Michigan Chapter
Michigan Chapter

“All of us humans have myriad other species to thank. Without them, we couldn't exist. It's that simple, and we can't afford to ignore them”...“nor the sweet mother earth that births and holds us all. Without us, Earth will abide and endure; without her, however, we could not even be.” Alan Weisman, The World Without Us (New York, 2007), p. 369.

On December 5 we celebrated World Soil Day. Like you, we love soil at SWCS. It's a fundamental part of who we are. Unfortunately, among many conversations about sustainability, soil is often forgotten. However, this is what you and I both know: soil is essential to the health and success of our communities, and we are quickly losing it worldwide.

Here are the facts:

  • Soil is required for 95% of the world's food production.

  • More than 70% of the antibiotics used today are derived from soil bacteria.

  • Soil can store more than 10% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions.

  • Depending on conditions, it can take several hundred to 1000+ years to form 1 inch of topsoil.

  • 33% of the Earth's soils are already degraded, and over 90% could become degraded by 2050.

Donate to SWCS today to support our work to lift up and advocate for conservation professionals who work every day to save our soils. 

DONATE

NEWSLETTERS

WINTER 2024 MICHIGAN CHAPTER SWCS NEWSLETTER
winter_2024_newsletter.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [1.6 MB]
FALL 2023 MICHIGAN CHAPTER SWCS NEWSLETTER
fall_2023_newsletter-1.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [1.4 MB]
SUMMER 2023 MICHIGAN CHAPTER SWCS NEWSLETTER
summer_2023_newsletter-2.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [806.4 KB]
WINTER 2023 MICHIGAN CHAPTER SWCS NEWSLETTER
winter_2023_newsletter.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [1.3 MB]
FALL 2022 MICHIGAN CHAPTER SWCS NEWSLETTER
Fall_2022_Newsletter.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [1.0 MB]
FALL 2021 MICHIGAN CHAPTER SWCS NEWSLETTER
Fall 2021 Newsletter.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [1.2 MB]
SUMMER 2021 MICHIGAN CHAPTER SWCS NEWSLETTER
Summer2021Newsletter.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [378.8 KB]
SPRING 2021 MICHIGAN CHAPTER SWCS NEWSLETTER
Spring2021Newsletter.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [1'019.9 KB]
WINTER 2021 MICHIGAN CHAPTER SWCS NEWSLETTER
Winter2021Newsletter-v2.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [3.0 MB]

MICHIGAN CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP FLIER

PUBLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY CHAPTER MEMBERS

"Phosphorus Losses in Surface Runoff and Tile Drainage - Ontario Experience" by Tim Harrigan, Region 4 Director, Michigan Chapter SWCS, 2016.
MSUE Newsletter Harrigan 4 11.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [125.2 KB]

PUBLICATIONS AND ARTICLES FROM OTHER SOURCES

Northeast-Midwest Institute Releases Report on Conservation Effectiveness in Watersheds in the Upper Mississippi River Basin

Press Release

Report

An Eleventh Commandment: With Special Reference to Michigan State University, by Dr. George Bird, Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Entomology, Michigan State University, 2010. Micro-Essay No. 61

"ROTATING CROPS - TURNING PROFITS -  How Diversified Farming Systems Can Help Farmers While Protecting Soil and Preventing Pollution", A publication by the Union of Concerned Scientists, May 2017.

Soil microbes flourish with reduced tillage, phys.org, October 4, 2016

Sustaining our Soils and Society - American Geological Institute Publication

SAGINAW BAY WATERSHED PARTNERSHIP FACT SHEET
New RCPP Factsheet.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [3.3 MB]
Funding Supports Work to Reduce Phosphorus Loss to Waterways
Publication from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Phosphorus funding announcement_updated-[...]
Adobe Acrobat document [203.6 KB]

RECOMMENDED BOOKS

The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World out of Balance by Dan Egan (a review)

 

dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations by Dr. David R. Montgomery (a review)

 

The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan (a review)

 

The Ecology of Agricultural Landscapes: Long Term Research on the Path to Sustainability: Edited by Stephen K. Hamilton, Julie E. Doll, and G. Philip Robertson. (Oxford University Press)

LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES

INTERNATIONAL SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION SOCIETY

SWCS CONSERVATION MEDIA LIBRARY

SOCIETY FOR THE HISTORY OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

LIVING SOIL FILM AT SOIL HEALTH INSTITUTE

HUGH HAMMOND BENNETT
THE FATHER OF SOIL CONSERVATION

Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Districts website

USDA-NRCS History website

Arlington National Cemetery website

Wikipedia website

OTHER NORTH CENTRAL REGION CHAPTER WEBSITES

     Hoosier (Indiana) Chapter 

 

     Iowa Chapter

 

     Missouri Chapter

 

     Ontario Chapter

    

     Wisconsin Chapter

CHAPTER WEBSITES IN OTHER REGIONS

OTHER CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS

     American Farmland Trust

No Farms No Future Podcasts

     Environmental Defense Fund

     Great Lakes Commission

     Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program

     Michigan Association of Conservation Districts

     Michigan Chapter North American Lakes Management Society

     Michigan Water Stewardship Program

     World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies

     World Wildlife Fund

RELATED RESOURCE CONSERVATION SITES

     Farmland Information Center

     Global Phosphorus Research Initiative

     Michigan Agriculture Advancement website

     Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment website

STATE ENVIRONMENTAL DEPARTMENTS AND DIVISIONS

     Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

          Environmental Programs

          Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program

     MDARD Press Releases

          Moving Goalposts: The Challenge of Lake Erie Algal Blooms

               Part 1 "Introduction"

               Part 2 "What we Know we don't Know"

              Part 3 "Things we Know but Can't Change"

               Part 4 "Things We've Always Known"

     Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy

          Land Division

          Water Division

FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

     United States Department of Agriculture

          USDA Climate Hubs

          USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

          USDA-NRCS Michigan

     United States Environmental Protection Agency

COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY LINKS

     Michigan State University

          MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

          MSU Ag and Natural Resources Week Information

          MSU Institute of Water Research (IWR)

               IWR EnviroImpact Nutrient Management Tool

 SCIENCE ORGANIZATIONS

UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS (UCUSA)

SOCIETY FOR SCIENCE & THE PUBLIC website

SOME OTHER LINKS

THE MONARCH EFFECT

A VR180 Video By the Environmental Defense Fund

ENVIRONMENTAL LAW: THE CLEAN WATER ACT

LAWShelf Educational Media Video

THE STATE OF SCIENCE...2019 - UCSUSA publication

IN THE NEWS

OUR 2024 SEMINAR SPONSORS!

GOLD SPONSOR

GOLD SPONSOR

GOLD SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSOR

BE A SEMINAR SPONSOR!

SEE OUR NEW MICHIGAN SCHOLARSHIPS IN CONSERVATION PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIP

WINNER HERE

SWCS STUDENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES

MICHIGAN CHAPTER SWCS NEWSLETTERS

USDA CLIMATE HUBS

"Adaptation, not irrigation recommended for Midwest corn farmers"

MSUTODAY

CaRPE Tool

AFT's Carbon Reduction Potential Evaluation Tool

ADVANCING SOIL HEALTH THROUGH THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS

A PLAN FOR OHIO'S WATERSHEDS

H2OHIO

THE MONARCH EFFECT

A VR180 Video By EDF

FARMS UNDER THREAT

The State of America's Farmland

American Farmland Trust

Report

LIVING SOIL FILM

Produced by the
Soil Health Institute

MICHIGAN CHAPTER SWCS MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Michigan Chapter Flyer.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [9.8 MB]

BECOME A MEMBER OF SWCS!

"There are national associations for the preservation of wild flowers and the preservation of propagation of wildlife, but not for the preservation of the soil.  Conservation of this most fundamental and important of all resources is seldom seriously considered by anyone not directly or indirectly associated with the ownership or management of a farm, and is too infrequently considered even by the farmers themselves." 1928  Hugh Hammond Bennett, co-founder of the Soil and Water Conservation Society (formerly the Soil Conservation Society of America)

MICHIGAN SWCS MEMBERS:
GIFT A ONE YEAR CONSERVATIONIST LEVEL MEMBERSHIP!

FILLABLE GIFT MEMBERSHIP FORM
Use this form to donate a gift membership to someone you think can benefit from a one year membership trial.
Fillable Chapter Gift Membership.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [1.6 MB]
Print | Sitemap
Mission: Fostering the science and art of soil and water conservation in Michigan and the Great Lakes Region.- IONOS MyWebsite