Category: Uncategorized

Dear Friend of Wake Soil and Water Conservation District:

On behalf of the Friends Board, I would like to thank you for your membership in the past. Please consider at this time renewing your expired membership by visiting https://www.friendsofwakesoil.org/membership, so that we can continue our work of supporting the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District’s vital activities.

Renewing your Friends Membership will help the District by:

• Protecting water quality in Wake County including supporting Big Sweep,
• Awarding the Resource Conservation Workshop scholarship to Wake County high school students interested in conservation careers,
• Saving family farms in Wake County by supporting the annual Keeping the Farm Workshop,
• Sponsoring the annual Conservation Awards Banquet, and
• Educating school children on the importance of soil and water conservation through the annual poster contest.

Because the Friends Board remains vibrant, one of our greatest accomplishments of 2021 was to accept a donation of over $5000 from Altar’d State, which was directed straight to needs identified by the District staff for several education and conservation activities.

Membership levels and suggested contribution amounts are as follows:
Friend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 25
Sustaining Friend . . . . . . . $ 100

All Members receive

• Notification of workshops, banquets, and other events,
• Email links to periodic newsletters and reports from the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District, and
• Satisfaction of knowing that you are contributing toward the conservation of Wake County’s natural resources, helping our farmers maintain their agricultural lands, and promoting environmental education and stewardship.

For more information concerning our work, please visit friendsofwakesoil.org. Please join us in our commitment to support and champion the work of the District.

Sincerely,

Donald Belk
Secretary, Friends of the District Board of Directors

The Friends of Wake SWCD are thrilled to announce that we have received $5,503.85 from the Altar’d State ‘Mission Monday’ campaign, which represents a portion of local store sales thanks to customers who shopped on Mondays from April 19 through July 7 of this year!

Altar’d State is a rapidly growing women’s fashion brand with more than 100 boutiques in 30 states. Their motto, “Stand Out for Good”, reflects their mission to serve as an inspiration, empower others, and give back more than they receive.

Altar’d State selected Friends of Wake Soil because of our mission to support the Wake SWCD in protecting the natural resources of Wake County. Funds from their generous donation will be used directly for the environmental education needs of local middle and high school Envirothon teams. Additionally, we will contribute to future financial needs that arise for Big Sweep stream cleanup projects. Both of these programs attract a wide range of citizens who are drawn to volunteer their time and energy toward cleaning our waterways and encouraging everyone to be good stewards of the land. 

We are extremely grateful to have been nominated by the Altar’d State boutique located at Crabtree Valley Mall, and proud to have them as a partner in our conservation mission.

Thank You, Altar’d State for this significant and wonderful gift.

-The Friends of Wake Soil & Water Conservation District

Dear Friend of the Wake Soil & Water Conservation District:

We sincerely hope you and yours are well.  The past year was difficult for us all, and everyone is looking ahead to brighter days in 2021.

For the Friends of the District, we worked hard to maintain our momentum and stay true to our mission. Yet, the challenges of the Pandemic severely altered our plans, with workshops cancelled, events postponed, and social interactions curtailed.  Our Annual Conservation Banquet, where we traditionally gather at year’s end to celebrate the Soil & Water District’s accomplishments, mingle with friends, and welcome new members, was among them.

But we are moving ahead, refreshed, reorganized, and with a renewed commitment to support the work of the Wake SWCD.  Conservation can’t stop, and neither will we.  Please renew your membership today!  If you are new to us, please join!  And there are many other ways to get involved.

Help us jump-start our support of soil and water conservation in Wake County.  Your membership dues and donations will:

• Sponsor Resource Conservation Workshop (RCW) scholarships for Wake County high school students interested in Resource Conservation Careers
• Support the annual Keeping the Farm workshops for our resource landowners
• Sponsor the annual Conservation Awards Banquet
• Sponsor events to help the District reach out and communicate with our elected leaders to urge their continued support of the District

Please join us in our renewed commitment to support and champion the work of the District.  Become part of our mission to protect the natural resources of Wake County!

Yours in conservation, 
Donald Belk
Secretary, Friends of the District Board of Directors
fodwake@gmail.com

(Mark your calendars – the next Keeping the Farm workshop is being planned for March 24, 2021.  Full details will be posted soon on our website).

The Friends of the District will hold a meeting for members and anyone interested in our activities this year on Dec. 10, 2020 at 7pm using Zoom. Usually this time of year, we hold a wonderful banquet to celebrate the accomplishments of so many staff, volunteers, students, teachers, officials, and others who are dedicated to conserving Wake County’s natural resources. This year we’re unable to have the banquet, but we want to connect with everyone interested in our work virtually instead.

Please let us know you want to attend by emailing fodwake@gmail.com or call (919) 250-1050. We need you to register simply so we can provide the Zoom link to you.

Update: A recording of the meeting may be viewed here (starts at 9:20), and the slides may be viewed here.