The Soil and Water Conservation Society at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point will receive national recognition at the annual conference of the Soil and Water Conservation Society, July 13-17, in Indianapolis.

SWCS will be recognized as one of five chapters nationally to receive the Outstanding Chapter Award for accomplishments in carrying out its overall program throughout the year. It also will receive the Chapter Achievement Award recognizing up to five chapters across the country for a single activity or project conducted during the year.

UWSP�s chapter project focuses on the Horicon Marsh located east of Beaver Dam. According to Jennifer Hegge of Hudson, president of UWSP�s chapter and lead author of the SWCS award application, the main goal of the Horicon project is to study nutrient and sediment loading into the marsh from the surrounding agricultural lands. Ultimately, students hope to create a 3-D image of the nutrient loading within the marsh using GIS (geographic information systems) database. The U.S. Department of Agriculture�s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provide both technical and financial support. Hegge graduated this spring and next year Kristin Wild of Oshkosh will take over as project coordinator.

UWSP�s chapter began in the late 1960s. Ron Hensler, professor of soil and water resources at UWSP�s College of Natural Resources, has been the faculty adviser for SWCS for the past 28 years. "Jen deserves much of the credit for the student chapter receiving this prestigious national recognition," said Hensler. "She is the most recent in a long line of great student leaders coming through this organization and I fully expect this trend of student engagement and success to continue here."

The national SWCS was founded in 1945 as a nonprofit, scientific and educational organization dedicated to the science and art of good land use. Today there are approximately 25 SWCS chapters nationwide.

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