Soil & Water Conservation

Neshoba County Soil & Water Conservation District Leadership:

Back row left to right: Jerry Smith, Will Woods, Ross Williamson, Chad White and Alex Henson. Front row left to right: Erica Fortenberry, Carl Mason, Mary Meruvia and Lynn Copeland. Not pictured is Rebecca Barnett

What is a Soil and water Conservation District?

During the 1930's, as Americans were recovering from the Great Depression, along came an unparalleled ecological disaster of national consequence. Americans looked out their windows to a black fog of dust, slowly moving across the entire United States. Following one of the most severe droughts in history across the Great Plains, the region's soil began to erode and blow away creating great clouds of dust, some of which began to settle in Washington, and came to the attention of President Franklin Dl Roosevelt.

Through a Presidential mandate, Congress subsequently passed legislation declaring soil and water conservation a national policy and priority. Congress realized, since about 75% of the land in the continental United States was privately owned, that the only guarantee for the success of a conservation program was to garner voluntary support from the landowners.

In 1937, President Roosevelt wrote the governors of all states recommending legislation that would allow local landowners to form soil conservation districts.

The Mississippi Legislature, in 1938, officially recognized that our soil resources were deteriorating at an enormous rate and that this was being caused by misuse or improper use of the land and the lack of applied conservation treatment or measures. It further recognized that if this were allowed to continue, the results would be disaster.

In its effort to solve the program, which was primarily soil erosion, the Mississippi legislature enacted the Soil Conservation Law (currently the Soil and Water Conservation Law), in which the State Soil Conservation Committee (currently the Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission) was created. Provisions were made so that each county could organize a soil and water conservation district.

A Soil & Water Conservation District's governing board is comprised of voluntary citizens who come together and represent land owners and users in their district and ensure a local voice in conservation.

MACD Vision Statement

Today, there is a Soil & Water Conservation District in every county in Mississippi. Among other things, these Districts' ongoing and future efforts are to:

Implement farm conservation practices to keep soil in the fields and out of waterways.
Conserve and restore wetlands and wildlife habitat.
Protect groundwater resources
Plant trees and other land cover to hold topsoil, purify the air, provide cover for wildlife, and beautify neighborhoods and public areas.
Help developers and homeowners manage the land and water in an environmentally sensitive manner.
Reach out to communities and schools to teach the value of natural resources and encourage conservation in generations to come.

Students Observe Tree Planting Week

Around 100 3^rd grade students at Philadelphia Elementary listen to MSWCC’s Jeff Wilson speak.

MSWCC’s Jeff Wilson Spoke to over 280 3^rd grade students at Neshoba Central Elementary regarding the importance of trees and how to plant a tree.

Students Observe Tree Planting Week The Neshoba County Soil and Water Conservation District celebrated Tree Planting Week with third grade students in local schools on February 21st and 28th.Erica Fortenberry with the Neshoba County Soil and Water Conservation District and Jeff Wilson with the Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission visited the third grade classes of both Neshoba Central Elementary and Philadelphia Elementary.Tree Planting Week is celebrated in February each year and was established in 1974 as an annual event to recognize the importance of trees.Students from Philadelphia Elementary and Neshoba Central Elementary participated in activities teaching them why trees are so important to our environment as well as the economic importance of the forestry industry.Over 380 third grade students received a loblolly pine seedling and educational material, which was donated by the Neshoba Soil and Water Conservation District, to take home.

The Neshoba County Soil and Water Conservation District celebrated the beginning of the spring growing season with three local schools’ fourth grade students on March 22nd, 27th and 28th. Jeff Wilson, with the Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission Office in Jackson, spoke with over 445 fourth grade students from Philadelphia Elementary, Neshoba Central Elementary, and Union Elementary about container gardens and the importance of growing your own food. Each container garden holds 3 to 4 containers so that each science classes will have a container. There will be a competition between the classes on which has the best plants. They will be planting yellow crook-neck squash and will be experimenting with and without different fertilizer types. The gardens were built by the Neshoba County Future Farmers of America with modifications made by the Natural Resource Conservation Service to allow the recycling of water. The Neshoba County SWCD would like to thank Mississippi Association of Conservation Districts, MSWCC, FFA and NRCS. We would also like to thank Philadelphia Elementary, Neshoba Central Elementary, and Union Elementary for their participation in this program.

MAY 30^th, 2013

5:30 P.M. – 7:30 P.M.

NESHOBA COUNTY COLISEUM

Learn fun, educational, hands-on activities that you can do at home!

We want to help you educate, excite, and engage our county’s youth about their current and upcoming responsibilities to be good stewards of our natural resources during their lifetimes!

Help us “Pass it Down” to the next generation!

THIS EVENT IS HOSTED BY THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS:

Neshoba County Forestry Association

Neshoba County Soil and Water Conservation District

USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service

Neshoba County Extension Service

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality

Presents

WATERSHED HARMONY

Musical, Environmental Puppet Theater

SUBJECTS PRESENTED WILL BE:

Vermi Composting, Paper Recycling, Forestry,

Non-Point Pollution, Container Gardens, Nutrition,

and Wildlife

Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Mentors are all welcome!

All children must be accompanied by an adult!

Boxed dinner of burgers or hotdogs will be available for purchase from the Coliseum for $6.50 per person.

Bring this flyer to the event for a fun activity!

PLEASE RSVP BY

MAY 24^TH, 2013 TO:

Neshoba County Soil and Water Conservation District

Attn: Erica Fortenberry

601-656-8783 ext 3

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers. If you believe you experienced discrimination when obtaining services from USDA, participating in a USDA program, or participating in a program that receives financial assistance from USDA, you may file a complaint with USDA. Information about how to file a discrimination complaint is available from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex (including gender identity and expression), marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, genetic information, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

To file a complaint of discrimination, complete, sign, and mail a program discrimination complaint form, available at any USDA office location or online at www.ascr.usda.gov, or write to: USDA Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW.

Washington, DC 20250-9410

Or call toll free at (866) 632-9992 (voice) to obtain additional information, the appropriate office or to request documents. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities may contact

USDA through the Federal Relay service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136 (in Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

Jerry Smith, Chairman
511 East Lawn Drive
Philadelphia, MS 39350
Phone 601-656-8783, Extension # 3

E-Mail: erica.fortenberry@ms.nacdnet.net

Neshoba County, MS

Soil & Water Conservation