Pedernales SWCD Board of Directors

TEMPLE, Texas, October 3, 2005 — The Pedernales Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) was organized as a political subdivision of the state in 1945 and covers all of Blanco County in the Texas Hill Country. The 2005 Board of Directors are: Ralph Ebeling, Jr., Chairman: James Odiorne, Vice-Chairman: Roy Bruemmer, Secretary Anne Holt, Director; and Dwayne Hoppe, Director. The Pedernales SWCD is one of 217 soil and water conservation districts that assist landowners and operators with soil and water conservation.

The district is actively involved in conservation priorities that include brush management, water quality and quantity, livestock grazing and wildlife upland habitat management. Funding for conservation work is provided through the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) and the Pedernales Watershed Brush Program, USDA Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), and Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) Creekside Project.

The district sponsored the Country Expo where new landowners received beneficial information on water quality. The district also hosted the Annual Soil Stewardship Breakfast on top of Whittington’s Mountain in celebration of Soil Stewardship Week. On an annual basis, the district conducts the “Studies of Conservation of Natural Resources workshop� for teachers from across the state. The event was held at the LBJ State and Historical Park last June. Instruction materials and speakers at the workshop were provided by numerous organizations such as the Texas Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The district participates in a conservation awards program. In an effort to reward conservation education, the district holds an annual essay and poster contest to help educate students about the importance of soil and water conservation. In partnership with Progressive Farmer, the district co-sponsored the 3rd Annual Blanco County Farm Safety Day Camp. In partnership with LCRA, the district co-sponsored the Blanco County Country Clean-Up.

The basic concept of an SWCD is that districts are designed to deliver a local program, based on local needs, that best conserves and promotes the wise and judicious use of our renewable natural resources. Soil and water conservation districts do not aim toward power. They work to bring about the widespread understanding of the needs of soil and water conservation. In addition, they work to activate the efforts of public and private organizations and agencies into a united front to combat soil and water erosion and to enhance water quality and quantity in the state. Through a Memorandum of Agreement with USDA, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) works closely with and provides technical assistance to soil and water conservation districts.

It is the purpose of SWCDs to instill in the minds of local people that it is their individual responsibility to do the job of soil and water conservation. SWCDs receive assistance from many sources. But with all this help, farmers, ranchers, communities and other individuals must exercise a voluntary initiative in applying a conservation program compatible with their own objectives.

For more information about the Pedernales SWCD, please contact Joe Freeman, Field Representative at (254) 449-0577 or visit the TSSWCB website at www.tsswcb.state.tx.us.