About KDSWCD
Soil & Water Conservation Districts
What is a Soil & Water Conservation District?
Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCD), established in 1937 under the Illinois Soil and Water Conservation District Act, are non-regulatory local units of government. The Act gives SWCD's the responsibility to provide technical information to individuals and groups on methods of soil and water conservation. Kane County Soil & Water Conservation District was formed in 1944 and later combined with DuPage County. There are 97 SWCDs in Illinois.
Who develops the policies of Kane-DuPage SWCD?
Kane-DuPage SWCD is guided by a five-member board of directors elected by District residents. This board of directors, the District staff and the District Conservationist assigned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) develop annual and long range plans that direct the activities of the District.
Who funds Soil and Water Conservation Districts?
Districts have no taxing authority. Funding is provided in part by the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA). Districts offer several programs which supplement IDOA funding.
Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCD), established in 1937 under the Illinois Soil and Water Conservation District Act, are non-regulatory local units of government. The Act gives SWCD's the responsibility to provide technical information to individuals and groups on methods of soil and water conservation. Kane County Soil & Water Conservation District was formed in 1944 and later combined with DuPage County. There are 97 SWCDs in Illinois.
Who develops the policies of Kane-DuPage SWCD?
Kane-DuPage SWCD is guided by a five-member board of directors elected by District residents. This board of directors, the District staff and the District Conservationist assigned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) develop annual and long range plans that direct the activities of the District.
Who funds Soil and Water Conservation Districts?
Districts have no taxing authority. Funding is provided in part by the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA). Districts offer several programs which supplement IDOA funding.
Director Biographies
Thomas A. Konen: Tom joined the KDSWCD Board in 2010. He grew up on a farm in Kane County and today is a resident of Sugar Grove. Retired
now, Tom’s career was focused on the water infrastructure of Kane County.
He
served as Water Superintendent for the Village of North Aurora for over
10 years. During his 8 years with Rempe-Sharpe and Associates, Tom
helped to develop
an infrastructure maintenance and repair program for the Village of
Elburn. Tom retired as Water Foreman for the United City of Yorkville.
Today, Tom continues to champion our watersheds, serving as KDSWCD’s Vice Chairman, Association Director for Land Use Council 16 and Commissioner with the Sugar Grove Drainage District. A few of Tom’s other affiliations include the American Water Works Association, Kane County Water Association and Illinois Potable Water Supply Operators Association.
Today, Tom continues to champion our watersheds, serving as KDSWCD’s Vice Chairman, Association Director for Land Use Council 16 and Commissioner with the Sugar Grove Drainage District. A few of Tom’s other affiliations include the American Water Works Association, Kane County Water Association and Illinois Potable Water Supply Operators Association.
Maggie Soliz: A Director at KDSWCD since 2013, Maggie has been a resident of Batavia for 44 years and is a life-long resident of the Tri-Cities along the Fox River in northeastern Illinois. She and husband Dan Soliz are the parents of four grown children and grandparents of seven. An Illinois licensed real estate professional since 1977, Maggie owns The Soliz Group Real Estate LLC, a real estate sales firm focused on land development, farm sales, and new construction, specializing in green infrastructure. In 2009, following the real estate market decline, she joined Applied Ecological Services, a leading science-based consulting, design and contracting ecological restoration firm, as a Business Development representative. AES now owned by RES shares a very similar mission – a commitment to restore our nation’s land and waters with innovation and ecological integrity, to preserve the environmental balance for future generations. Now retired, she continues to bring the message of sustainable solutions through ecological restoration. Maggie reminds stakeholders that everyone has a stake in the future of clean water and healthy soil!
William Pauling: Born and raised in DuPage County, Bill has been involved in the family farming operation since childhood. In 1984, he went into business for himself. Along with his brother, he operates a 1200-acre grain farm. Bill has served on the SWCD Board since 1991 as Secretary/Treasurer and has been involved with the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) committee for years. Bill has also served on the Farm Bureau Farm Management Committee as director, and is Chairman of Farm Bureau's Young Farmers of DuPage County. Bill lives in Carol Stream with his wife. They are the parents of two boys.
Melinda Bossenga: Melinda grew up helping her father use their land to provide food for their family. Perhaps because of this, since she was very young, she has been passionate about caring for our planet. This led her to pursue a degree in philosophy and environmental ethics alongside a minor in environmental studies from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. While there, she volunteered in Jane Goodall’s Root-n-Shoots environmental education program at local elementary schools. Upon graduation, she was an intern at Spring Valley Nature Sanctuary in Schaumburg and then taught environmental education programs through the St. Charles Park District for over a decade. She worked in France for about a year, and was able to see first-hand, some of the differences between our infrastructure and ecological and cultural mores. She has been an advocate for organic farming, native landscaping, composting, and natural resource conservation for decades.
