(L-R) Kate Giannini, Commissioner; Teresa Munn, Conservation Assistant; Dan Mahoney, Watershed Coordinator; Dave Birney, Commissioner; and Miranda Haes, District Technician; photo courtesy of Washington SWCD

The Washington Soil and Water Conservation District’s West Fork Crooked Creek Demonstration Project has received the Outstanding Watershed Award. At the 70th Annual Iowa Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner’s Annual Conference, members of the project were on hand to receive the award, including Watershed Coordinator Dan Mahoney. Mahoney submitted the nomination, and they were chosen from 16 other demonstration projects throughout the state. He gives all the credit for the award to the farmers, “A lot of them go above and beyond what we’re looking for in this project. The district, the county, we have nothing to do with this award, it’s just an award for the producers.”

Mahoney, who is in his first full year with the project, said he couldn’t have expected this year to go as well as it has, and was thrilled they were given the award. He’s hoping to use the momentum created by the award to increase participation throughout the watershed. They already have the participation of many conservation-minded producers in the area, so his goal is to approach the more traditional farmers and get them on board as well. The West Fork Crooked Creek Demonstration Project was brought to Washington and Keokuk Counties in 2014 to provide cost incentives to help area producers protect their soil and water.