KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — Kosciusko County residents interested in natural resource protection, conservation, agriculture and land use planning issues are invited to take part in a conservation through community leadership workshop visioning session. This Purdue Extension program empowers participants to work together to set priorities and develop community action plans.

“This training provides the tools to address complex natural resource and land use planning issues faced by communities, such as invasive species or stormwater management,” said Kara Salazar, sustainable communities Extension specialist with Purdue and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. It’s designed for local officials, representatives from nongovernmental organizations or residents who want to take part in natural resource decisions.

Participants can come to the sessions with a project in mind, or through the visioning process, the group can identify issues to address. During the course of one approximately five-hour meeting, participants will develop a high-quality community action plan to address priority natural resource issues, support watershed management plans, implement fundraising initiatives for specific projects, and more.

“The action plan will be tailored to natural resource management issues and will be informed through community feedback and engagement,” said Salazar.

The Watershed Foundation, Kosciusko County Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Kosciusko County Area Planning Department took the initiative to bring the conservation through community leadership workshop to the area.

The Kosciusko County visioning workshop will kick off the action planning process from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, June 30, in the multipurpose room, in the Kosciusko County Justice Building, 121 N. Lake St., Warsaw. To participate in the program, contact [email protected] or register via www.eventbrite.com/e/community-action-planning-program-tickets-35347480265.

To learn more about conservation through community leadership and other Purdue University and IISG sustainability programs, visit bit.ly/purduesustainablecommunities. Contact Salazar at [email protected] with additional questions.