Helping Protect the Natural Resources of Wake County, NC

Month: March 2012

New members of state Soil and Water Conservation Commission

Five members sworn in to

NC Soil and Water Conservation Commission

Soil and Water Conservation members are sworn-in.
Pictured left to right: Frazier, Hughes, Heath, Houser, Porter & Judge Hunter

The Soil and Water Conservation Commission is the policy and rule-making board for state soil and water conservation programs. The commission provides oversight for state conservation programs, and allocates technical and financial assistance to landowners and citizens through the state’s 96 local conservation districts.  Programs include the N.C. Agriculture Cost Share Program, Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, Community Conservation Assistance Program and the new Agricultural Water Resources Assistance Program.

Read the full article here.

Contact Wake County Commissioners

CALL TO ACTION!

Please contact the Wake County Commissioners and ask them to save the vehicles allocated to the Soil and Water Conservation District staff.

The District staff was told to turn in its field vehicle yesterday. The county budget office is recommending loss of another truck in the budget cuts. The District has five staff members and, until yesterday, three vehicles. Staff needs vehicles to help Wake County schools and residents, including farmers and homeowners to implement conservation projects to protect Wake County land water and air.

If the budget cuts go through, the three field conservationists and one environmental educator will have only one vehicle to use to get to farms and schools all across Wake County.

This means there will be only one vehicle left to do all the conservation work.

This may all but halt the District’s work!

Please call and email the Commissioners as well as the Clerk of the Board.  You don’t have to write a long email or leave a long phone message.  Just state your support for the District and ask the Commissioners to help by allowing the staff to have 3 vehicles.

DON’T DELAY – CALL and EMAIL TODAY!

http://www.wakegov.com/commissioners/contact.htm

Feel free to copy the following into your email:

I support the conservation and education work of the Wake SWCD.  Their important work requires them to have transportation.  Please support the work of the district by allowing them the use of 3 vehicles.

Call-for-Volunteers + 2012 Spring Big Sweep Schedule

It’s Time to Delve into the 2012…
Spring Big Sweep!

Calling all volunteers who value clean water! Eleven sites are looking for
helping hands to clean creeks, streams, lakes and wetlands across Wake
County. Litter cleanups are scheduled for seven consecutive Saturdays in
seven different Wake County towns, beginning on March 17 through April 28.
There’s also a cleanup on Sunday afternoon, April 15th in New Hill. Continue reading

CONTESTS – design T-shirts

Here’s two contests to whet your creative juices for designing a T-shirt
about the wonderful work our volunteers do in cleaning up our watersheds!

1. NC BIG SWEEP DESIGN CONTEST (FALL 2012)

Create a design for the 2013 NC Big Sweep: a statewide cleanup for a
litter-free environment. Open to grades K-12.
Deadline is October 15, 2012 (plenty of time!)
Winning design wins $100 and is placed on T-shirts worn statewide, as well
as on brochures and posters. Desing contest flyer below

2. NEUSE RIVER CLEANUP (SPRING 2012)

Create a design to be unveiled at this spring’s Neuse River Cleanup on
April 7th..
Open to all ages.
Deadline is March 15, 2012. Continue reading