MINERAL WELLS, W.Va. — Newly elected conservation district supervisors joined with more veteran supervisors at a three-day meeting of the West Virginia Association of Conservation Districts in Mineral Wells to conduct the business of the association and to learn more about being an effective leader and supervisor.
In addition to learning more about their fiduciary responsibilities and current conservation topics in West Virginia, the supervisors elected new officers to the Association’s leadership team during the meeting, held July 18-20.
Association directors, made up of supervisors from across the state’s 14 conservation districts, also welcomed longtime partners from the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the USDA-Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the West Virginia Conservation Agency (WVCA) to the meeting.
Conservation district supervisors are tasked with promoting district programs and practices and advocating for the conservation of our state’s soil, water and related natural resources.
Each conservation district supervisor is elected during the May primary election to a non-partisan position and serves a four-year term within their residing county. There are two supervisors per county and conservation districts in West Virginia range in size from one to six counties. Two counties, Kanawha (five) and Berkeley (three), have more elected supervisors serving, due to population.
Incoming officers serving a two-year term are: President Donnie Tenney of the Tygarts Valley Conservation District; First Vice President John Pitsenbarger of the Elk Conservation District; Second Vice President Mark Myers of the Monongahela Conservation District; Secretary Holly Morgan of the Upper Ohio Conservation District and Treasurer Terry Hudson of the Capitol Conservation District.
The WV Association of Conservation District (WVACD) directors also took time to thank their outgoing executive officers, including President Wayne McKeever, of the Upper Ohio Conservation District; Tenney, the former First Vice President; Hudson, the former Second Vice President; outgoing Secretary James Foster of the West Fork Conservation District and former Treasurer Shirley Hyre of the Elk Conservation District.
Supervisors learned more about West Virginia ethics laws and their fiduciary responsibilities during a discussion with Ms. Kimberly Weber, executive director of the West Virginia Ethics Commission. Training workshops also included a complete review of watershed infrastructure and the state’s 170 small watershed dams with WVCA staff. A panel discussion included representatives of the Association’s “Legacy Partners” in conservation, including NRCS, FSA, WVCA, as well as the WVACD. These organizations work together to promote, encourage and implement sound conservation practices in West Virginia.
Upcoming events within the conservation districts include the statewide Conservation Farm of the Year tour, which highlights farms that incorporate conservation practices into their daily operations. Recently, winners were selected for the National Association of Conservation Districts’ photo and poster contests, which will be announced at the Association’s quarterly meeting in Flatwoods Oct. 17-19. Also during the October meeting, the conservation farm tour winners will be announced, along with various supervisor awards and other highlights, which includes a presentation marking 25 years of the West Virginia Envirothon.
For more information about West Virginia conservation districts or the WV Association of Conservation Districts, visit http://wvassociationofconservationdistricts.org/ or https://wvca.us/.