TEMPLE—David Basinger of Deport was elected on May 1st to serve on the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB).
Basinger represents TSSWCB State District IV, which consists of 51 counties in the Piney Woods and Eastern Gulf Coast regions, encompassing 37 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs).
“I am excited to have the opportunity to serve Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts to continue the noble efforts of enhancing and restoring the natural resources across the state,” said Basinger.
Basinger is a former vice president on the board of directors of the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts (ATSWCD). He is also president of the North East Texas Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
He has been a director on the Lamar Soil and Water Conservation District since 2002, where he currently serves as chairman.
In other areas of leadership, Basinger has served on the Prairieland School Board for over 20 years, is a member of the Lamar County Farm Bureau and Deport Cemetery Board as well as a past member of the Lamar-Delta Levee Improvement District.
Basinger runs 3,200 acres in the Sulphur River Bottom where he farms corn, soybeans and hay. He and his wife of 37 years, Connie, have two children, Matthew and Christopher. He also has two granddaughters.
Established in 1939, TSSWCB administers Texas’ soil and water conservation law and delivers coordinated natural resource conservation programs through the State’s 216 soil and water conservation districts. Additionally, TSSWCB is the lead agency for planning, implementing, and managing programs for preventing and abating agricultural and silvicultural nonpoint sources of water pollution. TSSWCB also works to ensure that the State’s network of 2,000 flood control dams are protecting lives and property by providing operation, maintenance, and structural repair grants to local government sponsors.
The TSSWCB board of directors consists of five elected members and two gubernatorial appointees who must be actively engaged in farming or ranching. The five TSSWCB members are chosen in a convention type election by SWCD directors in the State District in which the TSSWCB member represents.