Columbiana County Soil and Water Conservation District

06/13/2026

As part of the spring Tree and Fish Sale Columbiana SWCD will also be selling nesting boxes from J.S. Houses!

Owl boxes can be purchased for $100 per box. These boxes provide necessary nesting habitat on a property for several different Owl species. By attracting these owls you can help decrease the number of rodents on your property and also give you the opportunity to see Owl species more commonly on your land.

Eastern Bluebird boxes can be purchased for $25 per box. These boxes are extremely well made and if property taken care of can last many years helping grow the Bluebird populations in your area.

If you have bats J.S. Houses also has bat boxes for sale which can be purchased for $65 per box. These boxes can help encourage bats to stay around your area and can also benefit you by decreasing the amount of mosquitos and other flying insects in these areas.

All listed boxes can be picked up at the Columbiana SWCD office. All sale proceeds from these boxes go to Jayden Stoffer as she continues to build her small wood working business.

06/12/2026

Our Fall Native Plant Sale begins July 27th! Order forms will be available in our July newsletter in addition to our office at 1834-B South Lincoln Ave. in Salem.

Follow our event page for the latest updates: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EEh3qjyEH/

06/11/2026

Join us for a Forestry Field Night Thursday, June 25th at the Leetonia Sportsman's Club!

We'll be partnering with OSU Extension, and will cover topics like Oak Management, Controlling Invasives, and Maintaining a Healthy Woodland.

Date: 6/25
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: 311 E. High St., Leetonia, OH
To Register: Call 330-332-8732

Speakers:
- John Beilhart, CC SWCD Forestry and Wildlife Specialist
- Jim Downs, OSU Extension Forestry Field Specialist

06/10/2026

06/10/2026

06/10/2026

Did you know that Columbiana SWCD provides pond technical assistance to pond owners all across Columbiana county? This can range from taking a look at pond issues, pond w**d identification, pond w**d treatment/removal, fish stocking recommendations and any other pond related topics.

If you have a pond and would be interested in having us out to conduct a visit please reach out to John Beilhart at 330-277-2977.

06/09/2026

A juvenile Grey Tree Frog hiding in some landscaping.

For more information please visit: http://atlas.ohparc.org/species/hyla_versicolor

06/08/2026

The Stonecat Madtom. This small species of the Ictaluridae family is one of the more common Madtom species found in Ohio streams such as Little Beaver Creek in Columbiana County. The stonecat madtom can be various shades of brown, with a white or cream belly. The adipose fin is attached to the tail with no free rear edge. Fins are paler than the body and stonecats sometimes have two or three lighter brown or yellowish saddle-like markings across the back. The edges of the fins are often outlined with lighter brown, yellow, or white. The body is long and slender, and the upper jaw protrudes beyond the lower jaw. The rear edge of the pectoral spines is straight, not deeply serrated.

Stonecat madtoms are primarily a riffle-dwelling species. They are most abundant in medium to large rivers in areas with moderately fast current and large boulders and slabs. They are also found in Lake Erie around the islands and reefs of the Western Basin, and along rocky shorelines. Stonecats spend the day hiding under large flat rocks and come out at night to feed.

Stonecat madtoms begin spawning when water temperatures reach about 80 degrees F. The female lays a gelatinous round mass containing about 500 eggs on the underside of flat stones. One of the parents guards the eggs until hatching. Young stonecats are often found in shallower and swifter water than the adults.

06/07/2026

There is now a brand-new conservation program that will provide financial incentives for private landowners who would like to improve the wildlife habitat on their property, focusing on supporting habitat for grassland birds, pollinators, and other native wildlife. The Wildlife Habitat Initiative (WHI) is being led by the National Bobwhite and Grassland Initiative (NBGI), along with the support of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the ODNR Division of Wildlife (DOW).

The WHI brochure (downloadable from the Columbiana SWCD website under the Wildlife/Forestry then the programs we offer tab) provides a brief description of the program and a listing of the conservation practices that are being made available to the landowner. Here are some of the important highlights of the WHI that a landowner would need to be aware of in order to consider moving forward:
The minimum amount of acreage for a project is 5 acres! It would not necessarily need to be contiguous acres, however the accumulative acres on that property or farm tract would need to total a minimum of 5 acres.

Each application will be scored/ranked based on various habitat-related factors and location. There is a maximum of 60 points, with a score of 30 points or more guaranteeing acceptance into the program.

If Forest Stand Improvement is one of the conservation practices selected, a minimum of 75% “open canopy” is a requirement! Incentive payments (95% of the pre-established scenario rate) are paid to the landowner for completing a conservation practice(s). Contracts with landowners will be executed by the NBGI and will be 2-5 years in length. Landowners enrolling in the Wildlife Habitat Initiative will be provided with technical assistance/resources, along with a conservation plan they would need to follow.

For more information about this innovative program or to start the application process, contact the Columbiana SWCD Wildlife and Forestry Specialist John Beilhart at 330-277-2977.