By Katrina Vaitkus

In 2018, thanks to a 2018 NACD Technical Assistance (TA) Grant, the Dubois County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in Indiana hired a program support technician to help with a variety of conservation planning and practices. However, when applying for the grant, the district did notanticipate the crucial role this person would play in ensuring seamless service to the landowners.

Dubois SWCD’s district conservationist (DC) retired at the beginning of 2018, which led to a rotation of active DCs from February to November of that year. Jennifer Knable-Thompson, the retired DC from southern Indiana hired through the TA grant, played a critical role in ensuring that customers didn’t see a decrease in assistance during that time. Until the new DC arrived, Knable-Thompson helped to make the transitions seamless and ensure customers received quality service.

Knable-Thompson spent a lot of time helping with Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Technical Assistance Program (COTA) applications. “With the acting DCs rotating every two weeks, she was really able to help make sure applications didn’t fall through the cracks,” said Judi Brown, the district’s executive director.

Knable-Thompson also provided significant help to landowners who struggled to navigate the waterway permitting process. One landowner was willing to risk fines because he could not understand how to use the internet to accomplish the necessary steps. Knable-Thompson was quick to learn the tools necessary for success so that she could help him as well as other landowners facing similar issues in the area.

“She was able to help provide a service to the landowner that we couldn’t have done otherwise,” Brown said. “She was able to take the time to focus on it and help him through the process.”

Knable-Thompson’s other tasks included assistance with highly erodible land (HEL) determinations and wetland violation documents. These tasks helped ease the backlog that had accrued over time, allowing other projects to open.

“Because of the NACD agreement, the Dubois County SWCD received a great deal of extra service and benefits to the office staff and the clientele we serve,” Brown said.

To learn more about NACD’s Technical Assistance grants or to read other TA success stories, visit the NACD Technical Assistance Grants webpage.

Tags: Technical Assistance, 2018 Technical Assistance Grants