The Wayne SWCD office will be closed Thursday, June 19, 2025 in observance of Juneteenth.
The Wayne SWCD office will be closed Friday, July 4, 2025 in observance of Independence Day.
Wayne County is currently receiving comments on proposed modifications to the Wayne County Storm Water Management Regulations and Guidance Document. The modified documents are available for public review on this website and on the Wayne Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) website https://www.wayneswcd.org/. Proposed modifications are shown in color as Track Changes. Hard copies are also available for review at the Wayne County Commissioners Office and the Wayne SWCD Office at the Wayne County Administration Building at 428 West Liberty Street, Wooster, Ohio 44691. Comments and questions on the draft regulations and guidance document may be sent via e-mail to Rob Kastner at Wayne SWCD at rkastner@wayneohio.org or as a hard copy submitted to the Wayne SWCD attention Rob Kastner no later than Tuesday, June 24th. Comments may also be provided orally at the Public Hearings set for 1:30 pm Wednesday, June 18th and 8:30 am Wednesday, June 25th on the second floor meeting room at the Wayne County Administration Building. Please feel free to contact the Wayne SWCD at (330) 263-5376 if you have any questions.
Draft Stormwater Management Regulations
Show off your creativity by entering our contest to design a sign that best encapsulates the name and surrounding area of two waterways in Wayne County, being the Silver Creek in Chippewa Twp. or Tommy Run in Milton Twp. Go to our Small MS4 Permits page for more information on the streams. The winning entrant will receive a $50 Amazon gift card and the design will be depicted on two light-colored 12” by 36” signs erected on the sides of the road near the stream so that they can be seen when travelling the road in either direction. The stream name will take up 30% of the sign leaving about 70% for the graphic. High contrast colors are encouraged for visibility.
Designs can be emailed to the Wayne Soil and Water Conservation District office until Tuesday, September 30th at 5 PM, with the winning design being chosen during the month of October and the signs being installed during the month of November. Submittals must be emailed to our office as a vector file (Adobe Illustrator, PDF, EPS) with the name and phone number of the entrant. Please attach a brief written description (100 words or less) explaining the inspiration behind your design. Design submittals must be an original work owned by the creator; AI (Artificial Intelligence) is discouraged. Please feel free to contact our office with any questions you may have.
Two (2) supervisors will be elected at the 2025 Annual Breakfast which will be held on November 6, 2025 at Sonnenberg Village. Board Supervisors guide the district, its staff, and cooperating agencies in efforts to implement conservation programs in the county that address management and conservation of soil, water, and related resources. Board members should have a sincere interest in conservation and must have the enthusiasm, dedication, and time to serve as elected officials. This is a volunteer position, but supervisors can be reimbursed for mileage & expenses (registration, lodging, meals, etc.) related to events involving soil & water professionals.
What a potential supervisor needs to know:
*Candidate must be over 18 years old and a resident of Wayne County.
*This is a volunteer position and runs in 3-year terms.
*Board meetings are on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 8:30a.m. (subject to change) lasting between 1 to 2 hours. Meetings are held in the Wayne SWCD Office located in the lower level at 428 W. Liberty St., Wooster, OH 44691.
*Attendance at occasional outside meetings, events, or training is required.
If you are interested in becoming a Board Supervisor for Wayne SWCD, please contact our office at 330-263-5376 or email Stacey Hiller, Administrative Assistant, shiller2@wayneohio.org
*We can only take cash or check
MISSION: The mission of the Wayne Soil and Water Conservation District is to protect, restore, enhance, and promote the wise use of natural resources. This will be achieved through the development of projects, technical assistance, education of the public, the cooperation of landowners/users, and through coordination with our partner agencies.
VISION: The Wayne Soil and Water Conservation District goal is to be recognized as a leader in promoting responsible stewardship and conservation of natural resources by providing education, technical assistance and the implementation of best management practices with friendly public service and a strong healthy working partnership with USDA/NRCS and our local agencies.
It was the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s, a time when drought choked the Great Plains stretching across Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado. Soil from America's breadbasket filled the skies. Sometimes a single dust storm lingered for days.
The storms were the result of drought and poor agricultural practices. Grasslands, which held soil in place, had been plowed and replanted with wheat. With rain, the crop was abundant. But when drought struck in the 1930s, farmers continued to plow and plant. With no ground cover remaining, the winds whipped the soil skyward.
