Cayuga County Soil & Water Conservation District
The Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District is a Soil and Water Conservation District, located in Cayuga County, New York. Cayuga County is in the heart of the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of Central New York State. Our county contains all or part of many important waterbodies, which include Cayuga Lake, Owasco Lake, Skaneateles Lake, Lake Ontario, and the Seneca River. We are committed to protecting these most valuable natural resources.
The Natural Resource Center was built in 1994 by the Cayuga County Soil & Water Conservation District, and the AmeriCorps program. The Center is the home of the Soil and Water Conservation District, Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA), Farm Service Agency (USDA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cayuga County Water & Sewer Authority, and as of November 2009, NY Farm Bureau.
A Brief History of the Cayuga County Soil & Water Conservation District
As the result of petitions and resolutions submitted to the Cayuga County Board of Supervisors (today the County Legislature) by the Farm Bureau, Grange, Dairymen's League, and other farm organizations the Cayuga County Soil Conservation District was formed on August 8, 1944.
Soil conservation planning was being done in the county as early as 1940, but the formation of the District in 1944 and the signing of a memorandum or understanding between the USDA Soil Conservation Service (today the Natural Resources Conservation Service) and Cayuga County on February 26, 1945 made possible more aggressive involvement on the land.
There were no District personnel in the early days. Its function was to provide for the distribution of educational materials, office space, maintenance of equipment, telephone, office supplies, etc. Secretarial duties were performed by the County Agricultural Agent who also had the tasks of accepting applications for soil and water conservation work, maintaining financial records, planning and implementing educational programs, preparing and disseminating news articles, holding meetings, conducting tours, and including conservation topics in radio talk shows. The SCS personnel at this time were a half-time District Conservationist, a half-time Soil Scientist, and a full-time Farm Planning Technician. SCS also, besides technical assistance, provided transportation, field equipment, trees and shrubs, and educational materials.
Priorities for work were determined to be drainage, erosion control, pasture improvement, reforestation, improving water supplies, woodlot grazing, road damage from runoff, and the education of the public.
Assistance to landowners would be provided upon receipt of a written request, with cooperators getting priority for service. The towns of Genoa, Venice, Scipio, and Ledyard were given first consideration with Springport, Aurelius, Owasco, and Sennett coming next. Oddly enough, however, the first farm plan in the county seems to have been done on a property in the town of Sterling in April of 1940, more than four years previous to the formation of the District. An interesting link to the first soil survey in the Auburn area in 1904 can be found here.
The first true District employee was Agnes Cunningham who was hired part-time as office secretary. Originally hired on a part-time basis, Jean Hitchcock became the District's first full-time employee, again as a secretary.
Among our many accomplishments the District won the 15th Annual AEM award with Fessenden Farms. Over 12,000 farms participate in the New York AEM program. The award was presented by the New York Commissioner of Ag & Markets at the 2008 Farm Days.
We are proud of the fact that the District has never lost touch with its roots and is still actively involved with the agricultural community. The horizons have expanded, however, and today we are also involved in Wastewater Management (the first District in New York State to do so), Nutrient Management, the Envirothon, on the local, state, and national levels, and the economic development of Cayuga County. We have longstanding working relationships with all of our townships, villages, county departments and agencies, city of Auburn departments, several New York State departments, many federal agencies such as the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and our old ally, the NRCS.
Today we are a department that many people both in the community at large and in government "go to first" with their problems and concerns. We take pride in not only listening, but in getting things solved.
The future looks bright for Cayuga County, and the Soil and Water Conservation District will be there to assist in reaching it.
The Natural Resource Center was built in 1994 by the Cayuga County Soil & Water Conservation District, and the AmeriCorps program. The Center is the home of the Soil and Water Conservation District, Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA), Farm Service Agency (USDA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cayuga County Water & Sewer Authority, and as of November 2009, NY Farm Bureau.
A Brief History of the Cayuga County Soil & Water Conservation District
As the result of petitions and resolutions submitted to the Cayuga County Board of Supervisors (today the County Legislature) by the Farm Bureau, Grange, Dairymen's League, and other farm organizations the Cayuga County Soil Conservation District was formed on August 8, 1944.
Soil conservation planning was being done in the county as early as 1940, but the formation of the District in 1944 and the signing of a memorandum or understanding between the USDA Soil Conservation Service (today the Natural Resources Conservation Service) and Cayuga County on February 26, 1945 made possible more aggressive involvement on the land.
There were no District personnel in the early days. Its function was to provide for the distribution of educational materials, office space, maintenance of equipment, telephone, office supplies, etc. Secretarial duties were performed by the County Agricultural Agent who also had the tasks of accepting applications for soil and water conservation work, maintaining financial records, planning and implementing educational programs, preparing and disseminating news articles, holding meetings, conducting tours, and including conservation topics in radio talk shows. The SCS personnel at this time were a half-time District Conservationist, a half-time Soil Scientist, and a full-time Farm Planning Technician. SCS also, besides technical assistance, provided transportation, field equipment, trees and shrubs, and educational materials.
Priorities for work were determined to be drainage, erosion control, pasture improvement, reforestation, improving water supplies, woodlot grazing, road damage from runoff, and the education of the public.
Assistance to landowners would be provided upon receipt of a written request, with cooperators getting priority for service. The towns of Genoa, Venice, Scipio, and Ledyard were given first consideration with Springport, Aurelius, Owasco, and Sennett coming next. Oddly enough, however, the first farm plan in the county seems to have been done on a property in the town of Sterling in April of 1940, more than four years previous to the formation of the District. An interesting link to the first soil survey in the Auburn area in 1904 can be found here.
The first true District employee was Agnes Cunningham who was hired part-time as office secretary. Originally hired on a part-time basis, Jean Hitchcock became the District's first full-time employee, again as a secretary.
Among our many accomplishments the District won the 15th Annual AEM award with Fessenden Farms. Over 12,000 farms participate in the New York AEM program. The award was presented by the New York Commissioner of Ag & Markets at the 2008 Farm Days.
We are proud of the fact that the District has never lost touch with its roots and is still actively involved with the agricultural community. The horizons have expanded, however, and today we are also involved in Wastewater Management (the first District in New York State to do so), Nutrient Management, the Envirothon, on the local, state, and national levels, and the economic development of Cayuga County. We have longstanding working relationships with all of our townships, villages, county departments and agencies, city of Auburn departments, several New York State departments, many federal agencies such as the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and our old ally, the NRCS.
Today we are a department that many people both in the community at large and in government "go to first" with their problems and concerns. We take pride in not only listening, but in getting things solved.
The future looks bright for Cayuga County, and the Soil and Water Conservation District will be there to assist in reaching it.