A Year in Review
2020-2021 Annual Report
The Wake Soil and Water Conservation District works tirelessly in the interests of the nearly 800 farms and over 84,000 acres of farmland in our county by providing technical assistance, implementing conservation management plans and water quality improvement practices, and enhancing wildlife habitat.
Conservation Planning
During the 2020-2021 fiscal year, Wake Soil and Water Conservation staff, along with USDA-NRCS staff, delivered excellent customer service to Wake County's farm community by writing conservation plans on 2,548 acres, implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs) on 1,531 acres and distributing over $133,566 in financial assistance funds to protect water quality and improve soil health. The Natural Resource Conservationists assisted farmers and landowners by visiting 319 farm tracts, writing 27 contracts for financial assistance, and encumbering $191,279 in state and federal cost share funds.
Agricultural Leadership
The District staff provided representation and leadership by attending or serving on the Wake County Water Partnership, Capital Area Food Network, Wake County Farm Bureau, WakeNature Preserves Partnership, Land Protection Committee, Conservation Strategies Committee, Piedmont Conservation Council, Soil and Water Conservation Society Hugh Hammond Bennett Chapter and many others.
Staff continue to serve on local, state, and national boards, bringing attention to Wake County as a destination to showcase and model conservation projects or events.
Environmental Education
Wake Soil and Water Conservation provided hands-on learning and educator training to students and teachers of North Carolina’s largest school system. Although COVID-19 has had significant impacts to in-person education, Wake SWCD participated in the first ever virtual NC Envirothon. A total of 11 Envirothon teams from five Wake County middle and high schools registered for the first-ever virtual 2021 Area 4 Envirothon. Seven out of the 11 teams swept the Top 7 scores, earning the privilege to advance to the first-ever 2021 Virtual NC Envirothon. Within a field of 41 high school teams from across the state, Wake County teams placed 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 12th, and 16th. In addition, the district hosted not one, but two conservation poster contests, because of the COVID-19 adjusted calendar. Hundreds of students from schools across the county participated, submitting some very impressive posters.
Wake County Big Sweep
This fall, Wake SWCD added Alex Heinemann as the new Big Sweep Coordinator in an effort to grow this great, county-wide watershed cleanup program. The fall Big Sweep season marked the first return to in-person cleanups since before the onset of COVID-19. The program saw 20 different zone captains lead cleanups at 24 watershed sites in 7 Wake county municipalities. A total of 538 volunteers contributed roughly 1350 hours of labor time and cleaned a total of 47 miles of shoreline. Volunteers picked up an amazing 12,840 lbs of trash, of which roughly 3,000 lbs were able to be diverted from the landfill and recycled.
Grant Funding
Wake Soil and Water Conservation District partnered with Piedmont Conservation Council to restore 1,000 linear feet of perennial stream with the Black Creek Stream Restoration Project. An additional 2,300 ft of streams could be improved with restoration or enhancement work. A total of 2.3 acres of floodplain wetlands will be restored, with an additional 3.1 acres of floodplains enhanced.
The completed project will be an excellent example of the benefits of a holistic project approach, combining the latest stormwater restoration and dam removal approaches to provide maximum water quality and ecological benefit.
Moving Forward
Requests for both technical and financial assistance continue to increase from Wake County farmers and landowners needing District staff to help design and install conservation practices to protect vital soil and water resources. With the 2022 fiscal year underway, we look forward to continuing our mission of protecting the natural resources of Wake County through voluntary technical, educational and funding assistance to citizens, businesses, communities, municipalities and partners.
Wake SWCD Annual Awards
Wake SWCD Annual Awards
The Wake SWCD annual awards banquet has been a staple in the county for over 50 years. The focus of the banquet is to recognize individuals who have stood out as conservation leaders over the course of the year. With the move away from the traditional in-person banquet due to COVID-19, the Wake SWCD wants highlight award recipients in the county through an award and recognition in the winter newsletter.
