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The Eaton Conservation District is currently seeking an individual to fill the 'Arbor Day and Environmental Outreach Coordinator' position, which is based in the Charlotte USDA Field Office located in Eaton County, Michigan. This position administers the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Michigan Water Stewardship Program (MWSP) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) grant funded program the Michigan Arbor Day Alliance (MADA). The Coordinator will be responsible for educating youth and the general public on a range of issues pertaining to our natural resources as well as plan the annual Arbor Day celebration and help with District workshops and events. The position is open until filled with a tentative start date of February 15, 2022. Please read full position description and benefits summary below. Please direct all questions to Sue Spagnuolo at eatoncd@macd.org 
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Eaton Conservation District's Annual Meeting will be held Thursday, February 10, 2022, and we will be holding elections to fill two vacancies on the Eaton Conservation District's Board of Directors. The Eaton Conservation District is a local unit of state government as set forth in Public Act 463. This organization is run by a five-member board whose mission is to be your local resource for natural resource management, helping people conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment for future generations in Eaton County. Any individual wishing to run for office must complete and submit a nominating petition by Monday, December 13, 2021. Candidates must be at least 18 years old and an Eaton County resident. The position description and nominating petition forms (for both 2 year and 4 year terms) can be found below. Please note that elected board members will be required to attend one board meeting a month, which is held on the last Tuesday of every month at 6 PM in the basement conference room at 551 Courthouse Dr., Suite 3. Charlotte, MI. For more information, you can contact Sue Spagnuolo at eatoncd@macd.org or call 517-543-1512 x5. Board Member Position Description
The Eaton Conservation District is seeking an applicant for an open MAEAP Technician position in the Charlotte USDA Field Office located in Eaton County, Michigan. This position administers the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) MAEAP program in Eaton and Ingham Counties. MAEAP is an innovative, proactive program that helps farms of all sizes and all commodities voluntarily prevent and minimize agricultural pollution risks. This position will be responsible for the delivery of on-farm technical assistance including risk-assessments, coordination of local, state and federal resources to help reduce on-farm risks and assisting producers in making progress towards MAEAP verification. The MAEAP Technician position is funded by an annually-renewed statewide grant program through MDARD. A degree in agriculture-related sciences or natural resources is required and familiarity with Eaton County agricultural practices is very helpful. The candidate should have a good aptitude for customer service, the ability to multitask and be willing to do site visits on farms and woodlots. Ideally, the candidate will be available to begin work in mid-December. Please see full position description below. To apply, provide a cover letter, resume, copy of transcripts (unofficial is okay) and three references by November 19, 2021. Email your application packet to eatoncd@macd.org with ‘MAEAP Technician application in the subject line. Direct any questions to Eaton Conservation District Executive Director, Sue Spagnuolo, at (517) 543-1512 x 5 or eatoncd@macd.org
Do you live or own property in the Thornapple River Watershed (see green area on map below)? If so, then you may be eligible to apply for funding to assist in improvements to your property or agricultural operation. The USDA-NRCS recently announced a sign up for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) in the Thornapple River Watershed area, which covers a large portion of Eaton County. If you are interested in soil health practices, grazing practices, wildlife practices or even forestry related practices then this might be the right time to apply and take advantage of this limited funding only available to this watershed. Some of the many practices that are available include: cover crops, nutrient management, no-till, filter strips, grassed waterways, fence, prescribed grazing, livestock waterline, stream crossings, tree plantings, forest management plans, invasive species treatment and many others. If you are interested or have questions about whether your property or farm may qualify, give the Charlotte NRCS office a call at (517) 543-1512 x 3. Applications are currently being accepted from now until November 1st, so don’t wait!   Please join us for our annual fall field day. This year, we will have nationally recognized speaker, Dave Brandt, to share his insights into the value of soil health practices on the farm. Dave is one of the early adopters of no-till and cover crops farming in Carroll, OH. You can learn a little more about him and his soil health profile here. Along with Dave, we will have other industry experts and local farmers on-hand to offer their experiences and perspectives on the importance of soil health. We will have two separate sessions: a morning session (10am-12:30pm) for landowners and an afternoon session (3pm-6:30pm) for farmers/producers. You can register online or call us at (517) 543-1512 x5. You can view the Field Day Agenda below.
The Eaton Conservation District (ECD) was founded July 7, 1946 . Upon formation, the District set forth goals to remediate soil erosion because of the catastrophic effects of the dust bowl. Today, ECD continues to meet foundational agriculture goals while also expanding services related to other forms of natural resource conservation.
Every five years, ECD asks for your feedback about natural resources and conservation in our county. This survey helps us prioritize resources for the most important needs identified by our residents, helping us to educate, promote, and implement voluntary conservation. All responses will be anonymous. Please complete the survey by June 30, 2021. Contact us at the office at 517-543-1512 x5 with any questions.  Steve Tennes, owner of the Country Mill and Sue Spagnuolo, Executive Director at ECD will give helpful tips and tricks on how to prune your fruit trees during this virtual workshop. There will also be time for questions. If you would like to pre-register and attend the workshop on zoom, please register below. Please note we are only accepting a maximum of 28 participants on zoom. If you do not receive a zoom registration link that means we have reached capacity on zoom and ask that you head over to our Facebook page to attend the workshop live (no registration required). Thank you!
Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZcsdeGuqjwrE9J7Fujz05u6LRzdK... After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.  Every 2nd Tuesday of each month, as part of our year long 75th anniversary celebration, we will be hosting "Eatin' with Eaton", a Facebook live event series featuring a different Eaton County food product! We will not only highlight a local business or farm, but we will be providing district program updates so you will always be in the loop. Grab your lunch and join us for our first Eatin’ with Eaton on Tuesday, March 9th at 12:15 PM! We’ll be talking with Steve Tennes, owner of the Country Mill, about MAEAP, the Mill, and a dash of conservation history. We’ll see you then!
maeap offering free well water screening The Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) Technician will be offering free well water screening for Eaton and Ingham county residents on private drinking water wells during tree sale pick-up on Friday, April 17th. The screening will be for nitrates/nitrites only. When: 8am-5pm: Friday, April 23rd Where: Kardell Hall, Eaton County Fairgrounds: 1025 S. Cochran Ave. Charlotte, MI 48813 The Sample Information Sheet must be included with your water sample. The sample information sheet, along with sample collection instructions, can be found below. Please call Allie at the office at (517) 588-6300 if you have any questions.
We are excited to announce that the Michigan Water Stewardship Program (MWSP) website has finally been released! MWSP is a program of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Environmental Stewardship Division. Broadly speaking, this grant funded program is made possible by the state of Michigan’s Groundwater/Freshwater fund. MWSP is a partnership of organizations that provide educational assistance to Michigan’s residents to identify and reduce contamination risks to water and other natural resources. The program encourages individuals to take voluntary proactive steps to protect Michigan’s water quality – our drinking water – as well as protect our other valuable natural resources while caring for our family’s health. The new website features a Water Story that has three characters or 'paths' that users can navigate. They can choose between Professor Dew, Droplette, and Trickle. Each character explores different aspects of the water cycle and will help students and adults make important connections to our water resources and why its important we care for them. Please see attachment below for official press release.
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