Photo Winner - Ohio River
2022 science camp at Camp Oyo
Photo provided by Ohio Division of Wildlife
Photo Winner - Ohio River
Current Events
Scioto SWCD Annual Meeting
and Supervisor Election
The 2024 Scioto Soil and Water Conservation District annual meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 3rd from 5:30 - 8:00 PM at the Jefferson Twp. Community Building. Early arrival with voting will be from 5:30-6:00. Dinner will be served at 6:00 with guest speaker Drew Carter of Watch Me Grow Ohio and District awards presentations to follow. There is no charge for attendance, but registration is required by Friday October 27th.
The Scioto SWCD has 2 Supervisor positions open for election this year.
Election Notice
The Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Commission will cause an election of Supervisors of the Scioto Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) to be held in accordance with Chapter 940 of the Ohio Revised Code. Individuals who own or occupy land within the Scioto Soil and Water Conservation District and are 18 years of age or older may vote for Supervisor.
There are three ways an eligible voter can cast a ballot:
1.) At the SWCD office, located at the USDA building 12167A St. Rt. 104 Lucasville, Ohio 45648, from 9/4/2024 until 10/3/2024 during normal business hours; or
2.) At the SWCD Annual Meeting, which will take place at Jefferson Township Building on
10/3/2024 from 5:30-6:00pm, located at 200 Glendale Road Lucasville, Ohio 45648.
3.) Voting absentee from 9/4/2024 until 10/3/2024, by requesting the ballot application and
election ballot from the SWCD office at the following address 12167A St. Rt. 104 Lucasville,
Ohio 45648, by calling 740-259-9231 ext. 4, or email info@sciotoswcd.org. Absentee ballots
must be received by the SWCD office by 2:00pm on 10/3/2024.
Scioto Soil and Water Supervisors will be elected to a three‐year term commencing January 1, 2025 and ending December 31, 2027.
Nominees are:
Kim Baker
Josh Campbell
Jim Pertuset
Travis Garrett
2024 Beginning Gardener Programs
The 2024 gardening season is unfortunately winding down. None-the-less, as part of our desire to see more folks successfully raising some of their own food, and thanks to an urban community conservation grant received from the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), we are continuing our series of beginning gardener programs throughout October. These programs are very informal and aimed at answering questions and providing useful information for those wanting to get involved in or increase their knowledge of gardening and raising some of their own fruits, vegetables and the like.
The year's next program is scheduled for Thursday evening September 26 from 5:00-6:30 PM. The plan for this program is to meet at the USDA Service Center to discuss end of season garden maintenance, winter cover crops and more seed saving information. If you have any fresh or preserved food dishes made from this year's harvest you would like to share, bring those also.
If you are seriously interested in attending, as space is limited, please send an email including your name and phone number to info@sciotoswcd.org or call our office at 740-259-9231 ext. 4.
This is a great opportunity to increase your gardening and self-sufficiency knowledge by networking with others with an interest in raising more of their own food.
Seed Saving Program
Scioto SWCD in association with Scioto County OSU Extension is holding a seed saving program covering details about collecting, saving and storing your own seeds for use from season to season. The program will be held at the Portsmouth Public Library on Thursday, September 5th from 5:30-7:00 PM. If you have any interesting seeds you would like to share with others, please bring them to the program. Just make certain they are not from a restricted or invasive species.
Fall Forestry Field Night
Multiple agency partners are hosting a forestry field night on Tuesday evening, September 24 from 5:30-8:00 PM . The event is aimed at providing a wide array of information and resources for the woodland landowner. We will lightly explore some private property woodland and discuss a wide range of topics from wildlife habitat, invasive species, timber management, available programs and more. This is a great opportunity to connect with professionals in the field as well as other woodland landowners. The event is free to attend but registration is required. A light dinner will be provided. If interested in more information call our office. To register call Kane Lewis at 740-354-7879 or Jenny Stoneking at 937-544-2339. See this flyer for more details.
Scioto County Beekeepers Group Meeting
Scioto County OSU Extension and Scioto SWCD are planning to hold a public interest meeting to discuss forming a beekeepers group in Scioto County. The meeting will be open to anyone interested in helping to get the group started and will discuss specifics of forming the group. The meeting date and location have not been set yet, but we are looking at early October. Check back for details as they are set.
Rain Barrels and Kits
Scioto SWCD currently has rain barrel kits for sale. The kit includes a 55-gallon food-grade barrel. The kit contains 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 $50 including tax. Due to the limited number of kits, there is a limit of 2 kits per person. If interested, call our office to check on availability.
Milkweed Seeds Available
Scioto SWCD has a limited number of small packets of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seeds available for distribution. Each packet contains approximately 50 seeds. The seeds can be direct sown this autumn and allowed to undergo natural stratification for germination next spring. They are available at no charge, but currently there is a limit of 2 packets per person. If interested stop by our office to pick one up. Please call first though to make sure someone will be in the office.
Ohio Department of Agriculture
Grazing Management Lunch and Learn Series
(click to learn more)
Southern Ohio Grazing Council
The Council is a group of livestock producers in the southern Ohio region that periodically meet at producer's farms to discuss grazing operation management and related topics.
Check back for the date, location and information on the next planned meeting.
Hunter Education Course
An in-class hunter education course will be held on Saturday, September 21, 2024 from
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM at the USDA Service Center in Lucasville.
If interested in attending please see this flyer for more information.
Class size is limited to 25.
Archery Target Shooting Program
Interested in learning some archery basics and practicing some archery target shooting? Even if you have shot before and just want to come out and participate, there will be a program at the Shawnee State Park Turkey Creek lake nature center archery range each Friday from 4:00 - 6:00 PM. All equipment is provided.
If you plan to bring a larger group, please call park naturalist Jenny Richards to let her plan accordingly at 740-858-6652.
Report Wild Turkey, Ruffed Grouse
& Other Wildlife Sightings
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife is seeking reports of wild turkey and ruffed grouse, including their young, throughout the summer months for their annual population surveys.
The ODNR press release can be found at Ohioans Asked to Report Sightings of Turkeys and Grouse This Summer
Other 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.
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.
The 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
Current landowner enrollment period runs until July 15, 2024.
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:
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 2024 Regular Board Meeting Dates
January 9
February 6
March 5
April 2
May 7
June 4
July 9
August 13
September 6
October 4
November 1
December 6
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.