Our Rich Land

Celebrating the Past; Looking to the Future - Richland SWCD's 75th Anniversary

In this episode, we recap Richland SWCD's big year of 2023 - our 75th anniversary! To mark the occasion, you will hear from District employees, supervisors, and partners past and present. It was also a big year for other reasons. Listen to find out more!
NERD SECTION!!! (We love conservation nerds)
1) Visit the page on our website for more on Richland SWCD history: https://richlandswcd.net/about-us/mission-vision-and-history/
2) Take a look at our archive of historical district photos: https://richlandswcd.net/about-us/reminisce/
3) The watershed map that Matt Christian mentioned: https://richlandswcd.net/stormwater-drainage/watersheds-of-richland-county/
4) More on the USDA-NRCS programs that Jason Ruhl mentioned: https://richlandswcd.net/agriculture/usda-nrcs-programs/
Contact Us!
2) Richland SWCD: https://richlandswcd.net/, call 419-747-8686
3) Kingwood Center Gardens: https://kingwoodcenter.org/
Music
Permission was generously granted for the use of the following tracks: "Run One Down" by Dan Lebowitz (our theme), and "A Brand New Start", "Confident Kurt", "Walk Through the Park", "A Night Alone", "Sunday", "Blue Ribbons", and "Easy Stroll" by TrackTribe. 
 

Giving Pollinators the Right-of-Way, Part 1 - Marne Titchenell, OSU Extension

We're back! And we have quite the show for you. In this episode, we are honored to be in the presence of Marne Titchenell, Program Director for Wildlife at OSU Extension. She chairs the Pollinator Right-of-Way committee which was instrumental in creating pollinator habitat on OSU Mansfield's campus. What's that? You'll find out! Plus, what are pollinators, what do we rely on them for, and how can we save them from going the way of the dodo? All this and more as Our Rich Land continues to bring you stories and insight on conservation in our small corner of Ohio. 
NERD SECTION!!! (We love conservation nerds)
1) Read more on the pollinator plots at OSU Mansfield: https://u.osu.edu/monarchplot/
2) Discover the Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative: https://www.ohiopollinator.org/
3) Pollinator Partnership: https://www.pollinator.org/
4) The Xerxes Society for Invertebrate Conservation: https://www.xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/about-pollinators
Contact Us!
1) Marne Titchenell: https://senr.osu.edu/our-people/marne-titchenell
2) Richland SWCD: https://richlandswcd.net/, call 419-747-8686
3) Kingwood Center Gardens: https://kingwoodcenter.org/
Music
Permission was generously granted for the use of the following tracks: "Run One Down" by Dan Lebowitz, and "Squirm Worm", "Jane Street", and "Easy Stroll" by TrackTribe. 

Reimagining Natural Problems to be Natural Solutions, Naturally!

Have you ever noticed that you flush your toilet with the same water that come out of your tap? Have you ever wondered why you pay someone to take away yard waste and then pay for fertilizer? Have you ever wanted to not water your yard so much? Then this episode is especially for you. "The problem is the solution" is a simple conceptual phrase coined by Bill Mollison, the Australian co-creator of the modern Permaculture movement. Often if we take the time to think about it our natural resource problems can often be solutions, either to the problem itself or to another problem that we have. Still confused? Hopefully we explain it a little better in the episode! We also discuss why this concept is important and relevant for natural resource conservation. 
 
