Soil, water district plans to host open house

Community members are invited to attend an open house next week hosted by the Union County Soil and Water Conservation District.

The invitation is extended by the district’s directors: Carlyn Light, Larry Hale, Dana Eddleman, Kent Treece and Bill Littrell.

The open house is scheduled Tuesday, Feb. 14, at the USDA building at 201 Springfield Ave. in Anna.

Doors are scheduled to be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Activities all day include voting for two directors to the soil and water conservation district board.

Voting also is planned to select the county winner of a 5th grade poster contest. Each school in the county has entered a poster by a 5th grader from their school. 

The county winner will be sent on to the state contest for conservation districts in Illinois. This year’s theme is “Healthy Soils are Full of Life.” 

The open house is a come-and-go event. Guest speakers are scheduled to present programs during the day. The schedule, and topics, include:

11 a.m., forestry management/implementation. 1 p.m., cover crops for cattle producers and row crop producers. 2:30 p.m., Illinois EPA Upper Cache Watershed grant stakeholders meeting.

Organizers of the event noted that people who own property or live in the Upper Cache Watershed (in Union County north of Illinois Route 146 and east of old U.S. Route 51) are encouraged to attend the meeting and to share any erosion or conservation problems, such as flooding, pollution and other concerns that they may have. Cost share funds may be available in the future to address some of these issues. 

A free lunch will be provided from noon to 1 p.m.

For more information about the open house, call the Union County Soil and Water Conservation District/NRCS office at 833-5666, extension 3, and ask for Edward.