Congratulations to Jim Carr of Carr Farms for being selected as the 2025 Cooperator of The Year by the Highland SWCD Board of Supervisors and Staff! Carr Farms was chosen based on their determination and willingness to improve soil and water quality throughout the operation. Carr Farms has implemented multiple conservation practices on their farms to protect our natural resources. This prestigious award was presented On October 15, 2025, at the SWCD Annual Meeting. L- R; Jim Carr, and SWCD Chairman Kyle Mustard.
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1st SWCD Ag in the County Program a Success
The 1st Annual Highland County Farm Tour took place on September 29, 2025, at the East End Overlook at Rocky Fork Lake State Park. This Ag in the County was a result of a collaborative effort between the Highland Soil and Water Conservation District, the Ohio Department of Forestry and the Ohio Department of Parks and Recreation. The event was a success with 30 people in attendance. The evening featured Aaron Kash and Tom Rickey from the Ohio Department of Forestry with a presentation on The Forester's Edge in Timber Sales; Discover how expert guidance into lasting value. Aaron Kash made sure that all of the participants questions were addressed. Light refreshments were served. The Highland SWCD looks forward to hosting many more Ag in the County events in the future on a multitude of topics. Check out the SWCD Facebook page for upcoming programming. 
Area 5 Envirothon 2025 On Friday, May 9, 2025 the Area 5 Envirothon was held at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park in Darbydale, Ohio. There were 28 teams in attendance and the top four teams are advancing on to the 2025 State Envirothon June 2 - 4 in Wilmington, Ohio. 1st place went to Lynchburg-Clay Gold, 2nd place was Athens High Green, 3rd place went to Chief Logan Blue and 4th place was Bexley Blue and White. The alternate for the event will be Athens High Gold in the event that one of the top four teams is unable to attend. Congratulations to all the teams that participated. Pictured is the 1st Place Lynchburg-Clay Gold Team. 
Earth Day is a wonderful day to celebrate our Environment. This year in April the Liberty Lions Club partnered with Rocky Fork State Park to plant 175 trees purchased through the Highland Soil & Water District's Annual Tree sale. It is partnerships like this one that will benefit our community and environment far into the future. Happy Earth Day!
Highland County landowners have been waiting a long time to take advantage of H2Ohio’s agricultural programs and cost-share opportunities, but the wait is over! Enrollment period is through – May 31, 2024. This is good news, but it’s important to realize practices available in Highland County will not mirror what’s been offered in the Western Lake Erie Basin. H2Ohio’s statewide expansion will be much more limited in terms of available practices, and we want to do our part to establish clear expectations.
Practices: H2Ohio in Highland County will be limited to voluntary nutrient plan development in 2024 for 2025 & 2026 and having such a plan in place is required for any additional H2Ohio opportunities. Available acres: Up to 17,500 acres total will be available for H2Ohio nutrient management plan development in Highland County. Applications will be approved on a first-come, first-serve basis. Producer caps: Each producer is limited to a maximum of 1,000 acres per farm entity. Changes required: While you do not have to change your management strategies to develop a nutrient management plan, you will have to follow that plan and not exceed nutrient application requirements outlined in the Tri-State Fertilizer Guide to be paid for implementation. For more information: Contact the Highland SWCD at 937-393-1922 ext 3 for more information or to schedule an appointment 
2025 Officers Elected
The Highland SWCD Board of Supervisors elected officers at the Jan 15 Board Meeting; (L-R) Jeff Roehm, Vice-Chairman, Jim Carr, Fiscal Agent, Kyle Mustard, Chairman, Dan Chambers & Chris Cox Members 
The SWCD Board will hold their regular monthly meetings on the 2nd Wednesday of each month in 2025. The meetings will be held at 8 a.m. in the Service Center located at 514 Harry Sauner Road, Hillsboro, Ohio. The Board Meetings are open to the public.
Board Member Receives 10 Year Service Award
Dan Chambers, SWCD Board Member, received his 10 Year Service Award on January 23, 2025, at the Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Conservation Districts Annual Partnership Meeting in the Hilton Convention Center, Columbus Ohio. The Highland County Soil & Water Conservation District would like to thank Dan for his dedication to conservation in Highland County. 
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Pictured (l-r) are Cloe Williamson, Autumn Blankenship, Abigail Shepherd, Gage Thompson and Kylie O'Conner.
Lynchburg-Clay Gold Team Wins State Envirothon for the 2nd Consecutive Year For the second year in a row the Lynchburg-Clay Gold team won the State Envirothon which qualifies the team to compete at the National level at the 2025 NCF Envirothon in Calgary, Alberta Canada July 20 – 26, 2025.