 LINKS!!!
1) Special thanks to News 5 Cleveland for allowing us to use a an audio clip from their broadcast of the June 2022 tornado in Richland County! The broadcast was posted to their website here: Richland County Tornado - News 5 Cleveland
2) Bill Mollison's first book was written with David Holmgren, and was entitled: Permaculture One: A Perennial Agriculture for Human Settlements. He also wrote a handful of other informational books on permaculture. 
3) To learn more about permaculture online, you can explore permaculture's key principles here, and read some common definitions and concepts relating to permaculture here, and read the article the article that Josh quotes from here.
4) Visit our websites! Richland SWCD's Residential Programs & Kingwood Center Gardens
 
MUSIC
Permission was generously given to use the following tracks! "Run One Down" by Dan Lebowitz, and "A Brand New Start" and "Easy Stroll" by TrackTribe

It’s All Downhill From Here (Literally) – Watershed Stewardship & You

Actually, it really does all go downhill from Richland County...water, that is. Why? Well, listen in to Josh and Evan as they explore the concept of a watershed and what's unique about Richland County's water drainage (hint: there is a continental divide involved!). They also discuss basic water conservation principles for any site (including your home), and why that's important to watershed health. Additionally, Evan talks to Dan Herrold again (an SWCD technician) about some of the success stories he has seen for rain garden and rain barrel installations. With a few more fun and informative segments weaved in, this episode seeks to help you understand the principles and importance of watersheds and their stewardship.
 
LINKS
1) USGS Huc Map: https://water.usgs.gov/wsc/map_index.html
2) What the Heck is a HUC?: https://www.tfma.org/blogpost/1861890/348671/What-the-Heck-is-a-HUC
3) RSWCD interactive maps
- Watersheds of Richland County: https://richlandswcd.net/stormwater-drainage/watersheds-of-richland-county/
- Water Data Map: https://richlandswcd.net/stormwater-drainage/water-data-map/
- Continental Divide Tour: https://richlandswcd.net/stormwater-drainage/stormwater/continental-divide-tour/
4) RSWCD Rainbarrel/Raingarden Pages: https://richlandswcd.net/residential/programs/#rain-gardens
5) USGS Science In Your Watershed Tool: https://water.usgs.gov/wsc/
6) USEPA How’s My Waterway: https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/hows-my-waterway
 
Richland SWCD’s (NEW) website!: https://richlandswcd.net/
RSWCD's Phone #: 419-747-8686
Kingwood’s Website: https://kingwoodcenter.org/
 
MUSIC
We have been generously granted permission to use the music in this podcast by the artists who made it. Songs used are: "Run One Down" by Dan Lebowitz (our theme music), "Smokey's Lounge" & "Easy Stroll" by TrackTribe.
 
Thanks for listening!

A ”Gateway” to the World of Stormwater Management - Mark Rufener, Mark Hoover & Dan Herrold

We have three special guests this time and a jam packed episode all about stormwater management! We talk extensively with Mark Rufener (PE, CPESC, CPSWQ) from K.E. McCartney & Associates (a local engineering firm) regarding "The Gateway Project", Kingwood Center Garden's capital plan to create a new garden entrance and visitor experience, completed in the last few years. As part of this plan, Kingwood integrated several stormwater BMPs (Best Management Practices) into the new visitor center and parking lot. Mark Rufener is a professional in stormwater infrastructure engineering and management and played a large part in the design of these BMPs. He also worked closely with another Mark (Hoover) who is Kingwood's lead horticulturalist (translating as "plant wizard"). Mark Hoover was in charge of selecting the plant material to be used in some of the BMPs, because as you'll discover, plants play a critical role in stormwater management. Additionally, Evan caught up with Dan Herrold who is another technician at Richland SWCD. Dan heads up the MS4 program there, which ties into what we talk about in the rest of the episode. So, sit back and enjoy!
 
LINKS!!!
Kingwood's Interactive Map: https://kingwoodcenter.org/kiosk/garden-gateway/
North East Ohio Rain Garden Manual: www.geaugaswcd.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/2013_RainGardenManual_GeaugaSWCD.2762917.pdf
North East Ohio Master/Professional Rain Gardener Certification: https://neomasterraingardener.org/
Richland SWCD's Stormwater resources
- General: https://richlandswcd.net/services/water/stormwater
- Rain Gardens and Rain Barrels: https://richlandswcd.net/services/water/rain-gardens
- Do I need a Stormwater Permit? https://richlandswcd.net/services/do-i-need-a-permit
- Interactive Richland Co Watershed Map: https://richlandswcd.net/services/water/watersheds-of-richland-county
- Water Quality Data Map for Richland Co: https://richlandswcd.net/services/water/water-data-map
More on Best Management Practices:
- https://richlandswcd.net/services/water/stormwater/epa-best-practice
- https://sswcd.summitoh.net/sites/default/files/2019-01/Post%20Construction%20O%26M.pdf
 
