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James River Soil Conservation District scholarship opportunity James River SCD Scholarship The James River SCD has a $500 scholarship available for local high school and college students. The 2026 application period is open and will close July 31, 2026. 2026 Scholarship Info

The Ol' Nursery Located south of Oakes, ND, The Ol' Nursery is a place close to home where you can reconnect with nature and learn about our amazing natural resources! There is a little something for everyone in this hidden gem, located in southeast North Dakota. The James River Soil Conservation District purchased the retired 180-acre tree nursery to assist in promoting their vision of working together to protect and regenerate the natural resources of Dickey County by demonstrating, educating, and leading communities and land owners. About The Ol' Nursery (former Oakes portion of Lincoln-Oakes Nursery) was purchased by the James River Soil Conservation District in the Fall of 2022. Since then, we have been busy transforming this acreage into a dynamic and fluid education farm for people of all ages. Many in the surrounding areas have connections to this property - whether working there themselves in the past or having a family member who did. We invite you to explore the grounds and see the changes we have made! Patch of Prairie (POP) Trail This trail was established through a grant from the Natural Resources Trust. Fourteen acres were seeded to native prairie. Follow and scan the QR codes around the trail to learn more about the benefits of a prairie ecosystem. Seed a Legacy Through the Bee and Butterfly Fund's Seed a Legacy program, 25 acres were seeded with heavily flowering forbs specifically for bee and butterfly habitat. DU/JRSCD Prairie Restoration &Livestock Demo Ducks Unlimited received a small grant through the ND Natural Resources Trust. This area will provide a hands-on, interactive learning experience about regenerative agriculture and producers will learn firsthand how these practices could affect and be implemented in their own operation. Monoculture Grass Plots Located just to the southwest of the start of the POP trail, these monoculture grass plots highlight varieties of grass species specifically developed to best address natural resource concerns in North Dakota. These plots were established with assistance from the NRCS Plant Materials Center in Bismarck and the ND Natural Resources Trust. test

Other related information pertaining to the James River SCD RELATED LINKS Tree Information: Lincoln Oakes Nursery North Dakota Tree Handbook ND Forest Service Dr. Apple Tree (NDSU site) NDSU Tree Selector Rangeland, Prairie, and Wildflower Information: Central Grasslands Research Extension Center USDA Plant Database NRCS Plant Materials Program ND Grazing Lands Coalition Water Quality Information: ND Department of Environmental Quality ~ Water Quality On-Site Sewage Treatment Systems resources - Central Valley Health District Soil Health Information: Menoken Farm Healthy Soils, Healthy Crops Video Series National Organizations: National Association of Conservation Districts Natural Resources Conservation Service US Fish & Wildlife Service State Organizations: ND Association of Conservation Districts NDSU Agriculture NDSU Insect and Weed Updates ND Ag In the Classroom ND Department of Agriculture ND Farm Service Agency (FSA) NDSU Carrington Research Center ND Game & Fish ND Stockmen's Association ND Districts on the Web: Area I: Cavalier County Eddy County Foster County Grand Forks County Nelson County North Central (Benson County) Pembina County Ramsey County Towner County Walsh County Wells County Area II: Barnes County Cass County Griggs County James River (Dickey County) LaMoure County Ransom County Richland County Wild Rice (Sargent County) Area III: Burke County Montrail County Mouse River (west Bottineau County) Pierce County Turtle Mountain (east Bottineau County) Ward County Area V: Adams County Bowman/Slope Counties Dunn County Grant County Golden Valley County McKenzie County Mercer County Slope-Hettinger Counties Stark and Billings Counties Williams County Area IV: Burleigh County Cedar (Sioux County) Kidder County Logan County McIntosh County Morton County Oliver County Sheridan County South McLean Stutsman County West McLean

