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NEWSLETTERGeorgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Region IIIVOL. 04 SUMMER/FALL ED. NancyAnne Conner Christi Brantley Miki Smith1905 MLK DriveSoperton, GA 30457912-529-6728Summer was a hot one but our pollinator garden produced beautiful flowers andan abundance of habitat for our native butterflies, birds and bees. Our “LifeCycle of a Butterfly” program kicked off and we have been able to take theprogram into several schools. Region III Districts hosted a variety of workshopsthroughout the summer. We began another school year with new and excitingclass activities and now Ag/Farm Days are going strong. And of course, attendingtwo of our big events, the Georgia National Fair in Perry and the Moultrie Ag Expoin October.Our outreach areas continue to grow along with our enthusiasm!September weather events brought heartbreaking damage throughout the stateof Georgia and the Southeastern United States. Our Region was not spared.Damages to homes, farms, forests and lives will leave a scar for many years tocome and our hearts and prayers are with those who have been impacted by theHurricane. We are promoting workshops and programs available for thoseworking to recover from the storms. Please visit our Facebook for details on all of the above and more at:https://www.facebook.com/GASWCCIII

Past District WorkshopsBrier Creek Conservation District -Urban Ag Workshop in Februarywith Dana TrippIn Ludowici a PondManagement Workshop withCoastal SWCD’s Mr. CecilStafford

Ohoopee District : Weed Wiper Workshop was heldJune 25th in Soperton, GA Past District WorkshopsOgeechee River PondManagement Workshop

Past District WorkshopsAltamaha River SWCD Grain Drill and PollinatorPlot Planting workshop inHazlehurst, GA with Mrs.Brenda Hallman withSeven Rivers andNancyAnne Conner

It was a great day in Brunswick today! GSWCC along with several partnering agencies were on handfor the Southeast Regional Conservation Outreach Conference sponsored by USDA/NRCS andMcIntosh SEED. The Conference gave Farmers, Landowners, and Ranchers a chance to meet one onone with different agencies to gather information on several topics as well as attending breakoutsessions with informative speakers. #conservationstateofmind #gswcc #usdanrcs #gacdSatilla SWCD hosted a Grain Drill Demo and WildlifePlot Planting Workshop in Sept. in Blackshear, GA

Conservation Regional ManagerNancyAnne Conner attending theGeorgia Association ofConservation Districts (GACD)Annual Meeting this year inAugust at Chateau Elan Resort inBraselton, Ga.NancyAnne withConservationManagersRobert Amosand MIchelleConner

NancyAnne Conner at the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie with Ben Roberts Region III Director NancyAnne Conner with Conservation RegionalManager Ben Roberts at The Georgia National Fair in Perry, GA

Ogeechee River Soil and Water Conservation District · Katelyn Poppell, GACD’s SE Regional Program Manager and ChristiBrantley, GSWCC Region 3 Representative is set up at the ClaxtonElementary School Ag Day!The kids will plant a squash seed and talk about soil health and play apollinator game!

Altamaha Conservation District · Katelyn Poppell, GACD SE Regional Program manager and Miki Smith, GSWCCRegion 3 Representative had a wonderful morning at Unison BehavioralHealth in Alma, Ga. They read the book “Halloween in the Orchard”, paintedmini pumpkins, carved a big pumpkin and made pumpkin pie in a bag! Whata great day with some smiling faces!

Ohoopee DistrictSuper exciting things are happening at the Wheeler County Elementary School! Ms.Rutherford’s STEM K-5 classes just got a boost and a revamp! As we all know agriculture and conservation are imperative in our day to day lives.Ohoopee Soil and Water Conservation District in partnership with Georgia Soil andWater Conservation Commission believe that our youth is the future of agricultureand conservation. The students will be able to enjoy, to learn, and to grow in their own gardens! Thenearly new greenhouse was moved and set up at the new school location. Then 6raised beds were installed and a storage bench, a stainless-steel sink and asunshade were added and waiting for the young farmers are new gardening toolsets, garden aprons, and gardening gloves. Earlier in the year a grow tower was also purchased for indoor gardening. This school garden was made possible by the Small-Scale Farming/ Urban Ag Grantthrough Natural Resources Conservation Service and USDA. For More Information onhow we can help your school or community, please call the Georgia Soil and WaterConservation Commission Region III office at 912-529-6728! Moving Day for the greenhouse and the grow tower in Mrs.Rutherford’s STEM classroom

Admin Assistant Miki Smith receivedlots of help from Wheeler CountyElementary’s STEM instructor SherryRutherford and her 5th grade class,school maintenance employees Danieland Brad and Rahn Milligan of PIneCountry RC&D during the setting of thegreenhouse, installing the raised beds,raising the sun shade and puttingtogether the work/storge bench.

