2008 Awards....
Teacher of the Year -
deadline May 1st.
Click here for
Application &
Announcement
Each
year the VASWCD awards elementary and secondary teachers with
Education Awards. All applicants must submit a
comprehensive notebook. State winners will be recognized at
the VASWCD 2008 Annual Meeting. First Place Teacher in each
category receives a plaque and $ 100. Each SWCD may send one
nominee in each category (K-6, 7-12).
District of the Year -
deadline June 1st.
Click here for
Application
Each
year the VASWCD awards a Soil and Water Conservation District
with a Conservation Education District of the Year Award.
All applicants must submit a comprehensive notebook. The
winner will be recognized at the VASWCD 2008 Annual Meeting.
Poster Contest -
deadline September 15th.
Theme
"Water is Life"
Entry Form
&
Rules
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2007 Outstanding Partner Award
Nancy Drumheller, Virginia Naturally; and Clara Mills, Virginia
Council for Litter Prevention and Recycling receive the
Conservation Partner Award from Ricky Rash, President of the
Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
For over 20 years, Virginia has
celebrated Natural Resources Conservation Week the third week in
October. The 2007 “Litter Wise” Campaign educational packets
contained hands-on activity based lesson plans with background
information, key vocabulary words, SOL correlation’s, and
additional references/resources. The VASWCD would like to thank
Virginia’s communities for
partnering with their local conservation districts and litter
coordinators to do their part and prevent litter in your
community because “no matter where litter starts, it moves from
streets and highways to parks and waterways. Wind and weather
moves litter around a community, into the gutters, planted
gardens, alleyways and parking areas.”
Special thanks to the efforts of
Nancy Drumheller, Virginia Naturally Coordinator and Clara
Mills, Virginia Council for Litter Prevention and Recycling Past
President, the 2007 Natural Resource Conservation Week Litter
Wise Campaign held in October reached nearly 43,000 people.
Both were honored at the 69th Annual Meeting of the
Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
with 2007 Outstanding Partner Award.
2007 Poster Contest Winners "Conservations Power"
K-1 Category
Makensie Long,
Rose
Hill
Elementary School,
Daniel Boone SWCD
2-3
Category
Noah Hamilton,
Tappahannock
Elementary School,
Three Rivers SWCD
4-6
Category
Sara
Pennington,
Jonesville
Middle School,
Daniel Boone SWCD
7-9
Category
Emily
Jefferson,
Central
Baptist
Academy,
Eastern Shore SWCD
10-12 Category
Erin Ayres,
Arcadia
High School,
Eastern Shore SWCD
2007 Forestry Award Winners
University of Mary Washington,
Tri-County/City SWCD
The Urban Forestry Award this year, nominated by the Tri-County
City SWCD, goes to the University of Mary Washington. The
stewardship of trees is a long term goal of the university. With
new residential and academic building construction in the past
several years this has been a top priority. Education programs
and activities promoting good stewardship of the land are held
year round on the campus. Please join me in congratulating the
University of Mary Washington for being the 2007 Urban Forestry
Award Winner.
Mr. & Mrs. Connie Quattlebaum,
Tri-County/City SWCD
The
BMP Forestry Award this year, nominated by Tri-County/City SWCD,
goes to Mr. and Mrs. Quattlebaum. In honor of maintaining a
sustainable timber production while enhancing wildlife habitat
and protecting/improving the water quality draining from their
land, we recognize and congratulate
Mr. and Mrs. Quattlebaum for being the 2007 BMP Foresters of the
Year.
2007 SWCD of the Year
Clinch Valley SWCD, Conservation Education District of the Year
The
Clinch Valley Soil and Water Conservation District reaches
over
4,000 students and
nearly
75 teachers in 15 schools each year with
conservation education and technical assistance. At the
beginning of each school year, a list is
provided to each teacher of district
sponsored conservation education programs. This listing
highlights each program that is offered through the district for
each grade level. Lesson plans include animals and their
habitat, living systems, forests, soils, oceans, watersheds and
ecosystems. The Clinch Valley SWCD considers their
most important educational activity to be the "Natural Resources
Festival." The festival is held in May for Russell County sixth
grade students. Event stations include water, conservation,
agriculture, maps, soils, litter and recycling and more. The
District also participates in Russell County's After School
program and Summer School Programs in partnership with the 21st
Century Program and the Russell County Public Schools.