OUR WEBSITES/PHONE NUMBERS
K.E. McCartney & Associates: https://kemccartney.com/
Richland Soil & Water Conservation District: 419-747-8686 | https://richlandswcd.net/
Kingwood Center Gardens: https://kingwoodcenter.org/
 
MUSIC
We have been generously granted permission to use the music in this podcast by the artists who made it. Songs used are: "Run One Down" by Dan Lebowitz (our theme music), "Busy City" & "Easy Stroll" by TrackTribe.

Farming is a Science (called Agronomy) - Jordan Miller USDA-NRCS

Farming is also an art. Ask any farmer. But there is more than meets the eye when you drive past a corn field. Agronomy, the science of producing crops, is the topic of this episode. We asked Jordan Miller, an employee of the United States Department of Agriculture: Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), all of our burning questions, including those on soil, agriculture technology, and how the NRCS fosters healthy ecosystems and ensures productive farms, simultaneously.  
 
Links to more information!
1) The book that Josh mentioned: "Water for Every Farm", by P.A. Yeomans
2) Richland SWCD's website "Agriculture" page, with local SWCD and NRCS resources: https://richlandswcd.net/services/agriculture
3) NRCS's about page: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/about/
4) Agronomy.org: https://www.agronomy.org/about-agronomy/
5) About conservation agriculture: http://conservationagriculture.mannlib.cornell.edu/pages/aboutca/advantages.html
 
Richland County's NRCS district office phone #: 419-747-8691
Richland SWCD's website and phone #: 419-747-8686 | www.richlandswcd.net
Kingwood Center Garden's website: www.kingwoodcenter.org
 
Music:
Music permissions for tracks used in this and all of our episodes was generously granted by the artists. Special thanks to Dan Lebowitz, whose "Run One Down" is our theme song. Also thanks to TrackTribe for the other tracks used in our program ("Running Errands" & "Easy Stroll")
 

”New” Conservation and the Legacy of Louis Bromfield

Ever heard of Louis Bromfeild? He's our hometown (Richland County) Pulitzer Prize winning author and one of the founders of America's environmental movement. Helping to advance the ideas of regenerative agriculture and conservation, Louis founded Malabar Farm in south-eastern Richland County, OH. He wrote several books about his life and "new" agriculture on the experimental farm. Josh and Evan talk about Louis story, and the effect that regenerative agriculture has had upon natural resource conservation. Ecosystems are complex networks, and those networks include us. What if we looked at conservation not only as saving nature from destruction, but also as assisting nature in supporting itself and us? It can be as simple as planting cover crops. And there are other things we can do. Listen now to find out what they are!
 
LINKS!!!
Malabar Farm Foundation: https://malabarfarm.org/
"Pleasant Valley" by Louis Bromfield (Book)
Permaculture Principles: https://permacultureprinciples.com/principles/
"Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation" by Andrea Wulf (Book)
Regenerative vs. Sustainable Agriculture: https://durham.ces.ncsu.edu/2021/01/regenerative-vs-sustainable-agriculture/?src=rss
Regenerative Agriculture Ultimate Guide and Examples: https://grocycle.com/regenerative-agriculture-ultimate-guide/
Wikipedia has a good definition for Regenerative Agriculture as well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_agriculture
 
OUR WEBSITES
https://richlandswcd.net/
https://kingwoodcenter.org/
 
Music - we were generously given permission by the artists listed below for their tracks:
Run One Down - Dan Lebowitz
Easy Stroll & Smoke Jacket Blues - TrackTribe
 
