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Governor’s 2011 Agricultural and Urban Conservation Award
winners honored today

DOVER (April 21, 2011) – The Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village was the setting for today’s Stewardship Week designation and presentation of the Governor’s Agricultural and Urban Conservation Awards.  On behalf of Governor Jack Markell, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Deputy Secretary David Small led a ceremony with Delaware Association of Conservation Districts President Terry Pepper recognizing the awardees.  Mr. Small also read a proclamation previously signed by the Governor officially designating April 24 through May 1 as Stewardship Week in Delaware.

“Stewardship requires personal and social responsibility including a duty to understand and improve natural resources as we use them wisely, leaving a rich and sustainable legacy for future generations,” said Mr. Small. “The six winners honored today were nominated by Delaware’s conservation districts for taking that responsibility to heart and translating it into actions that will help build that legacy.”

This year’s Conservation Award winners and their conservation efforts are:

NEW CASTLE – Agricultural Award

·         F. Thomas Unruh, Townsend
Tom Unruh is being recognized for his many years of dedication to the improvement of our environment through action in his Townsend farming operation. He is a strong advocate of no-till farming; practices nutrient and pest management; maintains better records to improve irrigation efficiency; and manages his tidal marshes to control invasive species in an effort to improve wildlife habitat.  His conservation efforts help to improve soil and water quality, reduce erosion, and improve wildlife habitat.  As one of the original Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation members, Mr. Unruh remains a strong proponent of the program designed to maintain critical farmland for future generations of Delawareans.    

NEW CASTLE - Urban Award

·      Springmill Maintenance Corporation,  Middletown
John Pope, project coordinator
Carl Rifino, Property Committee chairperson and project administrator
Volunteers: Bill and Kay Van Hoy, Ed Bullock, Greg Gaden, Jessie and Jim Crisfield, Hank Kretschmaier, Maxine Pope, Carolyn Bodden, Shiela Sulton, Jerry Ryan, Lois Quinlan, Don Strong, John Mitchell, Jim Schaeffer and Mike Potts

The Springmill Maintenance Corporation, their project coordinator and a host of volunteers are being recognized for their efforts in completing a private open space wetland enhancement project. The one-acre wetland, located between residential homes in the 55+ community, filters drainage from the surrounding area and eventually drains to Dove Nest Branch, a tributary of the Appoquinimink River. The project involved removing invasive species, planting native species, restoring the wetland to its natural function and improving the quality of the wetland. More than 900 volunteer hours have been given to implement and maintain this project between 2008 and 2010, demonstrating how any dedicated group of volunteers can have a positive impact on the environment by taking action to improve and enhance the natural resources that are impacted by development.

KENT – Agricultural Award

·         Marshall Anthony Jr., Harrington

Mr. Anthony owns and manages a poultry and grain farming operation west of Harrington. The poultry facility consists of six chicken houses with a capacity of 154,000 broilers, while the grain operation consists of approximately 285 acres of tilled ground. He is being recognized for the implementation of conservation practices that will help control erosion, prevent leaching, protect surface and sub-surface water supplies, maintain soil structure and increase irrigation efficiency. 

KENT – Urban Award

·         Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village, Dover
The Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village is being recognized for the installation of two rain gardens and the retrofit of a dry stormwater pond into a bio-filtration pond on their property in an effort to reduce the potential pollutant discharge from their complex. Both rain gardens and bio-filtration ponds are relatively new technologies found to reduce up to 80 percent of the pollutants in stormwater runoff, which is identified as one of the leading sources of pollution to our waterways. The rain gardens and bio-filtration pond will help filter stormwater runoff, promote the recharge of ground water and drinking water sources, reduce the flow speed of stormwater, add beauty to the property and provide habitat and food for local wildlife, particularly birds and butterflies. 

SUSSEX – Agricultural Award

·         Mr. William C. Otwell and William R. Otwell, Laurel
Mr. William C. Otwell and his son, William R. Otwell, operate a father and son poultry operation located on Johnson Road in Laurel. Located in the Broad Creek Watershed, which empties into the Chesapeake Bay, the operation consists of seven poultry houses, one 40-foot by 64-foot manure storage structure, one 50-foot by 140-foot manure shed, one four-bin poultry carcass composter, and one 48-foot long channel composter. The Otwells are being recognized for the implementation of conservation practices designed to prevent nutrient runoff, to improve water quality, to compost poultry mortality in accordance with USDA regulations, to improve air quality and keep the operation as clean as possible thereby limiting impacts to the environment. 

SUSSEX – Urban Award

·         Bethany Blues Restaurant, Lewes
The Bethany Blues Restaurant, design consultant Element Engineering, and general contractor John L. Briggs Co. are being recognized for developing and implementing a progressive design to comply with Delaware Sediment and Stormwater Regulations that utilizes existing well drained soils for infiltration and Green Technology practices. Prior to development, the property consisted of pavement, stone, and existing structures. The site was re-developed with the intentions of maximizing green space – including the roof. This is the first and only green roof project in Sussex County and is a good example of how projects can re-develop, comply with regulations, and utilize green design.

Vol. 41, No. 163