This year we are launching our first ever county-wide conservation photo contest! The contest will be open to all  Portage County Residents and will include four categories: Conservation Practices, Close-up Conservation, Conservation in Action, and Agriculture and Conservation Across America. There will be two age divisions that will be judged separately: Youth - 18 years and under, and Adult - 19 years and older.

Join Bob Hendershot of Green Pasture Services, Mike Jones of Tierra Verde, and Jeff Crowe of Erie Street Kitchen for this comprehensive grazing program and Farm to Table Dinner aimed at livestock producers.

Join Bob Hendershot of Green Pasture Services for this informative pasture walk created exclusively for horse owners interested in maintaining a healthy pasture, and therefore healthy horses.

Dr. Sherri Mason’s groundbreaking research on microbead plastic contaminants in the Great Lakes has led governments and manufacturers around the world to ban microbeads, small plastics that are a major pollutant in our water. While ending the use of microbeads is an important first step, much more needs to be done to protect our health and environment from “The Perils of Plastic”.

Join us for this community event, free and open to all!
Door prizes will be awarded in the spirit of reducing single-use plastics in our community.

In Kent on June 7, 2019, this program will open sixteen days of commemorations across the North Coast, of the 50th Anniversary of the fire near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. The Symposium will include poetry contributions from across the region, recognition of local environmental projects accomplished by community groups and individuals, and an evening lecture given my James White, former executive director of the Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization when the Remedial Action Plan and Director of Sustainable Infrastructure Programs of the Cleveland Cuyahoga Port Authority.

Beginning June 19th and ending June 22nd, there will be a symbolic torch carried along the Cuyahoga River with festivals and ceremonies planned at each passing of the torch location.  Learn more.

The 2019 Big Tree Species will be Fagus grandifolia, American Beech. The American Beech is a native tree that has a strong presence. Its large looming stature, glossy green leaves, and smooth grey bark that can be all-too-often recognized by the initials carved into it are key characteristics.

 Enjoy a locally grown breakfast for $3 of pancakes, eggs, sausage and milk or coffee. There will be equipment and livestock display’s for you to enjoy. We will also have kid’s activities and take home crafts for the kids. Join us for a day with local farmers and some of their great products! All proceeds will benefit the Portage County Farm Bureau Impact and Scholarship Fund.

SAVE THE DATE!

Thursday, September 12, 2019 Voting—6:00-7:00 pm

We would like to continue to offer as many Ohio natives as possible in our sale, and are seeking your suggestions for berries, shrubs, evergreens, deciduous conifers and plants for tough sites.

Stop by to see us in the Ag. Building across from the 4H Dairy Bar! Our SWCD employees will be available to discuss our 2019 topic, Life in the Soil, and any other  conservation topics of concern. We will also be holding a public vote for our first ever Portage County  Conservation Photo contest! Stop by to vote for your favorites!

The first Festival in the Xtinguish Torch series is held in beautiful Downtown Kent! The festival will include art installations, food trucks, and live music with musical acts such as Alex Bevan, the Chardon Polka Band, and more!

Each year the contest is based on a certain theme, this years was, “Life in the Soil: Dig Deeper.” Congratulations to this years winners! Good luck at States and beyond!

At the end of the garden season you may be ready to rest, but your soil is not. All gardens benefit from the use of cover crops, or “green manures” planted at the end of the season. Tilling, weeding, harvesting, and foot traffic tends to destroy soil structure. Planting cover crops is an easy way to revitalize the soil.

    When the oozing Cuyahoga River caught fire in 1969, it may not have even made the “Top 10” list of Cleveland river fires—and few realized it was actually the 13th time a fire had been documented.  The fire became the punchline of jokes and a lasting symbol of environmental neglect, both in Cleveland and across the country. Over the last five decades, the river’s ongoing resurrection is a testament to the work that brought it back to life, and a reminder of how easily it can be taken for granted.

Our spring fish sale provides a convenient opportunity for landowners to improve their pond stock with a variety of fish including large mouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, amur carp etc.