Farm Family of the Year
This year’s farm family award is being presented to a family that has been farming for over five generations. They have always gone the extra country mile to implement conservation practices that protect and conserve natural resources on their farm. Broadwell Farms is a prime example of a well maintained and thriving family farm.
Ryan Broadwell currently has over 350 acres in production, where he grows corn, soybeans and wheat. SWCD staff provided Ryan with a conservation plan to install cover crops, grass-waterways, field borders and to convert to a long term no-tillage crop rotation system to reduce soil erosion, nutrient runoff, and improve the overall soil quality on the farm.
In addition to farming, Ryan Broadwell currently serves as a Captain for the Town of Cary Fire Department. He has served the citizens of Cary as a firefighter for 17 years. Ryan's dedication to the stewardship and protection of farmland will provide endless benefits of water quality improvements to the citizens of Wake County and he serves as a great example for others to follow.
Board Member Emeritus Award
For the first time, the Wake SWCD has chosen to award a Board Member Emeritus, and it goes to Manly Wilder! Manly has decades of service in soil and water conservation, and despite retiring professionally, he has continued serving in his retirement. He started his career in 1961, and over the course of his time worked at both the state and federal levels, all while sharing his expertise in international positions. For the past seven years, he has served on the Board of Directors for the Friends of Wake Soil and Water Conservation District. He has won several awards for his distinguished career in soil and water conservation.
Dan Wilkerson WRAL Communications Award
This year's Dan Wilkerson WRAL Conservation Communication Award goes to Allie Dinwiddie! Allie has showcased bold leadership in communicating statewide, up-to-date conservation information to soil and water conservation districts in the central piedmont region. Her outstanding communication skills have helped districts to more accurately perform their work and she has set a high standard for the position. Allie currently works in the NC Division of Soil and Water Conservation as the NPS Planning Coordinator.
Distinguished Service Award
The 2021 Distinguished Service Award goes to Nervahna Crew! With the goal to serve Wake County residents and bring conservation practices to a diverse group of people, Nervahna Crew was elected as a board supervisor for the Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District in 2018, becoming the first black woman to be elected for this position. During her tenure, she led the Wake District in establishing a voice for diversity and inclusion for all conservation programs and prioritizing funding for environmental education programming for Wake County’s youngest residents. While Nervahna has moved on to a new role, she will continue to serve as an active Associate Board member. Nervahna, we thank you for your service!
Environmental Education Partnership Award
The 2021 Environmental Education Partnership Award goes to Novozymes North America Inc! Novozymes North America Inc. has co-sponsored Wake District’s conservation poster contest since 2009 and hosted several special field trips to their Nature’s GREEN-RELEAF Composting facility for Wake District’s top 10 poster winners, their families, and teachers. We recognize and celebrate the continuous sponsorship and support of Wake District’s conservation poster contest that Novozymes North America Inc. has maintained for over a decade.
BC Raynor Friend of the District Award
Finally, we recognize the great contribution of Altar'd State-Crabtree Valley Mall, with the BC Raynor Friend of the District Award! Altar’d State donated a portion of sales made in their store to the Friends of the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District. Their very generous donation will support the water quality and environmental education efforts of the Friends and the Wake SWCD.
2021 Conservation Poster Contest
“Soil and Water - Its Yours for Life!”
This fall, students entered the 2021 Conservation Poster Contest by illustrating agricultural best management practices. Their challenge was to artistically showcase a BMP used by NC farmers and explain the science behind how it works to reduce soil erosion, build soil health, store carbon, and make the soil more resilient to severe weather associated with climate change. Many of these agricultural practices can also be used by home gardeners on a smaller scale to derive the same soil and water conservation benefits.
Over 200 students entered the 2021 "Soil and Water - Yours for Life" Conservation Poster Contest in schools across Wake County. The Top 10 Winners received certificates from the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District and the Top 3 Poster Winners also received cash prizes of 1st place - $100, 2nd place - $50, and 3rd place - $25, made possible by Novozymes North America, Inc. The #1 overall 4th and 5th grade District posters will advance to the regional competition with 10 other counties in February 2022. Keep scrolling to see the winning posters below!
