Landowner Training in Dubois County

By Emily Finch

The Invasive Species Awareness Coalition (ISAC) of Dubois County first helped host the Invasive Plant Control Training for Landowners in 2019, and continued the program in 2021 and 2022 due to popular demand.  Every year we have held this event we have maxed out our registration at 45 participants.  We couldn’t hold this training without our partners at Purdue Extension, the Dubois SWCD, and Indiana DNR Forestry.  In fact, the training’s success is in large part due to its location at the Southern Indiana Purdue Agricultural Center (SIPAC) in Dubois, Indiana which allows us to combine indoor instruction with practical field demonstrations.  The property has a large indoor area with ample seating and projection equipment, surrounded by forest tracts being managed by Purdue Extension Forester Ron Rathfon. Purdue’s “people movers” allow us to transport attendees to several locations on the property where we demonstrate the use of hand tools, herbicide sprayers, and large brush mowing equipment.  Due to Ron’s management of the property and ongoing research, attendees also visit sites being managed with prescribed grazing by goats and prescribed fire. 

We have adjusted the training slightly over the years based on feedback.  We originally started it as a 1.5 day training, but with several participants traveling from as far away as Indianapolis, we changed in 2021 to a single day training.  We do charge a registration fee, which started at $20 and increased in 2022 to $25.  This covers training materials and lunch, and we usually have a small amount of money left over that goes towards other ISAC outreach expenses.  Instead of spending a lot of time on invasive plant ID, the program focuses on the principles of invasive management and control options.  We cover the various invasive control tools/options, the importance of integrated pest management, how to prioritize efforts and resources, as well as technical and financial resources available to landowners in Indiana.  In addition to packets with information on common invasive plants and management resources, we have also started to compile a google drive folder with additional resources and copies of the powerpoint presentations for attendees and those on the waitlist to access.  If any other CISMAs are interested in accessing these materials they can contact Emily Finch at emily.finch@in.nacdnet.net.  

More information on ISAC can be found on our website: www.isacdc.org, or follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ISACofDuboisCounty/.