Recently, the District in conjunction with the Virginia
Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Southwest
Virginia Community College developed a web based course titled
"Topics in Leadership Management for Conservation District
Directors." The Clinch Valley SWCD can be reached at
276-889-4650 for more information on their educational
programs.
2007 Teacher of the Year
2007 Conservation Educator of the Year
Dr. Gail Lee,
Nandua
High School
Eastern Shore SWCD
The Eastern Shore is one of the largest agricultural communities
in the state of Virginia. It is a rural wildlife haven with two
National Refuges and one State Park and is surrounded on three
sides by marine waters. Dr. Gail Lee, Nandua High School,
believes in taking advantage of these natural resources and
using them as outdoor classrooms. She encourages hands on
projects and involves students in real life situations. Each
year her class raises thousands of plants in the school
greenhouse and sells them to the local community. Her
horticulture students are also trained in the proper methods of
pruning and other landscape maintenance skills and have the
responsibility of maintaining the trees and gardens on the
school grounds. They also re-seed, fertilize and aerate the
athletic fields. Her classes have been requested to design and
construct several native plant gardens along with butterfly and
decorative gardens. Her classroom is also home to a large
aquaculture tank. After school, she coaches an Envirothon Team,
a natural resource competition, which has received local,
regional and state awards. Dr. Lee’s areas of study include:
horticulture science, greenhouse plant production and
management, landscaping, biological applications in agriculture
and developmental horticulture. Gail’s passion for the
environment is demonstrated daily in her classroom and reflected
into the actions and rising interests of her students. The
Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
Education Committee and the Eastern Shore Soil and Water
Conservation District would like to congratulate Dr. Lee on her
selection as a recipient for the Virginia Association of Soil
and Water Conservation Districts' Conservation Educator of the
Year. We thank Gail for her commitment to spreading conservation
practices to our local youth. Congratulations to Dr. Lee for her
significant contributions to conservation education.
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2007 LEGISLATORS OF THE YEAR
Delegate Stephen C. Shannon
The
VASWCD 2007 Legislator of the Year award is given to: Delegate
Stephen C. Shannon.
Delegate
Shannon has served in the General
Assembly since 2004 representing part of
Fairfax County. He serves on
the House Committees for
Agriculture,
Chesapeake and Natural Resources,
Education,
and
Finance.
He was born in
Berkeley, California on
April 5, 1971. Steve is Catholic and was educated at
Fairfield
University in Connecticut, Georgetown
University in Washington, DC and received
his J.D. from the University of
Virginia. Steve begins his third term in the House of Delegates in January 2008.
Delegate
Shannon has a strong
interest in protecting our environment as shown by his
participation on the House Committee on Agriculture,
Chesapeake and Natural Resources. He worked in the 2007 Session with
Senator Davis in the enactment of House Bill 2568 which is a
companion or identical bill to Senate Bill 821. The Virginia
Association recognizes him as a Legislator of the Year for his
role in strengthening the erosion and sediment control program.
This Bill allows localities to adopt an ordinance that assesses
a civil penalty between $100 and $1,000 for violation of erosion
and sediment control laws. The bill also increases the cap on
civil penalties from $3,000 to $10,000. Thank you for improving
the Erosion and Sediment Control Program. This bill provides
stronger incentives for land disturbers to control erosion at
the source rather than pay a small fine and pollute our rivers
and streams. The Virginia Association was pleased to recognize
Mr. Shannon as one of our Legislators of the Year.
Delegate Watkins Abbitt Jr.
Delegate Abbitt has served in the
House of Delegates since 1986 and represents the 59th
District. The District encompasses the Counties of Appomattox,
Buckingham, Cumberland, Nelson and parts of the Counties of
Albemarle, Fluvanna and Prince Edward.
He serves on the Committees on
Appropriations, Commerce and Labor, General Laws, and Rules. In
addition, Watkins serves on several subcommittees. He has been
a friend of soil and water conservation programs for many years
and most important to us is his service on the Appropriations
Subcommittee on Commerce
Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Delegate Abbitt was born in
Appomattox, VA, October 20, 1944 and
was educated in Appomattox County Public Schools. He continued
his education at Ferrum Junior College followed by Virginia
Commonwealth University receiving a B.S. Degree in Economics.
He is the owner of Conner Insurance Agency and Abbitt Realty.
