Annual Meeting Honors Conservation Heroes

This past week, Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District celebrated our successes over the past year. Over the last year, we have all been faced with many challenges. As our farms, families, businesses and communities have worked to adjust to our “new normal,” one thing that has not changed is Ashland SWCD’s commitment to protecting the soil and water resources of Ashland County. Our district has worked hard over the last year to bring new conservation opportunities to our county - from offering monthly in-person Conservation Chat field days to biweekly Farmer’s Basket markets in Loudonville. Because of that continued commitment to conservation, our board was excited to take this opportunity t to honor our 2022 conservation award recipients.

Gigi Obringer & family with her 2022 Volunteer of the Year Award

When our board met to select our 2022 Volunteer of the Year, it was a tough decision because our volunteer program and base has grown significantly over the last several years. However, one name quickly rose to the top of our list. When we started our Rain Beat on Main Street rain barrel auction and stormwater education event in 2020 in the midst of the COVID pandemic, we weren’t sure what kind of response we would get. Gigi Obringer was one of the first volunteers in our community to say YES when we started looking for rain barrel artists.

Not only is Gigi a two-year artist herself - having created a whimsical undersea octopus-in a ship rain barrel and a stunning stained-glass inspired peacock rain barrel - but through her work at the Tin Can Chandelier, Gigi helped recruit even more talented, willing artists and even sponsors for this program. Without the buy in by our initial artists and sponsors, this program would not have more than doubled in size over the last two years, and it remains one of our most talked about conservation programs by the public.

Wendell Swartzentruber was selected as our 2022 Horizon Award Winner for his contributions to soil and water conservation in Ashland County.

Each year, Ashland SWCD selects a Horizon Award winner. This award honors someone who was a pioneer in conservation in our county. This year we presented this honor to Wendell Swartzentruber. Wendell served as a long-time district conservationist with the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service serving farmers in Ashland County. You would be hard pressed to visit a farm in Ashland County, from the tip of Hanover Township to the top of Ruggles Township and not have a farmer tell you about a conservation practice they implemented on their farm that Wendell did not play an instrumental part in bringing to fruition.

The Boyer family & Honey Haven Farm were selected as our 2022 Cooperator of the Year

Our board members and partners understand the importance of protecting and preserving our county’s soil and water resources, and Wendell’s fingerprints can be seen on the practices that protect those resources all across our county. Even after retirement, Wendell continues to play a key role in protecting those resources through his consulting business and serves as an agricultural advocate through his work with the Chamber of Commerce and the Ashland County Planning Commission.

And finally, we all know that good friends are hard to find, but last a lifetime. You never worthy they’ll say no when you call and ask for help, and you always know where you stand with them. That’s why we are excited to honor our good friends at Honey Haven Farm with our 2022 Cooperator of the Year award.

Honey Haven Farm has seen a lot of change over the years of our conservation friendship, transitioning from a dairy farm to a thriving agritourism destination. Although many things have changed on the farm, one thing has remained constant: the friendship and cooperation they offer to our community members. From hosting annual meetings to rain barrel workshops, and from providing speakers for rain garden workshops to allowing us to fill their pasture with holes for our county soils judging contest, the Boyer family and Honey Haven Farm are always willing to lend a helping hand. Their commitment to conservation and education make them our 2022 Cooperator of the Year.

As you can see from these award winners, Ashland County is blessed not only with wonderful high-quality soil and water resources, but also with residents in our county who are dedicated to protecting and preserving those resources. If you are interested in joining those conservation supporters, please reach out to the Ashland SWCD office for more information on how you can be involved in our programs.