Dickey Counties #1 resource for soil conservation, tree planting, conservation education, and more! CONTACT US Phone: 701-349-3653, ext. 3 51 N. 1st Street, PO Box 190 Ellendale, ND 58436 Have Questions or Suggestions? Please feel free to contact us at the information listed above, or via emails listed below! Lauri Uecker James River SCD Business Manager lauri.uecker@nd.nacdnet.net Tokina McHarry James River SCD Education and Outreach Manager tokina.mcharry@nd.nacdnet.net I work a lot with providing educational programs for the local schools that deal with natural resources. I also can assist groups like 4-H and Scouts. I can answer many questions about other district and NRCS programs or find someone who can help. I am a "go-to" person in the office to provide assistance on numerous programs and conservation-related topics. Nicole Kluck James River SCD District Operations Manager nicole.kluck@nd.nacdnet.net I am looking forward to meeting and working with producers from all over the county. I can assist with tree plans, range/pasture health questions, and district equipment. Andy Wertz NRCS District Conservationist andrew.wertz@usda.gov Jeremiah Ulmer NRCS Soil Conservationist jeremiah.ulmer@usda.gov Neil Schaar NRCS Wetland Specialist neil.schaar@usda.gov

The James River Soil Conservation District helps the community of Dickey County preserve, protect, and regenerate their soils through education and action. The James River Soil Conservation District is proud to provide a variety of resources including extensive educational outreach, conservation services, tree plantings and products, as well as equipment rentals to producers across Dickey County, North Dakota that aid in the betterment of our community. Currently our main services are drill rentals of two native grass drills and a no-till drill, as well as yearly tree plantings either paid privately by the producer or on cost-share programs available through our office. See our full list of services, equipment, and products listed HERE . Find our full list of Trees available here (Can't find what you are looking for? Give us a call and we ' ll help you find it.) Want to schedule an educational event in your school? We cater to all age groups K-12 within Dickey County. Previous topics include: Wildlife and their Habitat Watershed areas Bats Apples Soil Types Earth Day And more! Contact Tokina today!

Recent updates and news happenings in the Dickey County Area Conservation Corner Submitted by Nicole Kluck, James River SCD District Operations Manager The winds came to a calm as the sun set over the barren fields of Dickey County the evening of Monday, March 23. But at Guelph, the historic school building was buzzing! A collective of fifty attendees gathered in the community with April Johnson, Pollinator Program Coordinator from NDSU Extension. She brought a dose of humor and vast knowledge with her about the importance of pollinators in hobby birding and conservation. While traditional birding with bird feeders, fruiting shrubs, bird houses and baths are great, they only support adult birds, and ninety six percent of birds feed insects, most of which are caterpillars, to their young in the spring. Caterpillars are an excellent food source for growing birds, being high in proteins and fats, while other insects contain hard exoskeletons and spines or do not hold enough nutritional value. Did you know a brood of chicks will need 350-570 caterpillars per day, or up to 9,000 caterpillars to raise a nest to fledgling age? Quite amazing! With this many insects at the buffet, they need to be supported by an abundance of habitat consisting of host plants and sites for caterpillar development and metamorphosis, as well as nectar sources to attract butterflies and moths and encourage them to lay eggs nearby. Backyards consisting of non-native plants have seventy five percent less caterpillar biomass, which is sixty percent less likely to host breeding birds, and those that do, have a twenty nine percent lower chick survival rate. Providing native plant species and keeping habitat areas for our wildlife is paramount for their survival. Over-wintering leaf litter or mulch as well as ground cover plants are essential for caterpillar winter survival, and in turn, spring bird arrivals. Not sure where to start on your native plant journey? Stop by the office and we would be happy to help you get started! For those in attendance, if you have any questions about Johnson’s presentation, we do have a copy available, as well as the resource publications she referenced. Please reach out if you would like any of that information. Upcoming Dates: April 8, 2026 - SCD Board Meeting, 9 am, Ellendale Service Center April 22, 2026 – Earth Day April 24, 2026 – Arbor Day For more information contact the James River Soil Conservation District and Ellendale NRCS office at 349-3653, ext. 3. Our field office is in Ellendale at 51 N. 1st Street. Also, remember to visit the James River Soil Conservation District Facebook page and our websites for more information –http://www.jamesriverscd.org/ and http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/nd/home/. The NRCS is an equal opportunity employer, provider and lender.