Top Ten 2021 Conservation Poster Contest Winners!
Honorable Mention
Honorable Mention
Honorable Mention
Honorable Mention
Honorable Mention and Best 4th Grade Poster!
Honorable Mention
Honorable Mention
Top Three 2021 Conservation Poster Contest Winners!
3rd Place Winner!
2nd Place Winner!
1st Place Winner and Top 5th Grade Poster!
Thank you to all of the students who submitted posters! You produced some truly outstanding work!
The annual Conservation Poster Contest would not be possible without the generosity and support of Novozymes North America Inc.
Program Updates
Community Conservation Assistance Program (CCAP)
Wake Soil and Water Conservation District is committed to improving water quality, not only on agricultural properties, but also on urban, suburban, and rural properties not involved in agriculture through the Community Conservation Assistance Program (CCAP).
CCAP is a voluntary cost-share assistance program that helps landowners install BMPs on their property to improve water quality. Along with cost-share assistance, we also provide technical assistance to residents of Wake County. Technical assistance can include discussing water quality issues over the phone or through email, planning a site visit, or connecting residents with the municipality better suited to serve them. Past CCAP projects have included rain gardens, streambank stabilizations, and stream restorations.
Just this fall, Wake SWCD completed work on a stream restoration project that was funded through the CCAP program. The stream restoration work repaired and restored streambanks which had been significantly eroded. Restoring the natural shape and flow in the stream will help to dissipate the high-water energy after storms, limiting undercutting and sloughing of the streambanks. This stream restoration project will also prevent over 5 tons of sediment from entering the Poplar Creek watershed, thus improving the water quality and habitat for many aquatic organisms.
Announcements
Careers in Conservation Scholarship Opportunity
The Careers in Conservation Scholarship Program's goal is to increase the number of qualified people committed to working in the field of natural resource management thereby supporting the mission of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Scholarship recipients will be students who are currently pursuing or have firm plans to pursue a college degree in natural resource management or other closely related fields. The Foundation’s scholarship program is funded by generous donations from the Bowman family.
The NC Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation is now accepting applications for the Fall/Spring 2022-2023 Careers in Conservation Scholarship Program.
The Foundation plans to award merit-based scholarships up to $5,000 per student per school year, renewable at the discretion of the Scholarship Selection Committee. The program typically awards 10 to 15 scholarships per year at $1,000 per student. Subsequent awards are contingent upon successful academic progression. Current CIC scholars are REQUIRED to submit a new application each year to be considered for another year of funding.
Applications are due by 5 p.m. on February 1, 2022.
Additional questions should be directed to Amanda Sand, Executive Director, by emailing scholarship@ncsoilwater.org. Transcripts should be mailed to NC Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation at: 5171 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 330, Raleigh NC 27612.
Mark Your Calendars!
Meetings and Closures:
December 23rd, 24th, & 27th - Christmas, Office Closed
December 31st, 2021 - New Year's Day (observed), Office Closed
January 11th, 2022 - Wake SWCD Board Meeting
February 1st, 2022- Deadline to apply for Careers in Conservation Scholarship Program
February 9th, 2022 - Wake SWCD Board Meeting
March 9th, 2022 - Wake SWCD Board Meeting
If you have any questions or need assistance, don't hesitate to email us at swcd@wakegov.com or call 919-250-1051.
Credits:
Created with images by jplenio - "sunset tree field" • Geisteskerker - "bureaucracy file folder paperwork" • QuinceCreative - "trophy soccer russia" • wobogre - "field road rural" • qimono - "drop splash drip" • zdenet - "stream bank small" • geralt - "to protect hands ecology" • Daria-Yakovleva - "christmas new year's eve postcard" • monicore - "christmas decoration xmas"