DOVER (March 28, 2013) – The Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD) encourages you to think about your personal responsibility to be a good steward of Delaware’s natural resources during its annual Stewardship Week celebration. The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) has proclaimed April 28 to May 5 as Soil and Water Stewardship Week, marking the 58th year of the national event, with 2013 theme “Where Does Your Water Shed?”
The Delaware Association and its three districts are members of the NACD, which oversees the Stewardship Week program. Stewardship Week is one of the largest national annual programs to promote conservation. NACD represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts, which were established to encourage resource conservation across the country. Delaware’s conservation districts purchase Stewardship Week materials for distribution to local schools and church organizations as funding permits.
The “Where Does Your Water Shed” theme plays on the fact that less than 1 percent of all of the water on our planet is fresh water. The average citizen in the United States uses 70 gallons of water every day – which does not include the water it takes to manufacture the automobiles, clothing and food we depend on every day. The Delaware Districts encourage you to take time to learn about your local community water supply sources, and to volunteer for river, stream or beach clean-up days, and to realize: You can make a difference.
During the month of April, DACD President Wendy O. Baker will lead a stewardship celebration including a proclamation from Governor Jack Markell declaring this important observance in Delaware. The celebration will also recognize the recipients of the annual Governor’s Conservation Awards at a special ceremony on Wednesday, April 17 at the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village in Dover.
Age-appropriate activity books, posters, calendars, bookmarks, activity placemats and other items are available for a very small fee through NACD to promote the Stewardship Week theme. To learn more and preview the available materials, as well as download the free educators guide, you can visit http://www.nacdnet.org/stewardship/2013/index.phtml.
For more information about Stewardship Week materials available through your local conservation district, call 302-832-3100, ext. 3 in New Castle County, 302-741-2600, ext. 3 in Kent County, or 302-856-3990 ext. 3 in Sussex County. For more information about Stewardship Week or the conservation awards, please contact Martha Pileggi, DACD administrative assistant, at 302-739-9921. For additional information about the National Association of Conservation Districts, please visit www.nacdnet.org
“Clean water is important to everyone,” said National Association of Conservation Districts President Earl Garber. “Watersheds come in all shapes and sizes. They cross county, state and national boundaries. Every inch of the land on planet Earth is part of a watershed. In the continental U.S., there are 2,100 watersheds. If we include Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico, the count rises to 2,267. No matter where you are right now, you are in a watershed.”
Contact: Martha Pileggi, DASD Administrative Assistant, 302-739-9921
Vol. 43, No. 116
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