Cliff Clay (foreground) explains his need for RC&D support to establish a Native American Garden in University Circle’s Cultural Gardens.  Listening is the RC&D Executive Board.  Counter-clockwise from left:  President Adrian Achtermann,  Volunteer Richard Kennelley, Past President Patricia Carey and Coordinator John Niedzialek

If I were to title this photograph, I’d call it a portrait of concern and compassion, which is a pretty good summary of the way the RC&D Council approaches its responsibilities.

Less apparent is the frustration the Council feels in trying to address the needs of the counties it serves with its diminishing funding and manpower.

Some of the areas in which RC&D contributed to Lake County:

The Council offers its expertise in best management practices for development to Lake County Commissioners, educating them about the value of green space in development planning.

It sent Lake County Commissioners a letter of support in favor of Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District’s efforts to establish erosion and sediment control programs for new construction projects.

RC&D educates nurseries about best practices to conserve the productivity of Lake County’s farmlands.  Consequently, Lake County’s nurseries boast the highest economic return per acre of land than any other county in Ohio.

Similar plans are underway to help Ohio’s wine industry reach its great potential for growth.

Finally, RC&D promotes healthier, fresher food and the growth of farmers’ markets.  It also encourages collaboration, as seen in the success of their Hispanic Grower/Farmers Market Project.

         Other services to Lake County in the last 10 years:

Bringing Federal Dollars and Expertise to Lake County    RC&D secured almost $1,500,000 to protect 33 miles of streamside properties, to assist county landowners in erosion control, to enable the Perry YMCA to install erosion control practices on their trails and to help North Perry Village, Painesville Township and Madison Township secure funding to protect 3 farms with agricultural easements.

Leveraging State and Private Dollars to Serve Lake County   The Council brought in more than $600,000 from the Ohio EPA, Federal EPA, ODNR, Storer and Holden Foundations to protect the Grand River and to reconstruct a wetland pond for educational purposes for all Lake County schools at the Perry YMCA.

Creating Educational Materials    The Council published and distributed manuals and videos to assist landowners in understanding development and conservation options for their property, to assist developers and communities to design better development projects, and to provide tools for expansion and retention for those engaged in entrepreneurial farming.

Services RC&D can provide with the help of TEAM RC&D volunteers:

1) Give a Day to an RC&D project by helping ship processed deer meat made available from the Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry project to local food kitchens that are feeding the poor and disabled this holiday season.

2) Give a Day to an RC&D sponsored workshop giving a talk on resource topics such as farmland preservation or conservation development practices.

3) Give a Day to an RC&D project working with a Soil and Water Conservation District on storm water control or soils training.

4) Give a Day to training students on soils at the Environthon.

5) Give a Day helping Hispanic growers to learn about agriculture marketing of their products or helping with agronomic training of the growers in the field.

6) Give a Day at a fundraiser for gaining resources to help the Native American Indians create a local community garden.

7) Give a Day training students working on watershed projects as part of Council’s Collaborative Learning and Environmental Action Network Project.

8) Give a Day helping Council with its Website.

9) Give a Day helping put back together the office and its files due to the chaotic and sudden closure and removal of office materials.

10) Give a Day to a partnering non-profit group working with the RC&D Council on a project.  For example, help to establish a conservation easement with a landowner to preserve their land or help identify properties suitable for the Wetland Reserve Program that Council Officially adopted as a project.

Please contact RC&D President Adrian Achtermann at aacpesc2@earthlink.net    or Coordinator John Niedzialek at John.Niedzialek@lakecountyohio.gov    to join TEAM RC&D.

Jason Traggiai (left) receives TEAM RC&D recognition from RC&D President, Adrian Achtermann

In response to a loss of funding and manpower, the Western Reserve RC&D Council,  with support from the National and State of Ohio RC&D Associations, initiated a volunteer program known as TEAM RC&D.  The goal is to attract and reward professional staff members of federal, state, local and private organizations for giving their time to support the goals of RC&D.

Volunteers are being asked to “give a day to their local RC&D Council.”

Over 300 RC&D Councils are in place across the country.

The Western Reserve Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Council is dedicated to planning, promoting and implementing conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in both rural and urban areas throughout the nine-county area they serve:  Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, Summit, and Trumbull.

Lake County Council members are Commissioner Dan Troy, Darrell Webster–Troy’s proxy, Robert Zeitz, and Richard Baker.

RC&D is involved with land conservation, water and land management, community development and any other projects necessary to maintain the organization’s capacity, effectiveness and sustainability.

Until about a year ago, RC&D Council offices across the country received federal funding to support their efforts in the above areas.  In April of 2011, federal funding was abruptly cut to $0.00.

There was no phasing out period.  Many offices, including our Painesville office, were forced to close, their staff unceremoniously given the boot.  Projects had to be cancelled or delayed due to U.S Department of Agriculture decision making, many of which served the needs of the community in areas of job creation projects, minority outreach projects and land conservation projects.

Many of the persons who previously volunteered their time to RC&D are employed in city, county or state conservation organizations which have also had resources and staff drastically cut.  Those remaining staff members are generally doing the work of two people and don’t have time to donate to RC&D projects.

Jason Traggiai works as a federal employee at Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center where he serves as staff architect, overseeing design and construction of projects at the main hospital in Wade Park or one of many outlining outpatient clinics across much of Ohio.

Jason also volunteers as the Great Lakes FHFH Chapter Coordinator (OH-35) of Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH), a 501c3 organization that covers the entire cost of processing legally harvested deer, other big game and livestock by inspected meat processors.  The meat is then donated to non-profit organizations and ministries that serve the needy, generally in the same county where it was donated.  Traggiai’s chapter covers Ashtabula, Geauga, and Lake Counties.

All at no cost to the farmer, the hunter, or the hungry.

Early last year, Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District, a voting member of the RC&D Council, proposed that Council adopt the FHFH project by including it in RC&D’s annual plan of work.  FHFH was formally adopted in April of 2011.

Since then, RC&D volunteers have helped Traggiai distribute meat to food banks and have plans to assist him in other ways.  Being an official project of RC&D will reflect favorably on FHFH in the grant application process.

To learn more about FHFH or to get involved, email Jason at traggiai@windstream.net or call 440-548-5904.  For information about FHFH, call 1-866-GET-FHFH or click here.

Coming up:  Part II:  What RC&D has done for Lake County and what RC&D needs from its volunteers to continue its work