The Piatt County Soil and Water Conservation District would like to thank John for donating his time to the PCSWCD Board of Directors for 19 years, from 2000 to 2019. He was a highly committed board member who rarely missed a meeting. Throughout his time serving on the Board, John has played many roles and was instrumental in developing programs and financial security for the District. The Board and staff are deeply grateful for his dedication to our mission for nearly two decades. In honor of his passing, the District is memorializing the annual fall tree sale as the John Beckhart Memorial Tree Sale.
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Our last Electronics Recycling event of the year is Wednesday, July 30th at Forest Preserve Park in Monticello!
Show up early to guarantee disposal! The event will run from 9am – 11:30am or until the truck is full.
Event Rules:
-Must be a Piatt County resident/landowner
-Free! for most items. $25 charge required for large console or projection T.V.s
-No White Goods: refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, dishwashers, hot water heaters, etc.
-No Batteries
-Limit 10 items per vehicle
-Limit 3 T.V.s or computer monitors per vehicle
Next Electronics Recycling Event: January 2026

Support local wildlife by planting native perennial plants in your garden and landscaping this spring! PCSWCD’s annual Plant for Pollinators sale is this Wednesday through Friday (5/7 – 5/9) from 8am to 6pm at the Monticello USDA office!
We have 13 species available: big bluestem, butterfly milkweed, bee balm, purple coneflower, blue and white wild indigo, rattlesnake master, shrubby St. John’s wort, common milkweed, cardinal flower, prairie coreopsis, compass plant, and slender mountain mint.
Click here to order online or stop by this week to browse! Cash, check, and card accepted.





Restore Soil and Water Conservation District Funding to FY 2024 Levels
Illinois’ 97 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) experienced a substantial funding shortfall in the FY 2025 state budget. SWCD operations funding was reduced by $4 million from $8.5 million in FY 24 to $4.5 million in FY 25. The shortfall will lead to the loss of trained and qualified Soil and Water Conservation District employees which will take years of training to replace. Without sufficient funding, employees, much like unprotected soil, will erode away.
Piatt County SWCD will be collecting signatures in support of restoring FY 25 SWCD operations funding to level funding based on FY 24 funded appropriations.
Stop by our office at 1209 Bear Lane, Monticello IL to sign a paper copy of the petition in support of restoring funding, OR fill out the online petition using this survey website: www.surveymonkey.com/r/FundSWCDs
Come see us at the farmers’ market this Thursday, June 20th from 3-6pm!
PCSWCD will have a booth with informational brochures, our newsletter, fish/tree sale order forms, coloring books for the kids and other goodies.
Check out this link for more information about the Monticello Farmers’ Market: https://monticellomainstreet.org/farmersmarket






