Vanderburgh County Soil & Water Conservation District
(SWCD)
STAFF
Norma Duckworth,
Water Quality Specialist
Norma
has been with the District since 2001. She holds a BS in Biology
from the University of Southern Indiana. She also holds a
professional certification as a sediment and erosion control
specialist (CPESC). Part of her duties with the district entails
erosion control including site inspections and review of erosion
control plans for city, county, local universities and the Town of
Darmstadt construction projects. She is also a certified facilitator
in the Hoosier Riverwatch Program, Project Wet, Project Learning
Tree and Project Wild. This allows her to train individuals to
volunteer water monitoring, give presentations on water quality and
work with educators and students in conservation education. Norma
also does some water monitoring in local streams and creeks in order
to better understand the local environment and to submit this data
to Hoosier Riverwatch and use in grant application when necessary.
Her personal interests involve family, community, dogs, wildlife and
of course conservation of our natural resources. Please contact her
if you need a speaker for your civic, neighborhood or school group
or would like to learn more about the trainings available to
educators and the community.
Bonnie
Bittner, Executive Assistant/Fiscal Officer
She assists the SWCD
board by keeping them informed on government regulations, laws,
programs, and activities and to maintain relationships with the
media to promote the District’s missions and programs. Bonnie
assists with the District monthly meetings, budgets, and the
business plan. She produces the newsletter, the website, and
brochures. Bonnie is responsible for the Annual Meeting and Annual
Report. As the District Fiscal Officer & Bookkeeper she sees that
all funds are received and disbursed according to the State Board of
Accounts. She serves as support to the Erosion Control and Water
Quality Specialist on Rule 5 paper work and Watershed Grant work.
As Executive Assistant, Bonnie also served as chairperson for a
Tri-County Leadership 2000 Program for Adults and Youth, Director
for Indiana District Employee Association for South West Indiana,
and represented Vanderburgh County at several IASWCD meetings in
Indianapolis. Bonnie has been with Vanderburgh County SWCD since
1991. Bonnie is presently a Vanderburgh County farm owner and
the President of the Family Apiaries Business. She has a business
degree from Lockyear Business College, and previous work experience
in business administration, the medical & financial investment
industry.
Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)
Darrell Rice, District Conservationist
Darrell is a native of Gibson and Sullivan Counties and comes from a farm family. Darrell’s father was one of the first farm operators that planted notill corn and notill double crop soybeans. His father was also active in installing erosion control practices which first exposed Darrell to what was then the Soil Conservation Service.
Darrell attended Sullivan High School and was very active in the Future Farmers of America. He received his Associates Degree in Agriculture from Vincennes University in 1978. Darrell transferred to Purdue University where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy in 1980. He worked for the Soil Conservation Service as a Student Trainee between his Junior and Senior years and was hired full time with the Agency upon graduation from Purdue.
Darrell began his career in Madison County transferring to Carroll County for his North-central Indiana experience and transferred to Vanderburgh County in 1982, from there he worked in Posey County and transferred to Jackson County in 1983 as a District Conservationist. In 1985 he transferred to Gibson County and in 1987 finally transferred to Vanderburgh County where he has finally called home.
Darrel is a Certified Minister and enjoys golf and camping.
Lindsay
Martinez,
Soil Conservationist
Lindsay is originally from
Puerto Rico. She graduated from the University of PR in May 2003
with a BS in General Biology and from the Inter-American University
of PR in December 2007 with an MS in Environmental Biology. She
started working with the NRCS in South Bend, Indiana when she was
still a college student in September 2007. In March 2008 she became
a regular employee with the agency and was re-assigned to the
Evansville field office in Vanderburgh County. Her primary duties
are to plan and develop coordinated practices for soil erosion
control, soil and water conservation, and sound land use.
Indiana State Department of Ag (ISDA)
Linda
Powel, Resource Specialist
Linda Powell
graduated from USI in 2005 with a BS in Biology with an emphasis in
plant science. Before taking the resource specialist position here
in Vanderburgh county, she spent two and a half years in Gibson
county as a watershed coordinator for the district working on 319
grants for BMP installation.