Website: https://poweshiekcountyswcd.weebly.com/
Mission: Established in 1945, the Poweshiek County Soil and Water Conservation District was created to encourage landowners to conserve soil and water resources. The Poweshiek County SWCD is a nonprofit organization that partners with the NRCS and carries out natural resource management programs at the county level. We are Poweshiek residents, landowners and producers who voluntarily stepped up to manage and protect the land and water resources because we want to make Poweshiek County a better place to live.
Location: Malcom (9.7 miles from Grinnell College)
Needs: So many needs! We need:
- Graphic design and web/social media help (a new logo, new brochure design, our informational booth on cover crops updated, web design, and social media outreach).
- Help with water quality monitoring (sampling and testing).
- Help with soil conservation programs such as CRP (prairie restoration) review and native plantings.
- Grant writing for funding to increase our outreach.
- Assistance with outreach events (staffing the booth, putting together new presentations, organizing lunches).
- Help with figuring out creative ways to communicate conservation practices (use of drones to show projects such as saturated buffers being constructed?, help with organizing events that benefit the environment?, an educational video on native planting?, compiling the drone footage?) Creative minds wanted!
Volunteers:
- Ongoing: Yes
- Groups possible? Group help is welcome, please contact Beth Brand at beth.brand@usda.gov
When is service needed: We are involved with different things year round. In the heart of winter, we are more indoors so during that time having your own computer is important.
Number of hours: Flexible, as much or as little as is possible
Modality:
- In-person: Yes
- Hybrid in-person/virtual possible: Yes
- Fully virtual possible: no
Prerequisites: Some training is required. We will teach students what they need to know how to do in order to help.
Background check required: Yes
Equipment/logistics needed: Be prepared to go out to the field with other employees at the office. Boots and dress for the weather.
Training supplied: We offer all training needed, with lots of networking opportunities, chances to shadow commissioners, and to get really hands-on with our work.
Equipment or logistics supplied: Need own transportation to our office, about 20 minutes west of Grinnell. Federal clearance is required; we take care of the paperwork to do this.
How to apply: Contact by email, beth.brand@usda.gov
Contact: 641-528-2065, Brand, Beth – FPAC-NRCS <Beth.Brand@usda.gov> or Dunnick, Shelly – NRCS <Shelly.Dunnick@ia.nacdnet.net>
Operation information: Across the state, we will be hiring 113 more people in 2022. Our soil and water conservation efforts are throughout the entire county, and everything from hands-on water testing, field reviews of CRPs (Cropland Restoration Program, former cropland into prairie land), native seedings, and supervising conservation projects to more outreach/education activities like promoting cover crops at the county fair, at Ag Day, at a Field Day in July, and more if we had help to do more.
Address: 1211 Old 6 Road Malcom, IA 50157
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