The 2018 Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District Awards Banquet on Dec. 6 was very well attended and enjoyed by all.

Thanks to Bill Sandifer, we have a lot of great photos to share.

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There were many special guests including the County Poster Winners and their families and teachers, and WRAL’s Jeff Hogan who congratulated them.

Special Congratulations to the Revel Family for being awarded Conservation Farm Family of the Year.

Farm and forest landowners are encouraged to let your voices be heard through PLANWake.

PLANWake is a process to:

Click here to learn more and take the survey.

Annual Farm City Day
November 20th at Noon, Carrollock Farms, 6818 Kennebec Road, Willow Spring
Sponsored by Wake County Farm Bureau & Wake County Cooperative Extension

Wake Soil & Water Conservation District’s 53rd Annual Conservation Awards Celebration
December 6th at 6:00 PM, Wake County Commons Building, 4011 Carya Drive, Raleigh
Hosted by Friends of Wake SWCD; RSVP at swcd@wakegov.com
Download this invitation for more details

14th Annual Keeping the Farm Workshop
January 23rd, 8am – 4pm at the Wake County Commons Building
RSVP at keepfarm2019@gmail.com

43rd Annual Southern Farm Show Kick-Off Breakfast
January 30th, 7:30am at the Hunt Horse Complex NC State Fairgrounds
Hosted by the Wake County Agribusiness Council

Friends of Wake Soil and Water Conservation District

Supporting Natural Resource Conservation in Wake County

November 29, 2016

Dear Friend,

It is harvest season in Wake County.  Our local farmers are taking stock, looking ahead, and hopefully enjoying the fruits of their efforts and a successful year.  It is also the season to be thankful that we live in a prosperous county that values access to local food, clean water, and open space that our 827 farms and farmers provide.

As any farmer will tell you, a good harvest this year is no assurance of another next season.  Unpredictable weather, soil erosion and compaction, waste management, stormwater runoff, and reliable water resources are among the daunting challenges our farmers face day after day, year after year.

Fortunately, the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District has worked for over 50 years to support local farmers and assist them in protecting the natural resources of our County.  Since 1965, our dedicated and nationally renowned Soil and Water staff have provided technical expertise and innovative ideas to address the issues our farmers confront daily.

District staff are in the field everyday working with landowners to install practices such as grassed waterways and livestock exclusion fencing to help protect our water resources. They work daily with landowners on no-till farming practices, contour farming, and cover crop rotation to ensure that critically important topsoil is protected.  Through the District’s education programs, school children are learning about the importance of caring for the environment to become the next generation of Wake County land stewards.  With a recent grant, Wake District is initiating a new outreach program to connect Wake County’s urban agriculturalists with the District’s technical assistance.

How are these conservation efforts made possible?

By Wake County residents like YOU who are members of the Friends of Wake Soil and Water Conservation District!  Our all-volunteer non-profit organization provides resources to support and raise awareness of the District so that it can continue its amazing work for decades to come.  To celebrate Wake Soil and Water Conservation District’s ongoing accomplishments and help sustain its vital work into the future, we invite you to become a member by making an end-of-year, tax-deductible donation at www.friendsofwakesoil.org or by sending a check to Friends of Wake SWCD, PO Box 46, Raleigh NC 27602.

Thank you again for helping protect Wake County’s natural resources,

Donald R. Belk

Chair, Friends of the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Directors

Friends of Wake Soil and Water Conservation District

Supporting Natural Resource Conservation in Wake County

Dear Friends,

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District, established July 1, 1965. The District has come a long a way since its humble beginning in the 60’s, but its core mission to protect the natural resources of Wake County has not changed. For over 50 years, the District has been supporting local farms and protecting their soil and water resources. Some of the issues farms face, such as soil erosion, gullies, compacted soils, and waste management have not changed in the last 50 years. Other issues, such as securing water resources and stormwater management have brought new challenges.

Thankfully, the committed Soil and Water staff continue to provide innovative ideas and technical expertise to address these problems. District staff are in the field everyday working with landowners to install practices including grassed waterways and livestock exclusion fencing to help protect our water resources. The staff also works daily with landowners on no till farming practices, contour farming, and cover crop rotation to ensure that critically important topsoil is protected. At the same time, staff is implementing a top-notch education program that is developing the next generation of Wake County land stewards. All of these conservation efforts would not be possible without community support.

