature oak supports more insect life than entire yards of non-native ornamentals

- Black cherry — the native cherry most people treat as a w**d tree. Its caterpillar load feeds more birds than most ornamental cherries planted in its place

- Willow — fast-growing, water-loving, and among the highest caterpillar hosts on the continent. Native willows outperform the common weeping willow hybrids by a wide margin

- Birch — white, river, and paper birch all rank in the top tier. The caterpillars feeding on birch foliage are primary food for warblers and chickadees during nesting season

- Poplar and cottonwood — the messy tree people complain about is one of the more important wildlife trees in the country. The cotton is a minor inconvenience. The ecological output is hard to replace

- Native maple — red maple and sugar maple, not the imported Norway maple that lines many suburban streets. Norway maple supports far fewer caterpillar species than its native counterparts

- Elm — American elm was the dominant street tree for good reason. Disease-resistant cultivars are returning and bringing the caterpillar community with them

- Hickory — slow-growing and long-lived. The nuts feed mammals. The foliage feeds caterpillars. The caterpillars feed birds. A complete food web in one tree

- Native pine — the evergreen people assume supports nothing because it doesn't flower. Pine-specialist caterpillars are important food for birds in winter and early spring when deciduous trees are bare

The tree you choose determines what can eat, nest, and raise young within reach of it 🌿

04/24/2026

Fulton County SWCD partnered with Fulton County Solid Waste District to educate Columbia Elementary Kindergarteners and 1st graders on recycling ♻️ and the benefits and the life cycle of oak a tree 🌳. Our SWCD provided 300 white oak trees to students and staff.

04/23/2026

Thank you State of Indiana Cooperative Invasives Management Zellers Beautiful Blooms/Sweet Corn Resilient Indiana: Technical Assistance for SWCDs Fulton County Park Department!