Supervisor Election

We have a candidate for the election of Kennebec SWCD supervisor.

Charles Noyes [Chuck] has submitted the needed signature for nomination to the elected Supervisor position of the the Kennebec County Soil & Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors.

NOTICE

Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor Election

The Kennebec County Soil & Water Conservation District announces its upcoming election for District Supervisor. There is one elected position in this year’s election. That position starts January 1, 2024 and is a three year term of office. Currently Chuck Noyes of Albion is running to fill that position.

Ballots are available at the Kennebec District office at 2305 N. Belfast Ave., Augusta, ME. Or you may call or e-mail me to have a ballot provided.

The deadline for the election is November 28, 2023. Any registered voter wishing to vote for the District Supervisor may contact the District to receive a ballot. They may also come into our office and cast a ballot. All registered voters residing or owning land within the Kennebec County Soil & Water Conservation District boundaries are eligible to vote. All completed ballots must be received on or before the afternoon of November 28^th 2023 at 4:00.

Additional information may be obtained by contacting the District office at 2305 N. Belfast Ave.; Augusta, ME 04330. Or call 622-7847 x3 or 480-3927 [direct extension] and ask for Dale Finseth. Dale@kcswcd.org

—-We continue to seek applicants for our Executive Director position. If you or someone you know may be interested please have them contact the Kennebec County SWCD.

STAFF OPENING AT KCSWCD –

The Kennebec SWCD Supervisors are seeking applicants for our Executive Director position.

Executive Director

Kennebec County Soil & Water Conservation District

Opening posted: August 26, 2022 Expires when suitable candidate is selected.

The Kennebec County Soil and Water Conservation District seeks a motivated and energetic leader to serve as its part-time Executive Director to develop into a full time position ED Job Desc#8 8-26-22.
Develop and contribute to conservation projects with current partners and help build a team of partnerships with a wide range of environmental professionals to promote natural resource stewardship. Flexible work schedule in the office, home, and field.
The successful candidate will be a self-motivated professional with education/work experience in natural resources and experience in project management including strategic planning, program implementation, outreach, and financial management. Opportunity to expand current programs offered through Kennebec SWCD and build new ones.
The Kennebec SWCD’s effectiveness is directly a result of its collaboration with partners including the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, State and local agencies, watershed and other conservation and natural resource groups, individual landowners, and funding organizations. The Executive Director’s ability to foster these relationships is critical to the success of the organization.
Reporting to the Kennebec SWCD’s Board of Supervisors, the Executive Director works with these and other partners in achieving the mission of the organization.

See full job description on this link- ED Job Desc#8 8-26-22

How to Apply: Please submit a detailed cover letter and resume to:

Email: Dale@kcswcd.org

Or mail:
Kennebec County Soil & Water Conservation District
ATTN: Dale Finseth
2305 N. Belfast Ave.
Augusta, ME 04345

If you have any questions, contact Dale Finseth at 207-480-3927 or DFinseth@kcswcd.org

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The Kennebec SWCD and the USDA are co-located at 2305 N. Belfast Ave. in Augusta. That is on Rts. 3, 9 and 202. Our new building is right across the street from Knights Farm Supply. You can give us a call at the NRCS shared number i.e. 622-7847 x3.

As the new USDA Service Center for Kennebec & Lincoln Counties. It includes offices for Natural Resources Conservation Service [NRCS]; Farm Service Administration [FSA]; and Kennebec County Soil & Water Conservation District.

Given our Covid 19 procedures, you are still asked to call ahead before stopping by the office.

Covid-19 notice.

Our office is currently open. Arrange to meet with physical distancing.

Our Board of Supervisors will continue to meet on the first Tuesday of each month by phone conference or with physical distancing. You must call ahead to receive materials and the needed meeting arrangements.