These efforts are greatly enhanced by the Friends of the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District. Our all-volunteer non-profit provides resources to support and raise awareness of the District so that it has the capacity for another 50 years of amazing work. To mark all of the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District’s great accomplishments and celebrate its last 50 years, we invite you to make a year-end donation.

Please consider joining the Friends of the District’s board in contributing $50 for 50 years of service. You can make this end of year tax-deductible donation at https://friendsofwakeswcd.wordpress.com/membership/ or by sending a check to Friends of Wake SWCD, PO Box 46, Raleigh NC 27602.

Thank you again for helping protect Wake County’s natural resources!

Sincerely,

The Friends of the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Directors

50years EOY appeal_final.docx

Join Triangle Land Conservancy tonight to learn why clean water is important to our community and how each of us can keep it clean.

Where: RTP Headquarters, 12 Davis Drive, Durham, NC 27703

When: Tuesday, October 27, registration begins at 5:30pm and the program begins at 6:00pm

Cost: FREE, register here or just join us!

Join us at RTP Headquarters for Wild Ideas for Clean Water to learn why clean water is important to our community and how each of us can keep it clean. Registration at 5:30pm with light refreshments and the talk begins at 6pm. We will open with an introduction by Triangle Land Conservancy Executive Director Sandy Sweitzer and follow it with a series of fast-paced, visual presentations by local water experts, educators, and enthusiasts. Afterwards, the conservation continues during an expo featuring free, local food and drink.

Presentations by:

• Mike Schlegel, Program Manager – Water Resources for Triangle J Council of Governments

• Dr. Laura Taylor, Director of the Center for Environmental and Resource Economic Policy at North Carolina State University

• Dale Threatt-Taylor, Director of the Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District

• Tony Reevy, Senior Associate Director and Lecturer at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Institute for the Environment

The wild ideas series provides a venue for experts and the community to share their innovative ideas to safeguard clean water, protect natural habitats, support local farms and food, and connect people with nature in order to make the Triangle a more vibrant place to live, work, and play. Hope to see you there!

For questions, please contact:Leah Joyner –Education CoordinatorCarolina Farm Stewardship Association
PO Box 448 Pittsboro, NC 27312
919-542-2402

When you need a break from the heat, grab a cool beverage and take time to slide through the photos.
It will give you a perspective of what goes on at the Resource Conservation Workshop.

From the workshop evaluation form: words from a rising junior, “The portion I liked the best was learning about best management practices that can be
used to conserve soil and prevent runoff.” Comments like this makes our day!

The photos are from this year’s Resource Conservation Workshop are
available at the URL below.

go.ncsu.edu/rcw2015

The Friends and the Board of Supervisors sponsor Wake Students to attend this weeklong, statewide workshop.
You can support more scholarships here:
https://friendsofwakeswcd.wordpress.com/membership/camp/

from Sheila Jones, Wake County Big Sweep Coordinator

Hello Big Sweep Volunteers and Enthusiasts across Wake County!

FINAL 2015 SPRING RESULTS
WOW — look what good you did! When we add up all the litter picked up at
all our Big Sweep sites across Wake County…it totals 634 gung-ho
volunteers removing nearly 9,000 pounds from 27 watershed sites in five
Wake County towns. Fantastic!
(See attached file: RESULTS Big Sweep SPRING 2015 FINAL.pdf)

THANK YOU
Big Sweep Volunteers
for giving of your time & energy to improve our waterways!

These numbers are important because they reflect your hard work in making
our watersheds cleaner, safer, and all the more beautiful!

UPDATE
Our last spring cleanup, Canoes For A Cause, was a huge success Sat., June
13th at Lake Johnson Park in Raleigh! Over 107 volunteers worked hard to
remove 845 pounds of debris out of the lake and surrounding woods. Their
hard work was rewarded with goodie bags, live music, and a delicious lunch
provided by Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company of WI. Warm hospitality was
provided by employees from our local Mims Distributing and Miller-Coors
companies. Keep NC Beautiful conducted online registration. Thank you to
all our generous Sponsors and helpful Partners!

A very
BIG THANK YOU
to
Lake Johnson Park Director and
Big Sweep Zone Captain
MARK ELMORE
for hosting and leading this event!

FALL BIG SWEEP
I hope you’ll participate in our 2015 Fall Big Sweep cleanups in September
and October. I’ll send you a schedule as soon as it comes together!

With sincere thanks,

Sheila B. Jones
Wake County Big Sweep Coordinator
Wake Soil & Water Conservation District
sbjones