Region III’s Miki Smith with STEM class Setting up thegreenhouse, filling the raised beds and showing off thegardening tools and new stainless steel sink

Ready to plant!Ready to plant!Miki with5th gradeclass withgardenaprons Completedraised beds withconcretecoloring tomatch schoolcolors

Butterfly ActivitiesWe were able to go into classrooms to teach the life cycle ofa butterfly. We presented each class with a small butterflyenclosure and several Painted Lady Caterpillars with thenecessary food. We provided each student a journal todocument the stages of growth and work puzzles and gamesand further instructions for the instructor to maintain thecaterpillars’ growing needs.Then with much excitement we released the butterflies afterthey emerged! Altamaha Soil and WaterConservation DistrictJeff Davis Elementary

Ohoopee River SWCD - At Wheeler County Elementary School, Mrs. Sherry Rutherford's STEMstudents released their Painted Lady butterflies that the classes successfully raised as theyrecorded the growth cycle and metamorphosis from caterpillars to butterflies!

Fall Garden Clean-UpMany of us have quite a bit of clean-up work going on, this is something thatmay help lighten a little bit of the Fall Clean-Up Load. When it comes to fallcleanups, less is more. And there are many more reasons to do less than whatI'm posting here. Leaves: -All sorts of wildlife depend on leaf litter for habitat and survival over the winter. Nobody wants fireflies to disappear. But if you're cleaning up the leaves, you're getting ridof the habitat they depend on to go from larvae to adult. -The leaves recycle nutrients back into your soil. -The leaves help retain soil moisture. Flower stalks: -Overwintering birds need food during the winter. The seed heads provide that food. -Our native bees (and other insects) over winter in the hollow flower stalks. Many of us are trying to strike a balance of gardening for ourselves and nature. For Nature'ssake, I'd recommend ripping the band-aid off and just stop cleaning up. But if you're used tohaving a heavy hand in the fall cleanup, maybe try and do a lighter cleanup (whatever thatmeans to you). Cut the flowers stalks down to several inches instead of down to the ground.The birds will miss the seed heads, but at least bees will have some stems to over winter in.Or maybe cut down some stems but leave some stems with seed heads less visible to thepublic if you're concerned about aesthetics. Prefer mulch over leaves in your garden? Rake (Don't use a blower for so many reasons) theleaves into a corner of your yard hidden from view and give those buggers a chance. Start tipping the scales more towards nature as part of your cleanup. Do less and less eachyear. Take notice how much our insects, birds, and other wildlife enjoy the lack of cleanup.And once you realize the benefits of a lack of clean up, hopefully you clean up less and lesseach year.Read more about how not doing a fall cleanup benefits nature here:https://www.monarchgard.com/thedeepmiddle/why-you-shouldnt-clean-up-the-fall-garden?fbclid=IwY2xjawGPholleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHRVBSI-GuC65EhQCtkPsvt174rBO_14hmaLQWR-9f29pdCjnoty1OqcdYg_aem_QmPdBz4tk218dZJEodZOxQ

Forestry Recovery & Resilience Workshops In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the Georgia Forestry Association has decided tofocus our time and resources on providing support for those in Georgia's forestryindustry, many of whom have suffered catastrophic damage to their investments. Forthat reason, we will be shifting our remaining Regional Forestry Meetings towardshosting Hurricane Relief Workshops.To find your closest meeting, visit gfagrow.org/regionalmeetings. HURRICANE HELENE RECOVERY ASSISTANCEIn the wake of Hurricane Helene, USDA staff is available to assist when you are ready.USDA is working diligently to implement program flexibilities and waivers, to helpstreamline your recovery process. To learn more about programs available to producers here are some resources onfarmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet,and Farm Loan Assistance Tool can help you determine program or loan options.Additionally, FarmRaise offers an FSA educational hub with livestock disaster assistancedecision tools as well as farm loan resource videos.When you’re ready, we’re ready. To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions aboutavailable programs, contact your local USDA Service Center. USDA has resources available through the FSA call center at 877-508-8364, the USDAhotline at 833-ONE-USDA (663-8732), or producers can access program informationonline at farmers.gov. Upcoming Events

Please join us at the Farm Bureau ConventionDecember 7-10 on Jekyll IslandAnd as always if you have an event you would likepromoted, please send it tomiki.smith11@gaswcc.ga.gov