The conservation story is too important not to tell anyone who will listen. Specifically, tell them about the 92 soil and water conservation districts in Indiana, what they have accomplished and what they could accomplish. And if you can do it in a creative way that attracts attention, that’s even better.

The Jennings County Soil and Water Conservation District, its supervisors and staff excel at finding ways to serve the community while educating people about what they’re doing at the same time. Perhaps the best example is what they accomplish through their exhibit at the annual Jennings County Fair in North Vernon, Ind. While it’s only one week per year, they reach as many people possible with as many messages as they can during that one week.

“We’ve had an active display at the county fair for a long time, but we’ve stepped it up recently,” says Andy Ertel, longtime Jennings County SWCD director and now a consultant to the district. Indeed, they figured out how to raise thousands of dollars to upgrade the building the SWCD occupies during the fair, using both community and public funds. The upgrades include structural improvements, such as a better floor and improved lighting.

Great displays

“The showpiece of the building is a gallery where we can hang displays and pictures, and people can walk down aisles and interact with what they see,” says Brad Ponsler, chairman of the Jennings County SWCD. “We can put lots of information in there, and the pictures help pull people in.”

How do they keep it from getting boring year after year? The displays aren’t permanent. The district has multiple sets of photos and display information that are rotated through the gallery from year to year. People know that if they return to the building the next year, they will find something different in the gallery than they saw the year before.

The gallery isn’t the only educational display inside the Jennings County SWCD building. At the 2022 Jennings County Fair, visitors saw other displays, also tied to activities the district participates in during the year. One large exhibit explains key aspects of raising honeybees through pictures. Keeping bees is gaining interest not only in Jennings County, but throughout Indiana.

A soils display shows monoliths of key soils within the county. If a farmer or landowner wants to become more familiar with the soils on his or her land, this is a good place to start. The monoliths show what the top 3 feet of soil look like on various soils.

A display about non-native invasive plants will catch attention these days, especially if you jazz it up. The Jennings County SWCD adopted the “Most Wanted” concept in their display this year, showing various invasives on mock “Most Wanted” posters. Efforts to recognize the problem that invasive, non-native plants cause in woodlands are picking up statewide, including in Jennings County.

If your SWCD has a unique education program at the county fair or during the year, pass along the word. Email [email protected].