The Maine Forest Tick Survey is a collaboration between The University of Maine and volunteer landowners in southern and coastal Maine. Together, we are studying the relationship between land management and tick populations and tick-borne pathogens. Volunteers will collect ticks from their wooded properties, and we will identify and test them for pathogens. All volunteers will get a personalized report on which tick species and pathogens are present on their land. Online training sessions will take place in June and tick collections will occur on three separate days in July. Volunteers need to own between 5 and 1,000 acres of wooded land and live in one of the following counties: Androscoggin, Cumberland, Hancock, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, York. For more information, and to sign up, please visit: umaine.edu/ForestTickSurvey

OTHER INVASIVE INFORMATION

**Wondering what to plant in your yard? Choose native plants to safeguard Maine’s native habitat for the birds and pollinators. Check out the Wild Seed Project, a Portland based nonprofit, for native plant inspiration! https://wildseedproject.net/

**Did you know that certified heat-treated firewood is the only firewood that is safe to travel with? All other wood may contain invasive insects & diseases. If you plan to camp somewhere far from firewood sellers and decide to bring wood with you, buy USDA certified heat-treated firewood. Look for labels with “certified heat-treated firewood” that had been heated to 160 degrees for at least 75 minutes to make sure your wood is pest free!https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/map/maine/

**90% of Maine’s forest is privately owned. Help prevent the spread of deadly invasives by checking your wood lots for signs of pests & diseases!

**An astounding 89% of Maine’s land, 17 million acres, is covered in forest. All of Maine’s forests are protected by not moving firewood.

#MaineArborDay #DontMoveFirewood #BuyItWhereYouBurnIt #MaineBugWatch

This tiny green pest bores D-shaped holes in the bark of Ash trees to feed and lay its eggs, starving the tree of water and nutrients. Once the Emerald Ash Borer has settled in, the Ash tree will die within 5 years.

Oak Wilt Fungus .

This nasty fungus can kill a Red Oak within weeks and a White Oak within two years. Oak Wilt spreads by sap-eating beetles carrying the fungus and once one tree is infected, the fungus can spread quickly through the roots to other oaks. Signs of Oak Wilt include leaves turning brown in spring or summer.

Luckily, Oak Wilt has not yet been found in Maine. The…

Spotlight is the Asian Longhorned Beetle. #NISAW #AsianLonghornedBeetle #Unwanted

This invasive beetle has been found as close as Boston and Worcester, MA but luckily has not yet made it’s way to Maine. Asian Longhorned Beetles easily spread by hitchhiking on firewood. Every tree infested with Asian Longhorned Beetles eventually die. #BuyLocalBurnLocal #DontMoveFirewood

The Asian Longhorned Beetle looks very similar to our natiive “Pine” Sawyer…

Asian Longhorn Beetle (ALB): Pest Survey (CAPS): Division of Animal and Plant Health: Maine Agriculture, Conservation, Forestry (DACF)

DACF Home → Bureaus & Programs → Bureau of Agriculture → Division of Animal and Plant Health → Pest Survey (CAPS) → LHB Resource Page
Asian Longhorn Beetle (ALB): Pest Survey (CAPS): Division of Animal and Plant Health: Maine Agriculture, Conservation, Forestry (DACF)

DACF Home → Bureaus & Programs → Bureau of Agriculture → Division of Animal and Plant Health → Pest Survey (CAPS) → LHB Resource Page

OTHER BIG NEWS

The Maine State Envirothon 2023 was in June this year. A Spruce Mt. team took 1st place and represented Maine at the National Envirothon in New Brunswick.
Check www.MaineEnvirothon.org for more info.

The 2023-24 Envirothon season is now started. Three Fall Field Day events are scheduled in September and October. We have a Fall Field Days at Sebago Lake State Park on September 29th and the University Forest at the UMOrono campus on October 13th. Another at Aroostook State Park on was held on September 12th. We will be holding a Spring Forestry Training at the UMOrono campus inn March. At this point we are planning for “in person” Maine Envirothon events in the spring of 2024. Locations and dates are currently being arranged.

In other news:

The Kennebec SWCD is currently completing the needed contracting for the newly awarded 319 Implementation Grants with the Maine DEP. Both a project in Togus Pond watershed and China Lake watershed will begin in January, 2024.
The Kennebec SWCD has been part of a statewide group of SWCD’s providing Forestry Pest outreach. Activities are primarily focused on digital outreach and providing materials to people and groups.
The Kennebec SWCD has received the award from Maine DEP for a new Watershed Based Plan for North Pond. That project is nearing completion.
The Kennebec SWCD completed work on the grant to develop a Watershed Based Plan for China Lake. That work completed early in the 2022 calendar year.