Watkins is a member of Grace Hills Baptist Church, Appomattox
Chamber of Commerce, Appomattox Jaycees, Appomattox Lions, Float
Fisherman of Virginia, Uranium Administration Group, State Water
Commission, Coal and Energy Commission and Virginia Farm
Bureau.
Delegate Abbitt has supported funding
to complete the Soil Survey of Virginia for many years as well
as supporting funding for soil and water conservation district
operations, non-point source pollution control programs. His
door has always been open to districts and our needs.
Watkins was a personal advocate for
the purchase and establishment of the James River State Park. He was the chief patron
of the legislation needed to secure the land along the James
River and helped the Department of Conservation and Recreation
throughout the process. Delegate Abbitt is an avid fisherman
and hunter as recognized in the many awards that he has received
and organizations that he supports. He is a friend to all types
of outdoor recreation!
Thank you for
your support and service to the people of Virginia for more than
20 years as a member of the House of Delegates.
Senator Jeannemarie Devolites Davis
Senator
Jeannemarie Devolites Davis has served in the General Assembly
since 1998 covering 3 terms in the House of Delegates and one
term in the Senate. She represents the City of Fairfax and part
of Fairfax County. She serves on the Senate Committees for
General
Laws and Technology,
Privileges and Elections,
Rehabilitation and Social Services,
Rules,
and
Transportation.
She was born in
England, February 28, 1956; educated
at University of Virginia (B.A. in mathematics); consultant;
member: Roman Catholic Church; Member of House: 1998-2004.
Member of Senate: 2004-2008.
Senator Davis is a strong advocate for
protecting our environment and the Virginia Association
recognizes her as a Legislator of the Year for her role in
enacting Senate Bill 821 in the 2007 Session. This Bill
allows localities to adopt an ordinance that assesses a civil
penalty between $100 and $1,000 for violation of erosion and
sediment control laws. The bill also increases the cap on civil
penalties from $3,000 to $10,000. Thank you for improving the
Erosion and Sediment Control Program. This bill provides
stronger incentives for land disturbers to control erosion at
the source rather than pay a small fine and pollute our rivers
and streams.
Senator Benjamin J. Lambert III
Senator Lambert
has a distinguished career in the Senate and House of Delegates
covering 30 years. His most recent tenure in the Senate was
representing the 9th District representing Charles
City County and part of Henrico County and part of the City of
Richmond. He serves on the Senate Committees for
Education
and Health,
Finance,
General
Laws and Technology and
Privileges and Elections.
He
was born in Richmond, Virginia, January 29, 1937; educated at
Henrico County public schools; Virginia Union University (B.S.);
Massachusetts College of Optometry (O.D.); optometrist; member:
Westwood Baptist Church; Member of House: 1978-86. Member of
Senate: 1986-2008.
Senator Lambert
was recently described in the Richmond Times Dispatch as a
“Gentleman of the Senate” after a legislative career that
spanned 30 years. His advice is to be effective you must learn
to work together. He was the first African-American to serve on
any money Committee in the General Assembly. Education has
always been a top priority for Senator Lambert.
Senator
Lambert’s door has always been open and he has been a strong
supporter of soil and water conservation district operations,
water quality programs and drinking water quantity and quality.
Many times has the Henricopolis Soil and Water Conservation
District approached him seeking support for districts and he has
responded positively.
Senator
Lambert, thank you for your support and service to the people of
Virginia over your 30 years as a member of the House of
Delegates and Senate of Virginia.
Watershed Connections Outstanding Director Award
This
award was created as a way to thank directors who have
encouraged work on a watershed basis. One director from each
watershed was chosen. Nominations came from SWCDs
and others who have been impressed by these directors= work.
Many have worked on tributary strategy efforts. Many have been
involved with watershed groups and all are people who are making
a difference in helping to improve the quality of Virginias
waters. It is with pleasure, the VASWCD leadership
presents a certificate and a shirt embroidered with our logo to
the following watershed leaders:
Shenandoah River Watershed - Jim Nichols,
Headwaters SWCD.
Jim Nichols is recognized for driving the force
behind the creation of the Shenandoah Resource Conservation and
Development Council for the Shenandoah Valley.
Chesapeake Bay Watershed – Richard F. Hall,
Eastern Shore SWCD.
