Conservation in Warren County is getting a road-trip treatment this fall, with a one-day field tour planned to visit four projects ranging from farm water management to habitat restoration. The 2026 OKI-RCC Annual Conservation Tour is set for Tuesday, September 22, and includes a bus, lunch and a $25 price tag for OKI-RCC participants.
OKI Regional Council of Governments announced the tour Monday, while Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District's registration page lists the fee and confirms that lunch is included.
Four Stops Create A Warren County Conservation Circuit
The Warren SWCD itinerary starts with check-in at 8:30 a.m. before moving to a cascading waterway presentation led by farmer and property owner Warren McCarren, Central State University researcher Sakthi Kumaran and Warren SWCD's Tanner Shinkle. The group will then visit the Urban Conservation Learning Lab, stop for lunch at the Kingswood Park Shelter, tour a habitat restoration project at Kingswood Park and finish with a presentation on Simpson Creek headwater restoration.
The schedule is built around seeing conservation work at different scales: agricultural land, an urban demonstration site, a public park and a stream system. The tour bus will move participants from site to site before returning to Warren SWCD at about 2:50 p.m.
Urban Conservation Meets Farm And Stream Work
In Lebanon, the Urban Conservation Learning Lab serves as an outdoor classroom where residents can see relatively simple practices in action, including rain gardens, a bioswale, pervious pavement, composting and pollinator habitat. The Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District says the site was created with the Warren County Foundation to demonstrate ways to improve stormwater and soil conditions while supporting pollinators.
The broader OKI Regional Conservation Council connects conservation districts across nine counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. According to the Regional Conservation Council, its work focuses on proper land use, erosion and sedimentation prevention, environmental protection and surface water management — four themes that will be on display during the Warren County tour.
Registration Details And Current Availability
The online registration listing offers attendees a choice between riding the tour bus and driving themselves. When checked Monday, the registration item was displayed as unavailable, so interested OKI-RCC participants may want to monitor the event registration page or contact Warren SWCD at 513-695-1337; the district's office is at 320 E. Silver St. in Lebanon, according to its contact information.