 

Don’t Fight the Site! - more from Kathy Smith OSU Extension

"Don't Fight the Site!". What does that mean? Well, let us tell you! Plus, we discuss some other important woodland management concepts, the havoc that invasive species have wrought, and the challenges of conservation outreach. All this and more in this month's episode. 
LINKS!!!
OSU's Woodland Stewards website: https://woodlandstewards.osu.edu/
YouTube video we discussed - "How we get tree planting wrong | It's Complicated" from the Guardian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhvOJrkhh8I
Richland Soil & Water Conservation District: https://richlandswcd.net/
Kingwood Center Gardens: https://kingwoodcenter.org/
Music
Run One Down - Dan Lebowitz
Easy Stroll & Sunday - TrackTribe
Permission was generously granted by the artists for the use of these tracks.

Pass the Maple Syrup, Please! - Kathy Smith OSU Extension

YAY SYRUP! Today we welcome Kathy Smith, Forestry Program Director for The Ohio State University's School of Environment and Natural Resources. She has a wealth of knowledge about woodlands, and works with students at OSU's Mansfield campus researching maple syrup production. Not only does maple syrup production go well with pancakes (or French fries, Josh?), but effective woodland management!
If you want to "tap" even further into this subject...
Ohio Maple Producers Association: http://ohiomaple.org
They serve all of Ohio's Maple Industry. They help you sell maple products while promoting the industry and Ohio's maple heritage
Ohio State Maple blog: https://u.osu.edu/ohiomaple/
They offer upcoming educational events, updates about ongoing research projects and articles from cooperating entities
National Resources on maple syrup:
http://mapleresearch.org/
https://www.uvm.edu/cals/proctor-maple-research-center
https://blogs.cornell.edu/cornellmaple/
https://www.themaplenews.com/
http://northamericanmaple.org/
http://www.internationalmaplesyrupinstitute.com/
http://mapletrader.com/community/
Links to Our Stuff!
Richland SWCD: www.richlandswcd.net
Kingwood Center Gardens: www.kingwoodcenter.org
Music!
Special thanks to both Dan Lebowitz and TrackTribe for granting permission to use their music for our podcast. Tracks used are listed here:
Run One Down - Dan Lebowitz
Smoke Jacket Blues - TrackTribe
Easy Stroll - TrackTribe
 

Welcome to Our Rich Land

Hello and welcome to Our Rich Land, a podcast of Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (aka Richland SWCD, aka Soil and Water)!
Thanks for taking a listen! This is just a quick episode about our District and what this podcast is all about. Richland County is aptly named for its ecological wealth. The rich land is used in a variety of ways from agriculture to industry in urban and rural settings. Richland County has 8 watersheds: 3 flow to Lake Erie and 5 flow to the Ohio River. Protecting and conserving this rich land is very important and is the primary reason Richland SWCD exists.
House Bill 646, which became the Ohio Soil Conservation District Enabling Act, was signed into law by Ohio Governor John W. Bricker on June 5, 1941.The act gave the states authority and the ability to organize local soil and water conservation districts. Today, there are 88 conservation districts in Ohio, with each county being represented by a soil and water conservation district. Richland SWCD was voted into being in 1948. Ever since, we've been a resource for our community, adapting to ever changing land-uses and conservation needs. 
If you’re a local resident, you may know Richland County well, but you may not know the many conservation efforts involved in protecting and enhancing our rich land. If this is a topic that interests you or you want to learn more about, we encourage you to listen to our podcast!
 
Links!
Our website: https://richlandswcd.net/
Our podcast's website: https://ourrichland.podbean.com/
Want to find out how much you know about current conservation issues? See how your knowledge compares with David Attenborough's and take the quiz that Josh and Evan took! --> https://www.wwf.org.uk/how-david-attenborough-are-you 
 
Music!
Blackest Crow - TrackTribe
Salute to Washington - United States Marine Band