News you need to know...

                   Annual Milkweed Pod Collection
                             Sept 1 thru October 30
It’s that time again! 
The Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative is calling on Ohioans for another year of Milkweed pod collections! This project started in 2015 as a 7 county pilot and last year hundreds of Ohioans worked together.  Since then the volunteers have collected approximately 5000 gallons of common milkweed seed pods, totaling over 22 million seeds! Milkweed is the only host plant for the Monarch butterfly for egg laying and caterpillar rearing. It also serves as a food source for Monarchs as well as many other pollinator species. The disappearance of milkweed across the U.S. has contributed to the 80% decline of the eastern monarch butterfly population over the last 20 years. We are working hard to change this, and you can help! Let’s make our collection efforts in 2018 even better by following these simple tips!
• Make sure that before you collect seed, you become familiar with the common milkweed to avoid harvesting pods from similar plants such as hemp dogbane and swamp milkweed
• It is best to collect the pods when they are dry, grey, or brown. IT IS IMPORTANT TO CHECK THIS
• If the center seam pops with gentle pressure, they can be harvested.
• Store the pods in paper bags; plastic bags collect unwanted moisture.
• Keep the pods in a cool, dry area until you can deliver them to the Soil & Water office at 807 NE Main St (USDA Service Center) in West Union.
Collections start September 1st and goes until October 30th
For more information on Milkweeds refer to this video! http://u.osu.edu/beelab/milkweed-seed/
We thank you for your help!

ADAMS
Soil and Water Conservation District
(SWCD)
807 NE Main St., #B
West Union, OH 45693
Phone 937-544-1010
___________________________________________
Office Hours
Monday -Friday
8:00 am - 4:30 pm

We are frequently out of the office conducting field visits or education programs. Before making a trip in to our office please call and confirm that someone will be available to assist you.
Picture
Artwork by local artist Rhonda Willett

There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country.
~Theodore Roosevelt
con·ser·va·tion
noun \ˌkän(t)-sər-ˈvā-shən\
: the wise use of natural resources (such as soil, trees, water, oil, etc.) to prevent them from being lost or wasted