Category Archives: Programs

This year the Virginia Department of Forestry chose to recognize Mr. Roger Hatcher for the 2020 BMP Forestry Award. The property that Mr. and Mrs. Hatcher own has been in his family since 1949. The Hatcher family farmed this property for many years before making the deciding to transition from farming to forest management. The property is mainly used for hunting and growing pine & hardwood timber.  This property is a Certified Stewardship property.

The first recorded timber harvest on this property took place from 1998 to 1999. A 42-acres area of mature Virginia Pine was clear-cut and then reforested with Loblolly pine. These planted Loblolly pines were commercially thinned for the first time in 2019. The overall goal for this area is to eventually have it clearcut and reforested once again, but only after the newly harvested and reforested areas have become well established.

In 2004 another 13 acre area of mature Virginia Pine was clearcut and reforested with Loblolly pine. This area was not commercially thinned during the most recent harvest because the timber still needs more time to grow. In the future when the 42 acres parcel is clearcut this parcel will likely be commercially thinned. Giving the residual trees more room to grow.

Over the course of the last 2 years the Hatcher’s have had approximately 22 additional acres clearcut directly beside their home place. This area has since been reforested and release sprayed to reduce natural hardwood regeneration competition. By harvesting this area last, they have insured that, in the future, they will not have a view of the large clearcut area that will be a result of the final harvest of the pines that were planted in the late 90s.

The Hatcher family has invested many years of blood, sweat, and tears into this beautiful Henry County property with the goal of having something to leave to their children. The children and grandchildren have and will continue to reap the benefits of the hard work that Mr. and Mrs. Hatcher have put into their land during the last 20 years and for many years to follow. 

VCAP offers a wide variety of practices that can help individual homeowners and other groups control stormwater, improve water quality, and beautify their property, all the while reducing the amount of sediment and nutrients that make it into Virginia’s waterways. There is a wealth of information available at http://vaswcd.org/vcap, including overviews of each practice, project photos, and more technical information.

The Blue Ridge Soil and Water Conservation District Board will meet on Monday, September 27, 2021 at Ippy’s Restaurant & Lounge, Rocky Mount, beginning at 5:00 p.m.

Due to recent public health concerns, this service center is closed to the public.

You can call to talk to an agency representative:

Blue Ridge SWCD: (540) 352-3312

Farm Service Agency: (540) 483-5341 ext. 2

NRCS: (540) 483-5341 ext. 120

Mechanicsville, VA, August 12, 2019.  Daphne Jamison, a recognized leader in conservation for over 35 years, was inducted into the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD’s) Southeast Region Conservation Hall of Fame at a luncheon in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Aug. 5th during the NACD Southeast Region Meeting. The Hall of Fame honors distinguished conservationists whose careers have resulted in the wise use of our nations precious natural resources upon which we all depend. Jamison was nominated for the honor by the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (VASWCD) for her significant contribution to soil and water conservation.

VASWCD President Chip Jones stated that “Someone who practices what he or she preaches is someone that is well-suited to become a great leader, and Daphne is an example of someone who works hard in and out of the workplace, not for fame and recognition but because she wants to and that’s who she is.”

A graduate of Radford College, Daphne spent 33 years teaching science in Roanoke County Public Schools. However, retirement hasn’t slowed down Daphne in the slightest. Daphne has served the Blue Ridge Soil & Water Conservation District (BRSWCD) for three decades and has been re-elected repeatedly as a Director. She has worked extensively with the VASWCD and served as President in 2001 and 2002.

Daphne has donated countless hours of energy and expertise towards the promotion of soil and water conservation work on a watershed basis, in addition to securing funds for non-point source pollution programs across Virginia. She was appointed by Governor Tim Kaine to serve on the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board and has worked closely with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). In 2013, she received the Bobby Wilkinson Award, the highest honor a SWCD Director can be awarded. Even in her downtime, Daphne has been an active member in her community, volunteering to monitor water quality for over 30 years alongside Ferrum College and the Smith Mountain Lake Association.

Executive Director Kendall Tyree commented that “Daphne is deserving of more than just this award, because her dedication and enthusiasm for conservation is contagious to everyone she encounters. Her contributions to the advancement of conservation have been impactful across the Commonwealth. We are grateful for her dedication and commitment and are proud to have nominated her for this recognition.”

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The Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (VASWCD) is the non-profit organization that represents Virginia’s 47 conservation districts and about 680 men and women who serve on their staffs and governing boards.  For more than 70 years, conservation districts have worked with cooperating land users and local jurisdictions to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices.  For more information about VASWCD, visit: www.vaswcd.org.

