Madisson Heinl, standing, from the Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams, works with her table on a group exercise.

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY —Thanks to The Watershed Foundation, Kosciusko County Soil and Water Conservation District, Purdue Extension and the Kosciusko County Area Planning Department, 25 Kosciusko residents and officials took place in a community leadership conservation workshop June 30 at the Kosciusko Justice Building.

The sponsors invited residents interested in natural resource protection, conservation, agriculture and land use to the five-hour session to brainstorm ideas, set priorities and develop an updated community action plan. Kosciusko County’s comprehensive plan was last updated in 1996 and, while still appropriate and functional, is looking to be updated.

Among those in attendance were: Nate Bosch, director of the Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams; Brandon Cordell and Ryan Workman with Warsaw’s wastewater treatment facility; Casey Jones, director of land management at ACRES land trust; and Ed Rock, Kosciusko emergency management director.

Attendants broke into three rotating groups to focus on goals and opportunities for the following three sectors: prime farmland, outdoor recreation, and open spaces and balancing environmental assets with new development. Within three rounds, the groups determined area strengths, opportunities and aspirations and the ultimate goals and strategies that could be utilized.

The meeting was one of six potential meetings and focused on community envisioning and goal identification. With the information the group provided in their brainstorming sessions, the sponsors will analyze the issues and begin identifying strategies.

To learn more about conservation through community leadership and other Purdue University and IISG sustainability programs, visit online.