The purpose of the Locally Led meeting is for residents to have a say in how federal Farm Bill dollars are spent on conservation efforts in Owen County. At the meeting residents will rank the natural resource concerns that are important to them, such as water quality, streambank erosion, invasive plants, etc. This ranking will have a direct impact on which applications for the implementation of conservation practices are selected for cost-share assistance through federal programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).
“The Locally Led meeting gives residents the opportunity to identify and prioritize resource conservation issues in our county,” said Devin Brown, Director of the Owen County SWCD. “Once the priority concerns are determined, we can focus federal funds on those we believe will have the biggest impact on improving our environment.”
The Locally Led meeting is rooted in the principle that local people know which natural resource concerns have the highest priority and should steer what conservation practices get funded in their county.
The meeting will start with a presentation by USDA NRCS, followed by discussion, where participants will rank their top 10 natural resource priorities.

Owen County Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors meet monthly to review district business, plan district events, and receive public input.  Meetings are open to the public.