Patrick Soil and Water Conservation District Holds Meeting
March 21, 2011
The Patrick County Soil & Water Conservation District recognized Directors and Staff for their years of service at their regular District Board meeting
The Patrick County Soil & Water Conservation District recognized Directors and Staff for their years of service at their regular District Board meeting (pictured left to right-front row): Lemlie “Tom� Corns, District Director 10 years; Tony Collins, District Conservation Specialist, 8 years; Charles Smith, District Associate Director, 4 yrs; Sandra Heath, District Manager, 14 years; (Back row): Travis Bunn, District Director, 2 yrs; Joseph Sparks, District Director, 8 yrs; Richard Kreh, District Director, 11 yrs ; George Stovall, District Associate Director, 7 yrs; Wayne Clark, District Director, 7 yrs. (Photo by Stacy Horton)
With 330 conservation district director volunteers and more than 150 full and part-time employees, districts are a valuable delivery system for Virginia's statewide nonpoint source management program. Soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs) were established in the 1930s to develop comprehensive programs and plans to conserve soil resources, control and prevent soil erosion, prevent floods and conserve, develop, utilize and dispose water. Today, forty-seven districts serve as local resources for citizens in nearly all Virginia localities. Since the mid-1980s, DCR has relied heavily on districts to help deliver many programs aimed at controlling and preventing nonpoint source (NPS) pollution, often on a hydrologic unit basis. Districts provide a valuable delivery system for Virginia's statewide nonpoint source pollution prevention programs.
Key District Programs include implementation of the Virginia Agricultural BMP Cost-Share Assistance Program and State Tax Credit Program, conservation planning assistance and plan approval of farm plans for the Farm Bill, in accordance with federal, state and local requirements, lending technical expertise for design and installation of farm conservation practices implemented voluntarily by Virginia farmers and the education of clients through field days and workshops. The District leases 2 no-till drills, provides geo-textile fabric , provides schools with educational information and the public with valuable information. The Patrick Soil and Water Conservation District office is located in the USDA Service Center on Stonewall Court in Stuart along with the Natural Resource Conservation Service Agency and the Farm Service Agency.