Richard Hall is recognized for serving on the
Eastern Shore Marketing Cooperative, The Virginia Eastern Shore
Land Trust and the Association of the Virginia Potato and
Vegetable Growers.
James River Watershed – John D. Seibel, Mountain
Castles SWCD.
John Seibel is recognized for his dedication to
the conservation movement and for establishing easements on his
Boutetourt farm.
Rappahannock River Watershed – Keith Balderson,
Three Rivers SWCD.
Keith Balderson is recognized by other farmers
for his innovative field days and outreach efforts. As a result,
he received the Clean Water Farm Award in 2006.
York River Watershed – Pete Henderson, Colonial
SWCD.
Pete Henderson is recognized for his assistance
in developing a director’s retreat and outstanding conservation
practices on his farm and construction business.
DIRECTOR YEARS OF SERVICE PINS
Something that impresses other groups about soil
and water conservation districts is the dedication of SWCD
Directors. The following received years of service pins at the
2007 VASWCD Awards Banquet.
15 years
Gatewood Stoneman
Keith Seward
Anthony Jenkins
20 years
Baxter Wilson
Michael Harris
25 years
Phyl Snapp
John Boldridge
James Carter
30 years
Bob Dixon
Carey Copeland
Joyce Buchanan
35 years
Jack Hodges
Raymond Thomas
Wayne Miller
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2007 EMPLOYEE Awards
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Kathy Clarke
Northern Neck SWCD
Chaffin Award Winner
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Willie Woode
Northern
Virginia SWCD
Chaffin Award Winner
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Linda McAllister, James River SWCD
Chaffin Award Winner
Productive soil and water conservation districts
are essential to the conservation of soil,
water, and related resources in Virginia. District
employees are the foundation
of District Operations and we wanted to create a special
group of
awards
to
demonstrate our
appreciation to
exceptional District Employees
. Dora and Wilkie Chaffin from the Piedmont SWCD
are the originators and sponsors of the Chaffin Soil and Water
Conservation District Employees of the Year awards
and have graciously endowed three awards of $300 each.
Three full-time District employees, one from each
category
that will be recognized for
exemplary contributions toward meeting the goals
of their individual Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
Dana Roberts
VASWCD
VACDE Outstanding Partner
Award
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Tara Outland-Williams
Peanut
SWCD
VACDE Employee of the Year
Award Winner
The Virginia Association of Conservation District Employees has
modeled an employee recognition program after a similar program
promoted by the National Conservation District Employees
Association. Nomination applications were distributed through
the AllDistrict email in order that staff and directors would
have an opportunity to recognize district staff that may have
coordinated significant district programs or performed
exceptionally through the district normal operation.
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AWARDS NEWS RELEASES:
Chaffin
Awards
Conservation Education Awards
Forestry Award
Legislator of the Year Award
VACDE Employee
Awards News Release
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PAST
WINNERS:
Virginia Teacher Wins 2003 National Environmental
Educator Award
Linda Painter, 5th grade teacher at Pearson’s Corner
Elementary School in Hanover County, has been named 2003
Conservation Teacher of the Year by the National Association of
Conservation Districts. Painter was awarded $1,000 and a
trip to Hawaii.
Painter has taught for 27 years, using her passion for the
environment and protecting Virginia’s natural resources to
enhance her teaching plans. As lead science teacher, she has
initiated and coordinated many environmental education projects
for students.
Painter was
nominated for this award by the Hanover-Caroline Soil and Water
Conservation District, which serves those counties. “Ms.
Painter’s outstanding work in conservation education has helped
students develop a practical understanding of the proper use and
intelligent care of soil, water, plant and animal resources,”
said Greg Evans, Virginia Association of Soil and Water
Conservation Districts board president.
Leading a team of teachers, Painter developed a school-wide
initiative focusing on the Chesapeake Bay. In addition to being
part of the science curriculum, it was incorporated into
language arts, music, art, math, geography and social studies.
Activities included exploring ecosystems of the James and York
rivers and Bay Grasses in the Classes project. Also, a
local high school communications class created a video of a skit
performed about the bay and other water issues and helped
Painter’s 5th-graders develop a PowerPoint slide
presentation. The video was broadcast on the county’s
information channel and both applications are available to all
teachers for reviewing 5th-grade science objectives
to prepare for SOL testing.
Coordinating with the school, community and PTA, Painter is also
working on a major conservation garden project to feature native
plants.
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