LEESBURG — A celebration of the work of individuals involved in The Watershed Foundation was held Sunday morning, Aug. 13. Lyn Crighton, TWF executive director, provide those attending an update on big accomplishments over the last 20 years and what the foundation has coming up. “We are here to celebrate all the work that has been accomplished and those who made it possible.”

Lyn Crighton, executive director of The Watershed Foundation, talks about 20 years of accomplishments.

The event was held at the Tippy Creek Winery, CR 200N, Leesburg.

Recognition was given to two individuals and three families who have been among those important to TWF. Bob Schwartz, Jim and Dixie Covert, Steve and Kim Kesler, Jim and Kathy Scott and Sam St. Clair, were all recognized for their various efforts and presented a glass plate with TWF’s logo.

Schwartz led the organization for many years and is the longest standing board member and volunteer. “I’m really happy to see how much the organization has done over the years … it’s become more and more professional and more organized every year,” stated Schwartz.

Steve Kesler noted he “didn’t know much about lake preservation,” and still doesn’t, but knows it takes a “big group. Hopefully we can contribute the best we can.”

The Scott family was recognized for its leadership, support and hard work to prevent the pollution and keep the lakes clean by the way they operate their farm. The Covert family was recognized for its investment in the work of TWF and supporting it for all 20 years.

Recognition of St. Clair was for his efforts of working closely with the farmers to help introduce practices that are good for their farms and down stream water quality through preventing pollution. “He has made a tremendous amount of impact on the number of projects implemented and the amount of pollution prevented over the last five years.”

“From their onset, they recognize that the solution to clean water was not just what goes on in that lake, but looking upstream of that watershed … I have been working with great farmers in the watershed,” St. Clair stated. “Eighty percent of the land in the watershed is in farms. Land use is important. Farmers are very important allies and we need to work with them in the watershed.”

Crighton spoke of the early visionaries who started the organization in 1997 wanting to make a real different not in just “one lake, but the entire watershed … We are celebrating 20 years of taking action for healthy lakes.”

Educational campaigns were noted, including the Clear Choices, Clear Water campaign and the groups original efforts to introduce phosphorous free fertilizer and how, over time there has been a change in people’s behaviors. She poke of the healthy shorelines projects where in five years over 100 projects on 16 different lakes, with 20 more participants in the expanded area in Warsaw joining the project.

The healthy soil clean water campaign was also noted – working with farmers and neighbors in the watershed on healthy practices that are good for the soil and water quality. Notation was also made of the clean water partnership involving lakes in the Warsaw area and efforts to create a watershed management plan for those lakes and streams downstream of Lake Tippecanoe and continual support of community sewer projects around the lakes.