Jera Piper: Jera was born in Kane County and grew up mainly in DuPage County. She is a retired construction engineer of 17 years. Jera is an active, permanently disabled adult, with severe narcolepsy with cataplexy that advocates for land and wildlife conservation. Since retiring, she has spent her time conducting bird walks, educating military children about ornithology, and performing bird counts for prairie bird restoration projects in multiple states. She has a genuine passion for environmental conservation and a commitment to preserving natural resources in Kane and DuPage counties. Jera continues to pursue a deep understanding and knowledge of all soil and water conservation issues.
William Pauling: Born and raised in DuPage County, Bill has been involved in the family farming operation since childhood. In 1984, he went into business for himself. Along with his brother, he operates a 1200-acre grain farm. Bill has served on the SWCD Board since 1991 as Secretary/Treasurer and has been involved with the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) committee for years. Bill has also served on the Farm Bureau Farm Management Committee as director, and is Chairman of Farm Bureau's Young Farmers of DuPage County. Bill lives in Carol Stream with his wife. They are the parents of two boys.
Melinda Bossenga: Melinda grew up helping her father use their land to provide food for their family. Perhaps because of this, since she was very young, she has been passionate about caring for our planet. This led her to pursue a degree in philosophy and environmental ethics alongside a minor in environmental studies from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. While there, she volunteered in Jane Goodall’s Root-n-Shoots environmental education program at local elementary schools. Upon graduation, she was an intern at Spring Valley Nature Sanctuary in Schaumburg and then taught environmental education programs through the St. Charles Park District for over a decade. She worked in France for about a year, and was able to see first-hand, some of the differences between our infrastructure and ecological and cultural mores. She has been an advocate for organic farming, native landscaping, composting, and natural resource conservation for decades.
Jera Piper: Jera was born in Kane County and grew up mainly in DuPage County. She is a retired construction engineer of 17 years. Jera is an active, permanently disabled adult, with severe narcolepsy with cataplexy that advocates for land and wildlife conservation. Since retiring, she has spent her time conducting bird walks, educating military children about ornithology, and performing bird counts for prairie bird restoration projects in multiple states. She has a genuine passion for environmental conservation and a commitment to preserving natural resources in Kane and DuPage counties. Jera continues to pursue a deep understanding and knowledge of all soil and water conservation issues.
About Directors & Associate Directors
The Board is made up of five directors who are willing to give of their time to make a difference in conservation in Kane and DuPage counties. Directors provide direction, motivation and inspiration to the SWCD staff to carry out the SWCD's plan of work in one of the fastest urbanizing areas of the state.
Directors are voted into office for 2-year terms, through the annual election, held each February. Any resident of Kane or DuPage county is entitled to cast a vote in the annual election.
Associate Directors are volunteer residents of Kane or DuPage counties, appointed by the board, who serve as advisors and on committees.
Directors are voted into office for 2-year terms, through the annual election, held each February. Any resident of Kane or DuPage county is entitled to cast a vote in the annual election.
Associate Directors are volunteer residents of Kane or DuPage counties, appointed by the board, who serve as advisors and on committees.
Visit our Meetings & Minutes Page for information
about our Board Meetings
Board of Directors
Thomas Konen
Chairman
Maggie Soliz
Vice Chairman
William Pauling
Secretary/Treasurer
Melinda Bossenga
Jera Piper
Thomas Konen
Chairman
Maggie Soliz
Vice Chairman
William Pauling
Secretary/Treasurer
Melinda Bossenga
Jera Piper
Associate Directors
Ken Anderson
Neal Anderson
Dave Campbell
Eric Carlson
Susan Harney
Wayne Schneider
Ken Anderson
Neal Anderson
Dave Campbell
Eric Carlson
Susan Harney
Wayne Schneider
Board Meetings
If you have an interest in becoming involved, we suggest that attending our board meetings will give you a better understanding of what we do and how to participate.
We are composting-certified by
The Illinois Food Scrap & Composting Coalition (IFSCC)
Click on the We Compost image below to visit their website
The Illinois Food Scrap & Composting Coalition (IFSCC)
Click on the We Compost image below to visit their website
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To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer."