Area VI Compiled District Reports 1st Quarter of PY17
VASWCD Board Meeting ∙ September 22, 2016
Eastern Shore SWCD
· Climate Change Workshop - In August, The Chincoteague Bay Field Station and the EE Council had a workshop on Climate Change for 8 and Nandua Middle School Teachers. The ESSWCD Education Director gave a presentation about the Coastal Resilience Tool (created by The Nature Conservancy) and how to use it with their students.
· Nature Detective Camp - The ESSWCD again offered the Nature Detective Camp with partnership of Ker Place in Onancock. From Aug 8th- 12th, campers attended the Nature Detective Camp at the Ker Place. The goal of this camp is to have the campers learn more about the world around them. ESSWCD Staff - Carmie Savage and Bonnie Mahl helped the campers make bird feeders, edible bird nests, learn about using their senses in nature, make nature art work, and other nature based activities. Throughout the week 11 campers participated. Sam Taggart, a VT grad student, came and did a soils investigation lesson one day, and Northampton County 4-H agent Christina Ruszczyk- Murray, helped out one day with making ice cream and a scavenger hunt.
· Summer Migrant Programs- Throughout the summer the Education Director program with both Accomack Summer Migrant Program and Northampton Summer Migrant Program. The programs included a bird Id activity and water conservation relay game, presentations on water conservation and animal tracks.
· VASWCD Youth Conservation Camp- The ESSWCD Education Director was again a camp counselor at the VASWCD Youth Conservation Camp at VT. She helped present a program on watersheds, topographic maps and water conservation. There were 55 campers this year from all over the state. We hiked, kayaked, learned about turf grass at the football stadium, climbed trees, visited the sustainable forests products center, went to the dairy and swine facility and learned for macroinvertebrates in the stream. A great time was had by all! The ESSWCD sent three campers to the YCC this year.
· Cost Share Sign-Up: The Eastern Shore SWCD has had 1.4 million dollars in requests for this new program year with a $700-thousand-dollar allocation. The requests include cover crops, continuous no-till, nutrient management planning and a poultry composter.
Appomattox River SWCD
· Farmer’s Cookout in July
· Participated in Ag Expo 2016 in Dinwiddie
· Signups for Cost Share ended Sept 1st and we are in the process of inputting data and preparing for approvals at end of Sept.
· Prepared for and participated in County Fair
· Preparing for Farm Day which will be Oct. 7th at the home of Nina Blaha
· Excited about presenting our NEW Soil trailer to debut at Farm Day
Virginia Dare SWCD
· We are busy signing up Producers for VACS.
· VA Dare just completed our Oil Recycling program, recycling over 2000 gallons of used Agriculture Oil.
· We are preparing to host over 1600 students at our Annual Farm Days in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. Farm Days in VB is Tuesday, September 27, Wednesday September 28 and in Chesapeake Tuesday, October 5 and Wednesday October 7.
· Our VB Director has met with VB Legislators to discuss current legislative issues relating to the District.
· The VA Dare SWCD voted at our last meeting to participate in the VCAP program.
Peanut SWCD
· New fiscal year has started and we have our Cost Share sign up under way for 2018.
· We hosted a Pig Pickin’ for farmers to roll out the Cost Share program for 2018 with over 100 attending. This was a huge success!
· Staff is preparing for IOW County Fair Sept. 15-18.
Chowan SWCD
· Chowan Basin SWCD has been busy doing cost share sign up and get information into the tracking program.
· Chowan Basin SWCD had a booth at the Southampton County Fair where we shared information about the cost share program and educational programs we offer.
· Chelsea Taylor has been working with the schools trying to get into the classrooms to do presentations with the classes and is hoping to have students participate in the Poster Contest. She also has an event scheduled next month to work with the Girl Scouts so they can earn the SWCD badge.
· An oil recycling event was scheduled and the District collected approximately 3200 gallons of used oil in the three counties.
· Chowan Basin SWCD hired a Conservation Technician, Neal Spiers, who began working for the district on September 1 2016.
James River SWCD
· Cost Share sign-ups underway and going well, ahead of last year’s pace.
· VCAP contracts are beginning to take off, especially in Chesterfield County. We’ve just closed out 2 contracts and have 3 new contracts just in the last 2 weeks.
· Developing a Memorandum of Understanding with Chesterfield County regarding Agricultural Parcel assessments in relation to proximity to Resource Protection Areas. This has come from the DEQ audit of Chesterfield regarding compliance with the Chesapeake Bay Act.
· Farmers Cookout September 15th at Scott Memorial Park Pavilion.
· New Conservation Specialist Glenn Chappell is undergoing training and “trial by fire” and is doing very well at the District.