Highland FFA, conservation district partner on county watershed project

The Highland FFA Chapter has been awarded a Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District grant for a watershed management and creek sign project.

In the fall, the Soil and Water Conservation District accepts applications for grants with a deadline of Dec. 1.

Kate Giannini is in her third term as a Washington county soil commissioner and has lived in the Highland district.

'I thought it was a really great opportunity to partner locally,” Giannini said.

The grant was approved, and Highland was awarded $2,500 for the project.

The project is broken into three parts:

' A watershed educational program to increase student's environmental awareness.

' Installation of creek signs that identify the English River and Davis Creek.

' Naming an nameless tributary to the English River just east of Riverside.

'We all live in a watershed, and it's important to create awareness and environmental educational programs that engage the next generation in topics that discuss Iowa's water resource challenges,” Giannini said.

She will work with the students to complete this project. It will start next spring and will take around a year to complete.

'I really want to involve the students and get their input and want them to own the project,” Giannini said.

The program will include help from other resources in the community and possibly involve a fundraiser for the naming portion of the project.

In the future, Giannini hopes that by developing a partnership between Highland FFA and the Soil and Water Conservation District, it will become a larger countywide program.

Annually, the Soil and Water Conservation District invests their fundraising dollars from selling erosion control matting back in to the community through youth scholarships, field trips, the Tree's for Fifth Graders program, and community conservation projects through a competitive grant process, according to a news release.