SEARSMONT — Knox County and Waldo County Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs), in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) field office in Belfast, will host an in-person meeting of the Knox-Waldo Local Working Group (LWG). Taking into account local resource concerns, Local Working Groups make recommendations to NRCS on how to spend USDA Farm Bill funds for conservation practices on private lands.

This year’s meeting will be held in person on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2022, from 2 - 4 p.m., 1st floor meeting room, Searsmont Town Office, 37 Main Street South. 

If you are an agricultural producer; forester, logger or private woodland owner; member of an environmental or watershed organization or land trust; knowledgeable in soil, water, plant, wetland or wildlife sciences; and/or are familiar with agricultural and natural resource concerns in Knox or Waldo counties, SWCD invites you to attend this meeting to help 1) identify and prioritize local conservation concerns; and 2) recommend how local funds for USDA Environmental Quality Incentive Programs (EQIP) will be distributed by NRCS to alleviate problems. 

For further information, and to RSVP for attendance, you may contact your local soil & water conservation district: Knox: 596-2040, julie@knox-lincoln.org; or Waldo: 218-5311, msteinman@maineconservationdistricts.com.

If you are unable to attend, you may send comments to your local soil & water conservation district at those email addresses.

FMI about LWGs, please visit https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/maine/local-working-groups.  

USDA and SWCDs are equal opportunity providers, employers, and lenders.