Tom Moss, Chair of the Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District board of commissioners shared the following letter with the public on February 27, 2025.

Madison County SWCD is pleased to welcome Kendra Daniels as the new Project Coordinator for the North Thompson River Water Quality Project in Adair, Madison, and Union SWCDs. 

Kendra started her new position on February 10, 2025, and shared this introduction: “My name is Kendra Daniels. I am the North Thompson Watershed Coordinator. The last 10 years of my career have been focused on water quality and urban conservation. Prior to my focus in conservation, I attended Iowa State University and received my Bachelor’s Degree in Agronomy. I am excited to continue to steer my career closer to home. My husband and I have a small acreage within the North Thompson Watershed. I am an Adair County Master Gardener, business owner, and try to focus on living sustainably at home. In my free time you will likely find me at community events around the Greenfield area and/or enjoying live music. I’d love to connect with local producers to focus on promoting environmental stewardship and nurturing the land around us as our legacies continue forward.”

Kendra’s duty station will be at the Union County SWCD office in Creston, but she will be working throughout the watershed in all three counties and visiting the Greenfield and Winterset offices on a regular basis. 

Click here to learn more about the North Thompson River Water Quality Project.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) is offering a 480 hour Conservation Technician Intern position based at the Madison County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD).

The internship is open to students enrolled in college (including high school students graduating this spring) who are pursuing studies related to agriculture, conservation, engineering, environmental science, GIS, natural resources, and similar fields. Unfortunately, this internship is not open to college students graduating this spring, but we encourage those individuals to visit our Employment webpage for other opportunities: https://www.madison-swcd.org/employment/

The intern will assist the SWCD with various activities including field visits (especially assisting with CRP status reviews), layout and checkout of conservation practices, education and outreach, and other general office duties, as well as completing a special project for the SWCD (such as a research project, developing educational materials, planning an outreach event, etc.). 

This internship is a great way to get exposure to SWCDs, IDALS, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The special project provides an opportunity for the intern to focus part of their time on a topic they are interested in. 

See the position announcement for additional details. 

To apply, students should submit a cover letter, resume, and list of three references to the Madison SWCD by Monday, February 24, 2025.  Madison County SWCD is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Madison County SWCD and the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship are equal opportunity providers and employers.