April 23, 2009
Vol. 39, No. 181

For further information, contact Michelle Jacobs, Community Relations Officer, 302-739-9921, or Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.  

DIG IT! The Secrets of Soil Natural
Resources Stewardship Encouraged

The Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD) encourages you to think about your personal responsibility to be a good steward of all natural resources, including soil, during its annual Stewardship Week celebration. The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) has proclaimed April 26 – May 3, 2009 as Stewardship Week. The 2009 Stewardship Week is themed “DIG IT! The Secrets of Soil.” Correlating education materials were developed based on an exhibition created by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and sponsored by the Soil Science Society of America and the Nutrients for Life Foundation.

To begin the celebration, the DACD held a proclamation signing officially recognizing Soil and Water Stewardship Week on April 22 at the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village in Dover. During the ceremony, Governor Jack Markell also presented the annual Agricultural and Urban Governor’s Conservation Awards to winners from each county. 

            Soil supports forests, wetlands, grasslands, tundra and aquatic ecosystems. Soil makes up the outer layer of the earth’s surface, it nourishes the plants we eat, the animals we use for food and fiber and the thriving underground kingdom of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, earthworms and other microbes that are critical to the planet’s food web. Soil directly and indirectly effects agricultural production, water quality and climate. Thanks to the earth’s soils, most of the rainfall hitting the planet is trapped and absorbed, watering plants and replenishing aquifers, rivers, lakes and streams.

The New Castle, Kent and Sussex conservation districts were formed to assist the citizens of each county community. For more information about Soil and Water Stewardship Week and conservation, please contact:

• New Castle Conservation District, 2430 Old County Road, Newark, 302-832-3100
• Kent Conservation District, 800 Bay Road, Suite 2, Dover, 302-741-2600
• Sussex Conservation District, 21315 Berlin Road, Unit 4, Georgetown, 302-856-3990

            The DACD is a member of the National Association of Conservation Districts (www.nacdnet.org) which oversees the Stewardship Week program. Stewardship Week is one of the largest national annual programs to promote conservation. NACD represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts, which were established to encourage resource conservation across the country. 

            “Since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, the protection of soil from erosion and degradation has greatly increased through the work of conservation districts and our partners. These conservation groups assist landowners and the general public through education and technical assistance as to the importance of the soil and how to properly manage it.,” said NACD President Steve Robinson. “Soil is one of our precious natural resources that we must conserve for the next generation. All communities benefit when they have a better appreciation of soil and its connections to our everyday life. Conservation districts are working with local communities to instill the appreciation for our natural resources across America.”

            To learn more about NACD and Soil and Water Stewardship Week, please visit www.nacdnet.org  or www.nacdnet.org/stewardship/2009.