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.
NEWSLETTERS
summer_2024_newsletter.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [1.4 MB]
winter_2024_newsletter.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [1.6 MB]
fall_2023_newsletter-1.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [1.4 MB]
summer_2023_newsletter-2.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [806.4 KB]
winter_2023_newsletter.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [1.3 MB]
Summer2021Newsletter.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [378.8 KB]
Spring2021Newsletter.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [1'019.9 KB]
Winter2021Newsletter-v2.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [3.0 MB]
MICHIGAN CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP FLIER
PUBLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY CHAPTER MEMBERS
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
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
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
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
STUDENTS IN CONSERVATION SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE NOW
MICHIGAN CHAPTER SWCS SUMMER NEWSLETTER
NOW AVAILABLE HERE!
KNOW SOMEONE WHO DESERVES AN AWARD? SEE HERE!
OUR 2024 SEMINAR SPONSORS!
GOLD SPONSOR
GOLD SPONSOR
GOLD SPONSOR
SILVER SPONSOR
SILVER SPONSOR
SILVER SPONSOR
BRONZE SPONSOR
BRONZE SPONSOR
BRONZE SPONSOR
BRONZE SPONSOR
SEE OUR 2023 MICHIGAN SCHOLARSHIPS IN CONSERVATION PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIP
WINNER HERE
SWCS STUDENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES
MICHIGAN CHAPTER SWCS NEWSLETTERS
USDA CLIMATE HUBS
CaRPE Tool
AFT's Carbon Reduction Potential Evaluation Tool
ADVANCING SOIL HEALTH THROUGH THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS
A PLAN FOR OHIO'S WATERSHEDS
THE MONARCH EFFECT
A VR180 Video By EDF
LIVING SOIL FILM
Produced by the
Soil Health Institute
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!
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
