By KADY LANE, guest columnist
The Brown County Office of Soil and Water Conservation District is here to help local residents to conserve land, water, forests, wildlife habitats and related natural resources that encompass our 316-square-mile area.
Our mission is to provide leadership and partner with Brown County residents and interested environmental groups on management of our land and water resources. Some of the services we offer on a local level include providing natural resource and agriculture information, offering site visits by the district manager to help identify and address natural resource concerns, provide educational support and lessons for Grades K-12.
We can also assist in educating and provide options for stewardship as well as conservation.
Our local office is in the unique position to be able to bring much needed environmental perspective to land use and economic development decisions.
The idea that soil and water and quality of life go together is not something new. Communities can only be as healthy as their soil. I say this because soil is essential to human health and healthy soil is essential for the well-being of the planet.
Although our mission is not tied to food security, there are links between soil health and human health. For example, food security is one key to human health, we all know this, but did you know that almost 78 percent of per capita calorie consumption worldwide comed from crops grown directly in soil?
This is according to a 2014 article by Brevik, E.C. & Burgess, L.C that was printed in the Journal of Nature Education. The article goes on to explain how soils provide a major source of nutrients and act as a natural filtering system for water. However, often our soils contain heavy metals, chemicals or pathogens that all have the potential to have a negative impact on human health.
Over the years, SWCD has hosted numerous events that serve to educate and to bring like-minded people together. Please check our website for information or to sign up for our newsletter, www.browncountyswcd.com, or check out our Facebook page at Brown County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Kady Lane has worked as an educator for many years, teaching science in grades seven to 12 as well as adult education for Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Her master’s degree is in environmental studies and her undergraduate is in human services and psychology. Lane is currently the Brown County Soil and Water Conservation District educator and can be contacted at [email protected].
