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Current & Upcoming Events

The Conservation Homestead:

Building a Sustainable Future

Program Series

Scioto SWCD is holding a monthly homesteading, self-sustainability skills and conservation focused series of public programs on the final Thursday of each month throughout 2025. The programs will be in partnership with local homesteaders and those practicing crafts and skills useful in self-sustainability and conservation. Our next program will be on May 29th from 6:00-7:30 PM and the subject for this program will be Herbal Solutions covering making your own herbal salves and ointments.

The programs will be held at the USDA Service Center in Lucasville. The programs are free of charge but registration is required as space is limited. To register call our office at 740-259-9231 ext. 4 or send an email with names of those attending and phone number to info@sciotoswcd.org.

Future months topics are being planned so if you have any suggestions on subjects you would like to see covered call our office or send us an email at info@sciotoswcd.org.

Wednesdays in the Watershed Hikes

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2025 CSI: Shawnee Science Camp

Registration is open for the 2025 Science Camp to be held at Boy Scout Camp Oyo in Shawnee State Forest on July 1st - 3rd. Camp is open to youth that will be entering 6th - 9th grades in the 2025-26 school year. This is a great camp planned to give youth the opportunity to explore the natural world and gain exposure to different natural resources career fields. More information can be found on the Science Camp page under the Events tab. The registration form can also be found there. Registration is due by Thursday June 5th. For questions or additional information please call our office.

Scioto County Beekeepers Association

The newly formed Scioto County Beekeeper's Association will be holding monthly meetings on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 6:00 PM at the Lucasville USDA Service Center building. Please check and follow their Facebook page for the next scheduled meeting date and other updates and information.  Scioto County Beekeepers Association | Facebook

Rain Barrel and Kit Reduced Price 

Scioto SWCD currently has rain barrel kits for sale. The kit includes a 55-gallon food-grade barrel and everything needed to connect to a roof downspout, except for a couple of tools, providing a way to collect and store rainwater runoff.

This can help with stormwater runoff as well as providing a source of water for watering plants and animals. The cost for the kit is $40 including tax. If interested, call our office to check on availability.

Wildlife Habitat Initiative Program

Scioto SWCD in conjunction with the Ohio Division of Wildlife will be offering a wildlife focused program available to landowners interested in creating or improving wildlife habitat on their property. Eligible landowners will receive incentive payments to develop wildlife habitat utilizing a number of conservation practices including brush management, conservation cover, cover crops, riparian habitat management, wildlife habitat planting, tree and shrub planting, forest stand improvement and others. The program will offer incentive payments to develop habitat and is scheduled to roll out in the early summer. If interested in learning more call our office at 740-250-2862. We will work with you to develop a conservation and habitat plan for your property to be ready for the full program implementation.

Southern Ohio Grazing Council

Steve Campbell 'On Cow's' Field Day Scheduled for

Saturday May 3, 2025 in West Union, Ohio

Covering information on:

  • Fertility and easy-keeping through better cattle shape

  • Reading hair coats and body shape for reproductive health

  • Using all-natural, low-cost minerals to increase production

  • How to identify and avoid toxic minerals

  • Low-cost epi-genetic fixes for your herd’s long-term health and performance

  • Lunch will be provided

For more information see the event flyer here.

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The Council is a group of livestock producers in the southern Ohio region that periodically meet at producer's farms to discuss livestock and grazing operation management and related topics. If you would like to be added to their email list to receive information on upcoming events, send an email to conaway.adams.swcd@live.com. Include your name, address, phone number and email address.

Report Wildlife Sightings

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife is continually seeking reports of several different wildlife species within Ohio. Wildlife species that can be reported anytime are gray foxes, river otters, black bears, and other furbearers, including fishers, badgers, weasels, and bobcats, as well as other wildlife species found on the wildlife reporting system webpage.

These reports assist wildlife biologists and the Ohio Division of Wildlife in tracking wildlife populations.

Reports can be submitted to the Wildlife Reporting System at wildohio.gov and on the HuntFish OH  mobile app.

Please contact your County Wildlife Officer to submit river otter and gray fox carcasses. Submitted carcasses can be from harvests or roadkill, although it is not permitted to collect roadkill carcasses. One can report the location of roadkill to their local wildlife officer.

An additional ODNR press release can be found at Report Furbearer Sightings to Contribute to Wildlife Research.

More information on individual wildlife species in Ohio can be found at the Ohio Division of Wildlife online Species Guide.

Ohio Landowner/Hunter Access Partnership

The Ohio Landowner/Hunter Access Partnership (OLHAP) Program is a way for Ohio hunters to get access to private properties. This program is funded in part by the federal Farm Bill under their Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) to implement programs encouraging hunting access on private properties. The OLHAP program is administered by the Ohio Division of Wildlife and uses funds to pay landowners for hunters to access their property.  Participating landowners receive annual payment rates of $2.00/acre for agricultural lands and $30.00/acre for perennial wildlife cover, such as wetlands, grasslands, brushlands, and forest. Enrollment contracts are for 2 years, with the possibility of reenrollment. If you are a landowner interested in finding out more about the program or wishing to enroll your property or a hunter interested in finding hunting property, visit the Ohio Landowner/Hunter Access Partnership Program page to find out more.

You can also call our office for more information.

Public Notice:

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The Scioto Soil and Water Conservation District's Board of Supervisors will meet for the remainder of 2024 on the first Friday of every month, unless otherwise stated, at 8:00 AM at the USDA Service Center, 12167A State Route 104, Lucasville, Ohio.  The Scioto Soil and Water Conservation District strives to work with local landowners, residents, businesses, organizations, and units of government in providing a partnership effort to help conserve, maintain, and improve Scioto County's natural resources.  Anyone interested in conservation practices can find more on the District website at www.sciotoswcd.org or call the District office at 740-259-9241 ext. 4.  The District was formed in 1946 as a legally organized subdivision of the State of Ohio that is governed by a volunteer Board of Supervisors elected by Scioto County residents.  The 2024 Supervisors are Thomas Turner, Wheelersburg; James L. Pertuset, Portsmouth; Travis Garrett, Lucasville; David Otworth, Franklin Furnace; Matt Lewis, West Portsmouth.  Meetings are open to the public and the media.  If you would like to receive notices about special meetings, meeting topics or time and date changes for regular meetings, please contact the District Administrator.

Scioto SWCD 2025 Regular Board Meeting Dates

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January 3

February 7

March 7

April 4

May 2

June 6

July 11

August 8

September 5

October 3

November 7

December 5

Scioto SWCD
12167A State Route 104
Lucasville OH 45648
740-259-9231 Ext. 4
info@sciotoswcd.org

Scioto County Local Foods Guide

Scioto SWCD has compiled a local food and resource guide highlighting local food producers and local businesses where locally produced foods can be found. If you are a local, small farm or business producing or offering foods for public sale and would like to be added to the guide please send your information to info@sciotoswcd.org or call our office at

740-259-9231 ext. 4 and we will add you to the guide. This guide is a work in progress and hopefully the list of local food sources will be expanded so check back for further updates. The guide can be found on the Links page accessed at the top of this page.

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