On April 9, 2025, the Lynchburg-Clay Gold team, coached by Lara Hamilton, placed first in the Area 5 Envirothon, earning themselves the honor to compete in the State Envirothon. Team members included Autumn Blankenship, Kylie O’Connor, Abi Shepherd, Gage Thompson and Cloe Williamson. The Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts held their annual State Envirothon June 2 – 4, 2025 at Wilmington College. The top four scoring teams from each of the five Area Envirothons were eligible to participate in the State Envirothon. The Envirothon is designed to stimulate, reinforce and enhance interest in the environment and natural resources among high school students. Each student on an Envirothon team is challenged to contribute their personal best, but the score that counts at the end of the Envirothon is the combined team score. The competition tests student’s knowledge of soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology and current environmental issues. This year, the Lynchburg-Clay Gold team received first place in Forestry. The Lynchburg-Clay Gold team will be participating in the 2025 NCF Envirothon in Calgary, Alberta, 
2025 NCF - Envirothon Alberta
Ohio was proudly represented at the 2025 NCF-Envirothon at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, Canada July 20th through July 26th by the Lynchburg-Clay Gold team. The Lynchburg-Clay Gold team placed 40th out of 50 teams this year, in their second year at the National competition. They came in 21st out of all 50 teams in the Oral Presentation. This year’s topic was ”Roots and Resiliency: Fostering Forest Stewardship in a canopy of Change”. Each year over 25,000 high school students across the United States, Canada and China embark on an environmental and natural resource journey that involves problem-solving, teambuilding and leadership experience. Congratulations to Massachusetts for being selected as the 2025 NCF – Envirothon Alberta champions during this year’s competition. 
Bringing Quail Back!
Quail are disappearing from our landscape here in Southern Ohio, primarily due to habitat loss. If you are interested in conserving or creating habitat on your land, there are programs to help! Two such programs are; CRP is a rental program through the USDA, which gives cost share to convert existing farmland into natural habitats to address an environmental concern. After establishment, the USDA pays a rental rate on the land used to keep it in natural cover. EQIP is a more flexible program, not requiring existing cropland. Only cost share is offered, but this can help offset the personal expenses for otherwise costly work. Invasive control, habitat plantings, and more can be accomplished through the EQIP program. If you have any interest or questions regarding these programs, don’t hesitate to reach out to your local NRCS office, or to your area’s farm bill biologist. We are happy to assist, and with your help, we can ensure that future generations of the Buckeye State can experience the summer with all of its natural sights and sounds. 
Etienne Hired as the
Nutrient Management Specialist John Etienne recently joined the Highland SWCD team as a Nutrient Management Specialist. John is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy and a 1994 graduate of Lynchburg-Clay High School. John had previously been a Technician for the SWCD from 2001 to 2010. More recently, he spent 14 years with the Highland County Engineers Office. John is excited to rejoin the SWCD staff and help implement the various programs the Highland SWCD helps implement. Please join us in welcoming John back. 
Rocky Fork Funding Awarded
Lead Partner, Highland Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) was awarded funding for the Rocky Fork Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), which is one of three projects awarded in the state. The RCPP promotes coordination between NRCS and its partners to deliver conservation assistance to producers and landowners. With the help of various partners including Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Division of Parks and Watercraft & Division of Wildlife, City of Hillsboro-Drinking Water Treatment Plant and Wastewater Treatment Plant, and US Fish and Wildlife Service the project will protect water quality, reduce soil erosion, and provide habitat for at-risk species in the Rocky Fork Watershed. The Rocky Fork Watershed drains approximately 92,350 acres of land, with 46,650 acres of cropland that directly outlets into the Rocky Fork Lake, thus making it a highly sensitive area. The primary objectives of the RCPP is to protect water quality, enhance wildlife habitat and reduce soil erosion to alleviate algal blooms n the Rocky Fork Watershed region. The project will be carried out over the next five years with water monitoring being conducted through the life of the project to document trends and conditions. With sediment being the biggest challenge for Rocky Fork Lake, partnering with the ODNR Parks and Watercraft dredging operation, will maximize the benefits of reducing sediment from reaching the lake. This innovative project will implement a series of agricultural best management practices that will have an enormous positive effect on the economic and social development of the Rocky Fork Watershed, as well as, protect the City of Hillsboro’s drinking water supply and provide prescribed habitat for Ohio’s diminished Bobwhite Quail population and other at-risk species. Project goals for conservation practices include the installation cover crops, nutrient management, grassed waterways, and certain prescribed wildlife management practices that improve habitat for targeted species. If you are in the Rocky Fork Watershed and would like more information on the program you may contact the NRCS/SWCD office at 937-393-1922 ext 3. |
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Phone: 937-820-5197 Located at: 514 Harry Sauner Road Ste. 2 Hillsboro, OH 45133 The Highland SWCD will hold their regular monthly Board meetings on the second Wednesday of each month, unless otherwise noted, at 8:00 am in the Hillsboro Service Center located at 514 Harry Sauner Rd. in Hillsboro. Meetings are open to the public, in accordance with the Sunshine Law. |
MISSION STATEMENT
The Highland Soil and Water Conservation District will protect our natural resources while meeting the needs of the citizens of Highland County and will promote the wise use of natural resources through the use of technical and educational assistance with available funds. |
All Highland Soil and Water Conservation District programs and services are offered on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status.