NEWS
Congratulations to our 2025 Scholarship Recipients!
Congratulations to our 2025 West Pottawattamie Conservation Scholarship winner, Mason Herman, and the winner of our Robert Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship, Sydney Burmeister!
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Mason Herman will be graduating from Missouri Valley High School this Spring and is the recipient of the West Pottawattamie District Conservation Scholarship in the amount of $500. Mason plans to attend Iowa State University to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. Congratulations Mason!
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Sydney Burmeister will be graduating from Treynor Community High School this Spring and is the recipient of our Robert Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $250. Sydney plans to attend Coe College to obtain a degree in environmental science. Congratulations Sydney!
West Pottawattamie SWCD 2024 Conservation Scholarship Winners
Congratulations to our 2024 West Pottawattamie SWCD Conservation Scholarship Winners, Sterling Angeroth, Matthew Eikenberry, Rachel Gross, and Will Tiarks!
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Sterling will be graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School this Spring and is the recipient of our $500 District Conservation Scholarship. Sterling plans to attend Dralke University to pursue a degree in environmental sustainability and non-profit management. Congratulations Sterling!!
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Matthew will be graduating from Tri-Center this Spring and is the recipient of a $250 District Scholarship. Matthew plans to attend Iowa State University to earn a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and minor in ag. business. Congratulations Matthew!
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Rachel will also be graduating from Tri-Center this Spring and is the recipient of a $250 District Scholarship. Rachel will be pursuing a degree in animal science and aspires to have her own farm. Congratulations Rachel!
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Will, will be graduating from Underwood High School this Spring and is the recipient of a $250 District Scholarship. Will plans to pursue a degree in animal science specifying in production management. Congratulations Will!
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Thank you to all of our scholarship winners for applying, we wish you all the best in your future endeavors!
Women Land and Legacy December 2023 Newsletter
The December 2023 Women, Land and Legacy Newsletter has been released!
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In this month's edition you will find reflections on the past twenty years of WLL, messages from the WLL State Team members, the revised WLL Value Statement, and a Thank You to all of those who have made WLL a success for 20 years!
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To read the December 2023 WLL Newsletter
The History of the Original Government Survey of Pottawattamie County
Maps and Survey Notes of Original Government Survey of Pottawattamie County, Iowa: Prepared by George M. Hilton.
The original government survey of Pottawattamie County, Iowa was made by contract surveyors in the years 1851 and 1852. Twelve Deputy Surveyors were employed to do the work. The procedure uniformly followed by the Deputy Surveyors and their parties working in Pottawattamie County, was in conformity with the laws of the United States and with the instructions issued to them by George B. Sargent, Surveyor General of the United States for Wisconsin and Iowa....
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Read on to discover more about the history of surveying!
Opportunities Available for Farmers and Landowners to Create or Enhance Wildlife Habitat on Private Lands!
With a November 3rd application deadline right around the corner, Pottawattamie USDA Service Center would like to remind farmers and landowners of the significant funding opportunities within NRCS's Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to establish high-quality habitat for wildlife.
EQIP offers landowners an opportunity to receive a one-time incentive payment to install a wide array of conservation practices that can not only improve soil health and water quality but also create and improve wildlife habitat. Diverse, native habitat is critically important to sustaining healthy populations of wildlife species ranging from monarch butterflies and native bees to game species like pheasant and white-tailed deer.
A few examples of conservation activities available under this program include establishing native prairie, filter strips, contour buffer strips, edge-feathering along timber, planting trees and shrubs, removing undesirable woody brush, or invasive species removal. Other practices available aim to improve the productivity of your cropland by using no-till and cover crops.
Local USDA field office staff can assist landowners and producers with their habitat project every step of the way, for a variety of goals including creating habitat for pollinators, helping reduce erosion, increasing soil health, controlling invasive species, providing quality forage for livestock and making agricultural operations more resilient and productive.
Applications for the EQIP are accepted on a continuous basis, but the cutoff for this current round of funding is November 3rd, 2023.
For more information about EQIP and other assistance available through the USDA Service Center, contact your local Pheasants Forever Biologist, Tabitha Panas at (402) 506-0101 or by e-mail: tpanas@pheasantsforever.org or contact your local USDA Service Center.
"The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions to expand our collective ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. Through RCPP, NRCS seeks to... implement projects that demonstrate innovative solutions to conservation challenges and provide measurable improvements...." USDA
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Eligible practices within this new opportunity include: Cover crops, denitrifying bioreactors, grade stabilization structures, streambank and shoreline protection, and terraces.
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For more information about conservation planning and financial assistance, please contact your local NRCS office. Or,
New Cost Share Opportunities in the West Nishnabotna Watershed!
Black Locust Control In Natural Areas
By Jason Anderson, Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist, PF
Black locust is an aggressive tree that can quickly take over grasslands and is a problem for many landowners in southwest Iowa. Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a medium-sized hardwood tree native to the eastern United States. The tree has attractive flowers and foliage which led to it being cultivated and planted for landscaping, allowing it to escape and spread throughout the country. Black locust ...............
Pottawattamie County Bridges Stream Sign Project
This project will help educate and identify some of the major streams and watersheds in Pottawattamie County. Over the past three years, 57 stream signs have been added at bridges throughout our county. This project has been successful because of cooperation and contributions of many partners, including both East and West Pottawattamie Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
Pheasants Forever
Pheasants Forever is dedicated to the conservation of pheasants, quail and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management policies and programs.
How do we achieve this mission across more than 45 U.S. states and parts of Canada? Through the dedicated efforts of our:
-149,000 members
-Diverse staff including more than 150 wildlife biologists
-More than 700 local chapters
Want to Become a Commissioner? Here's How!
If you're qualified to vote in a Pottawattamie County general election, you're an eligible candidate for election to the East Pottawattamie County Soil and Water Conservation District board. Each district is governed by five commissioners who are elected at a general elections on a nonpartisan basis for four-year terms. only one commissioner may reside in any single township. You'll need a nominating petition from the county Auditor or SWCD office.
