I am delighted and honored to be able to serve as the President of Erie Basin RC&D for 2025! The Erie Basin RC&D Council consists of county commissioners, members from Soil & Water Conservations Districts, economic development professionals, and at-large members all from a 10-county region. The Erie Basin RC&D Council is extremely thankful to our Coordinator, Greg Small, along with Angie Palmer for helping with the day-to-day activities of this organization. With this group of dedicated volunteers, I am hopeful that 2025 will be our best year yet!
Since 1994, the Erie Basin RC&D Revolving Loan Fund has processed 100 loans for a total of $3,188,698, which has resulted in the creation of 327 jobs. The Erie Basin RC&D Revolving Loan Fund services ten counties including Ashland, Crawford, Erie, Huron, Ottawa, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Wood, and Wyandot. This program has been vital to small businesses within these counties. This fund is able to lend to borrowers who typically would not be able to get a loan from a traditional bank and without it, various successful small businesses would not have been able to open their doors.
This year, one of our goals as an organization is to make SK Worm more visible in our communities. SK Worm is an animatronics talking earth worm that educates the public on the importance of soils in our environment. SK Worm is easy to rent, and our organization would love to bring him to your community! The National Association of RC&D Councils Conference will be in Hershey, PA this year and we are hoping to be able to take SK Worm there in May.
In closing, the Erie Basin RC&D Council appreciates your support and is always open to ideas on how we can serve our region. We are looking forward to an eventful and successful year!
-Cameo Carey