The Lucas Soil & Water Conservation District is a subdivision of state government that promotes best management practices of natural resources within Lucas County, Ohio. Whether through a classroom, a rain garden, or a 500-acre farm conservation project -- we're here to help you care for our local soil and water!
Interested in learning more about assistance programs, open bids on land or equipment, or nutrient management information?
Find it here!
Our conservation work depends on our ability to secure grants and voluntary funding from the Lucas County Commissioners, local townships and municipalities, and individual
​donors like you. 
Want to support the District??
Learn more here!
Check out the latest edition of our bi-annual newsletter, Conservation News! Want the next newsletter sent directly to you? Contact us here to receive a digital or paper copy of Conservation News.

NEWS & EVENTS

Special EQIP Sign-up: Cover Crops

A special EQIP sign-up opportunity is available for producers unable to plant this spring.
  • Cover crop planted can be all winter kill species (see Appendix A)
  • Corn can be used as a cover crop (see Ohio Bulletin)
  • Payment rate is $29.94/acre
  • This is a competitive sign-up, contracts are not guaranteed.
  • The first application cut off is 7/12 -- additional cut offs on 7/19 and 7/29 if funds are available.

Contact local USDA Service Center to apply:
Eastern Lucas County (Oak Harbor) - (419) 898-6431
Western Lucas County (Wauseon) - (419) 335-6061

View/Download the fact sheet.

Second Sign-up Period for WLEB Assistance Programs

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) announced the second sign-up period for programs in the Western Lake Erie Basin funded by the passage of Ohio Senate Bill 299. 

Two programs have been a success so far this year, the Ohio Working Lands Hay Buffer Program and the Ohio Working Lands Small Grains Program. ODA Director Dorothy Pelanda announced that there are funds remaining for a second round of program sign-ups.

For more information on the Hay Buffer and Small Grains program, please visit the Farm Conservation page on our website. 
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(Photo: NRCS)

Sign-up, or Re-enroll, in Lake Erie CREP!

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Grass Filter Strip and Riparian Buffer (Photo: NRCS)
Do you have a ditch or stream running through your farm that needs a filter strip? How about that one area that's hard to farm because it's always wet? 

Enrolling in the 2019 USDA Lake Erie Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) offers producers in the western Lake Erie basin cash for conservation practices. 

Contact your local SWCD or FSA office to see what your options are -- a $200/acre bonus is available for new filter strips and riparian practices! 

​Visit our Farm Conservation page for more information. 

​Click here for our full event calendar!

Watershed Work

Current events, grants, and projects in the Western Lake Erie Basin.

Educational Resources

Learn more about our classroom programs, field trips, and public talks.

Urban Conservation

Community gardens, stormwater management, and safer soils!