Month: May 2024

Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District has a job opening for a District Soil and Water Resource Technician.  This position will work together with Madison SWCD’s partners at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to provide technical assistance to landowners and farm operators in Madison County by assisting with the planning, design, and implementation of conservation practices, and other activities that advance Madison SWCD’s mission and goals. 

This position provides an excellent opportunity gain experience in the field of natural resources and conservation, and to make a positive difference.  Previous technicians have enjoyed getting to work outside doing field visits, surveying for conservation practices such as grassed waterways, terraces, and ponds, and meeting with landowners. 

Prior experience is not necessary; the successful candidate will receive on-the-job training, as well as have opportunities to participate in trainings provided by the NRCS, in order to gain the experience and skills for this position.

The District Soil and Water Resource Technician position is funded primarily by a Technical Assistance grant through the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), with matching funds provided by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and Madison SWCD.

To apply, submit a cover letter, resume, and list of three references to Madison SWCD by Monday, June 17, 2024. 

See the position announcement for details.

Hi, my name is Benjamin Lynch, and I am the intern at Madison County’s SWCD for the summer of 2024. I live in Norwalk, IA and my family’s farm is in Madison County just southwest of Cumming, IA.

I graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 2023 with my Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with an air quality minor and two certificates in GIS and sustainability. I am currently pursuing my Masters in Geography with an earth and environmental systems track. My thesis research is on particulate matter and ammonia concentrations from confined hog productions facilities.

I came to the University of Northern Iowa to be a high school science teacher but became disinterested in pursuing education as a career. I found environmental science as it was the closest degree to agriculture that UNI offered, and I loved it. This helped me find my passion for agricultural advocation in the environmental sciences and creating positive changes in local agriculture.

I am excited to take part in Madison County’s SWCD internship this summer and I look forward to working with local producers. 

Madison County SWCD is pleased to welcome Tonna Damewood as the new Project Coordinator for the North Thompson River Water Quality Project in Adair, Madison, and Union SWCDs.  Tonna started her new position on May 6, 2024, and shared this introduction:

“Hello everyone, my name is Tonna Damewood, and I am the North Thompson Watershed Coordinator. I grew up on a family farm Corning Iowa, showing cattle and being very active in 4-H and FFA. I attended Southwest Valley High School then later went to Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa for a year and a half.  I attended Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri where I recently graduated with my Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy: Soil Science. I am very excited to work with Adair, Madison, and Union Counties.”

Tonna will be based at the Union County SWCD office in Creston, but will work in the watershed in all three counties. Click here to learn more about the North Thompson River Water Quality Project.