RANDOLPH COUNTY SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT
102 South Chester St., SPARTA, IL
Conserving Soil in Randolph County, "Where Illinois Began"
EDUCATION PROGRAMS
ARBOR DAY & STEWARDSHIP WEEK
ARBOR DAY
April 24, 2026, the Soil & Water Conservation District provided all the Randolph County 3rd grade teachers with free Arbor Day educational material. Students were provided instructions on how to plant and care for a seedling. While the teachers received information on the history of Arbor Day along with a list of activities on the importance of trees.
STEWARDSHIP WEEK
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) has proclaimed April 26 through May 3, 2026, as Stewardship Week, and the Randolph County Soil & Water Conservation District encourages you to think about your personal responsibility to be a good steward of all natural resources during its annual Stewardship Week Celebration.
Organizers of this year's Soil & Water Stewardship Week Observance are hoping that their theme "Soil, Where It All Begins" will attract interest from the public, individuals and groups. Stewardship week is a focused event to celebrates the incredible power of soil to support life in all its forms.
The districts invite everyone to recognize the importance of being good stewards of our natural resources at home and in our communities is an important task for everyone.
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5TH GRADE CONSERVATION DAY
Several schools attended the Randolph County Soil & Water Conservation District’s 5th Grade Conservation Day held on May 6, 2025, at the Randolph County State Recreation Area. Students were able to visit six featured stations where they learned about the following conservation topics:
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A table-top Rain Simulator presentation was provided by Andrea Kuehner, Precision Conservation Management Specialist where students learned about the types of soil erosion and cover crops.
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Students were able to fish in the lake with equipment provided by Scott Isringhausen, IDNR Urban Fishing Coordinator. Kelly Finchum, Nichole Gibbson, both FSA staff members, and Cindy Zipfel, Monroe Co. SWCD were available to assist all the students while they attended the fishing station.
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Annette Marshall, NGRREC provided the Paint the Prairie presentation where the students painted with watercolors made from soil and glacial sediment collected from Illinois core samples and learned about soil conservation.
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Carrie Mitchell, Natural Resource Specialists with Kaskaskia River Project provided an opportunity for the students to build a catapult model.
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Katherin Quillen and Adam Winkler provided the Winking Reptile Rescue presentation on various types of reptiles.
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Zoe Boyer and Casey Brone-Hammer with the World Bird Sanctuary provided their Creatures of Myth & Legend presentation. This is a program all about the ways animals inspire myths and legends across the globe.
The Randolph County SWCD appreciates the Randolph County State Recreation Area staff members for being available to arrange all the tables needed for this event and would also like to thank Mike Forgerson - Mom & Pop Pizza Traveling Buffett for the volunteer’s lunch. Funding for this event was made available through the IL Dept. of Ag – Randolph County SWCD.
DUQUOIN CONSERVATION DAY
Franklin, Jackson, Perry, Randolph, Washington, and Williamson county K – 4th Grade students were all invited to a Conservation Fair that was held at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds Sept. 24rth - 25th, 2025. A total of 1,381 students attended this year's fair. All of the students visited six to seven stations throughout the day where they were educated on agriculture, soil, pollinators, wildlife, water quality, air, electrical, recycling, and gun, boat, and farm safety. Each of the hands-on sessions were instructed by volunteers from Soil & Water Conservation Districts, staff members and retirees from various agencies, Master Gardeners, Master Naturalist, along with some retired teachers who were all willing to help out with this event. For 33 years, the Soil and Water Conservation Districts from Franklin, Jackson, Perry, Randolph, Washington, and Williamson counties have sponsored the Conservation Fair.
4th & 6th Grade POSTER CONTEST
November - 2025, the Soil & Water Conservation District invited all Randolph County schools to participate in their 4th and 6th grade poster contest. This year’s contest theme was “Soil - Where it all Begins”. All submitted posters were judged by the Farm Service Agency staff who then picked the winning posters.
Elliana Schrader received the 1st place 4th grade poster award who attends Red Bud Trinity Lutheran School, and her teacher is Mrs. Wetzel. Maren Jany received the 2nd place award, and she attends Chester St. Mary's Catholica School - teacher Mrs. Duchinsky. The 6th grade 1st place poster award was presented to Katelyn Hein, student at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Red Bud, and her teacher is Mrs. Baum.
The Randolph County Soil & Water Conservation District provided the 1st and 2nd place winning poster participants a certificate along with a monetary gift. Each school with a 1st place student award received $250 for the purchase of needed educational materials. The district appreciates all the teachers, students, and schools who participated in this year’s poster contest.