Over 35 years ago, The NEED Project began as a one-day celebration of energy education when National Energy Education Day was recognized by a Joint Congressional Resolution. In the same year, President Jimmy Carter issued a Presidential Proclamation stressing the need for comprehensive energy education in our schools, a reduction of our dependence of fossil fuels, and increasing use of renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency. Since its founding, NEED has kept its Kids Teaching Kids philosophy as a fundamental principle of NEED programming – encouraging students to explore, experiment, and engage, and encouraging teachers to embrace student leadership in the classroom. NEED trains and assists teachers in harnessing the energy of the classroom – the energy of students. NEED is expanding and evolving to best meet the needs of teachers and students – in the classroom and beyond…   NEED students are the future of the energy workforce. Students interested in engineering, science, economics, environmental sciences, law, geology and a host of other disciplines have a role in the energy industry. We work hard to help teachers meet the requirements of state standards, Common Core, and the Next Generation Science Standards. As states adopt their new standards, NEED will continue working to provide state alignments to our entire curriculum portfolio.  To learn more about NEED visit https://need.org.

Streamside Trees in the Classroom (STIC) is an environmental education program that allows students to learn about water quality and the importance of streamside vegetation.  The program was created in 2012 as a partnership between Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) at Philpott Lake.  The program serves Martinsville City, Franklin County, Henry County (Magna Vista High School), and Patrick County Public Schools, specifically targeting 4th grade students.  This aligns with the Every Kid in a Park Initiative that USACE also works with.

The program has been funded through grants, but most recently supported through donations. The Army Corps of Engineers covers the cost of the trees.  Therefore, no cost to the schools aside from mileage/bus costs to get to the planting location.

In the STIC program students root native Black Willow cuttings in the classroom for about three to four weeks and then take a field trip to Philpott Lake, or an approved location, and plant the trees along a creek or area that is in need of streamside restoration.  Trees along streams help keep water clean by buffering out pollution like chemicals and litter, and help keep the streams at cooler temperatures during the summer.  The trees also provide habitat for wildlife seeking food or water, and shelter.

The trees are delivered to the classrooms late August or early September and are typically planted in the fall on specific “Planting Days”.  When the trees are delivered to the schools, USACE or DRBA typically provides a 20-30 minute presentation for the students.  And, we usually have five Planting Days for the program – one for Patrick County schools, one for Martinsville City schools, and three for Franklin County schools.

Any materials needed for the program such as cost of trees, jars, and tubs to hold the trees will be covered through donations.  Jars and tubs are used to transport the trees to the designated Planting Day locations and then returned to USACE to be used for the following school year.

Planting Days usually last from 9:45 am – 1:30 pm, but some schools may need to leave early in the afternoon to return to school for dismissal.  We usually have partner organization that are natural resource focused like Reynolds Homestead, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Blue Ridge Soil & Water Conservation District, Natural Resource Conservation Service and the Farm Service Agency take part in providing activities and/or educational booths for the students during their Planting Days.  During October 2019 Planting Days, 500 students participated by planting approximately 200 trees.

Reynolds Homestead – https://photos.app.goo.gl/VHs82gNhrLRXRCno9

Booker T Washington – https://photos.app.goo.gl/PtjvRsnAU49yA9Lu6

Martinsville Dick & Willie – https://photos.app.goo.gl/CJmGg4qm4r2Wsrdw7

Salthouse Branch – https://photos.app.goo.gl/2esV2u5yXRxmERF16

On behalf of the Virginia Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts Marketing Committee and the Blue Ridge Soil & Water Conservation District we would like to Congratulate Sarah Baumgardner on her photo “Springtime Snow Dance”as being chosen as Honorable Mentioned in the 2018 VASWCD photo contest. Over 180 photos were submitted for the 2018 contest. “Springtime Snow Dance” was photographed by Sarah Baumgardner within the Mountain Castle SWCD area.

At 8:00 AM Wednesday September 26, voting will begin on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Virginia-Association-of-Soil-Water-Conservation-Districts-VASWCD-184156224952486/, to choose the People’s Choice award.  “Springtime Snow Dance” along with 9 others is in the running for this award so please ask all your friends and family to like our page and vote for your favorite photo!

We encourage you to submit your 2019 winning photo to the National Association of Conservation Districts Photo Contest.  More information about the contest can be found here- /http://www.nacdnet.org/general-resources/stewardship-and-education-materials/contests/  The deadline for submitting photos is Dec. 1^st, 2018.

Agricultural Best management Practices Improve Aquatic Life in the Blackwater River

High sediment loadings led to violations of the general standard for aquatic life use in Franklin County’s Blackwater River.  As a result, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) added two segments of the Lower Blackwater River to the 2008 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired waters. Landowners installed agricultural best management practices (BMPs); these decreased edge-of-field sediment loading and helped improve water quality.  Because of this improvement, DEQ removed two segments of the Blackwater River from Virginia’s 2014 list of impaired waters for biological impairment.  To read more click on this link 2014-delisted-blackwater