Ag and Urban Conservation awards presented
The Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village in Dover was the setting May 3 annual Governor’s Agricultural and Urban Conservation Awards. Gov. John Carney, along with DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin, Delaware Association of Conservation Districts President Robert Emerson and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Kasey Taylor, led a ceremony recognizing this year’s honorees and signed a proclamation officially designating April 30 - May 7 as Soil and Water Stewardship Week in Delaware under the theme, “Healthy Soils Are Full of Life.”
"Today’s honorees have demonstrated their ongoing commitment to improving the environment, and on behalf of the people of Delaware, I would like to thank each of them for their dedication and for their time, effort, and investment to implement model conservation practices,”said Carney. “I also want to thank all of the Conservation District supervisors and employees for the many and various contributions they make to improve the quality of life in Delaware.”
“Much of the work we do at DNREC is accomplished through partnerships with USDA-NRCS and Delaware’s three conservation districts, and these awards highlight the beneficial outcomes of these relationships,” said Garvin. “This year’s honorees are wonderful and diverse examples of how we can learn from the success of others and can all be better environmental stewards by taking thoughtful and important actions to protect and enhance our water and air quality.”
The Sussex County Urban Conservation Award was presented to the Delaware Botanic Gardens at Pepper Creek in Dagsboro. The 37-acre Delaware Botanic Gardens, which began construction this spring on a 10-year multiphase plan, will include gardens, trails, habitats and outdoor classrooms that emphasize environmental stewardship, enhance awareness, and educate residents and visitors about the natural wonders of Sussex County. Support from the Sussex County Land Trust gave the project its unique location, allowing the creation of various habitats, including 12 acres of hardwood forests and upland landscapes as well as wetlands along the tidal creek.
The Agricultural Conservation Award for Sussex County was presented to the James H. Baxter IV family of Baxter Farms in Georgetown. Baxter Farms owner James H. “Jay” Baxter IV is a fourth-generation farmer, working the farm beside his grandfather, grandmother and sister. Baxter Farms includes 2,000-plus acres of corn, soybeans, wheat, sweet corn and lima beans, a 200,000-broiler chicken operation and a Certified Tree Farm. Without financial assistance, he also constructed a manure structure and composter, and vegetative buffers around all farm ditches.
