Governor’s 2018 Agricultural and Urban Conservation Award winners honored

Delaware Association of Conservation Districts honors State Representative David L. Wilson as Legislator of the Year

DOVER – The Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village was the setting for today’s annual Governor’s Agricultural and Urban Conservation Awards. Governor John Carney, along with Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Shawn M. Garvin, Department of Agriculture Secretary Michael Scuse, Delaware Association of Conservation Districts President Edwin Alexander, and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Kasey Taylor, led a ceremony recognizing this year’s honorees and signed a proclamation officially designating April 29-May 6 as Soil and Water Stewardship Week in Delaware under the theme, “Healthy Soils Are Full of Life.”

Picture above, left to right: DNREC Sec. Shawn M. Garvin, State Conservationist Kasey Taylor, State Rep. David L. Wilson, Governor John Carney, and DACD President Edwin Alexander.

“Today’s honorees have demonstrated their ongoing commitment to improving the environment, and on behalf of the people of Delaware, I would like to thank each of them for their dedication and for their time, effort, and investment to implement model conservation practices,” said Governor Carney. “I also want to thank all of the Conservation District supervisors and employees for the many and various contributions they make to improve the quality of life in Delaware.”

“Much of the work we do at DNREC is accomplished through partnerships with USDA-NRCS and Delaware’s three conservation districts, and these awards highlight the beneficial outcomes of these relationships,” said Secretary Garvin. “This year’s honorees are wonderful and diverse examples of how we can learn from the success of others and can all be better environmental stewards by taking thoughtful and important actions to protect and enhance our water and air quality.”

This year’s Conservation Award winners are:

New Castle County

Urban: Cheltenham Bridge –Westminster Civic Association, Hockessin

The community of Westminster has privately-maintained streets including three bridges that cross Hyde Run, a small tributary of Mill Creek. In 2013, the Westminster Civic Association (WCA) contracted with Pennoni Associates to inspect the Cheltenham Bridge and provide recommendations to the WCA. The association planned to replace the existing bridge and remove an adjacent upstream bridge, realigning an affected driveway. The WCA contacted Representative Gerald Brady to request funding assistance; Rep. Brady contacted the New Castle Conservation District seeking engineering and funding assistance for the project. NCCD contracted with Pennoni for bridge engineering and design services, permit acquisition, limited construction services, and technical assistance. Pennoni used accelerated bridge construction methods to design a prefabricated concrete arch bridge to meet the community’s needs while allowing for a three-month construction period – about one-third of the construction time for a site-built bridge, minimizing community inconvenience and stream resource impacts. The contractor, Merit Construction Engineers, delivered and erected the 30-foot-long by 30-foot-wide precast concrete arch frame in just two days, saving an estimated $200,000 in construction costs. This bridge construction method may have applicability in other communities in New Castle County and throughout Delaware.

Kent County

Agricultural: Broad Acres, Dover

In 1943, Joseph Zimmerman started his first farming operation across from Dover Air Force Base and in 1944 moved to a Leipsic farm. On Sept. 15, 1952, Joseph signed his cooperator’s agreement with the Kent County Soil Conservation District. In 1978, the farm was named Broad Acres, Inc. From those early days until the current day, the Zimmerman family has been long-time supporters of all conservation practices and excellent environmental stewards. Current owners Fred and Dan Zimmerman grow 300 acres of potatoes, 600 acres of small grains, 700 acres of corn, and 1,000 acres of soybeans on the 800 acres they own plus an additional 1,200 acres they rent. Through conservation practices, they address water quality, soil erosion, nutrient management, and water management through tile and open drainage practices. The Zimmermans also serve as managers on the South Muddy Branch Tax Ditch, and support the Delaware Envirothon through the Kent Conservation District’s Barn Dance fundraiser by donating potatoes for the event’s auction.

Urban: Delmarva Power and Light Company

The Delmarva Power and Light Company and their environmental consultant, McCormick Taylor, Inc., demonstrated a commitment to protecting natural areas and minimizing environmental impacts throughout the completion of a major transmission line rebuild from Cedar Creek to Milford along the entire eastern length of Kent County. The project crossed substantial areas of fresh water wetlands and tidal marsh while minimizing environmental impacts. The project utilized 776,500 square-feet of composite wetland matting, 81,000 feet of filter logs, and 48 temporary bridge crossings to minimize the impacts of equipment and vehicles. The project also utilized aerial sky cranes to transport and install transmission poles and lines across critically sensitive areas, further minimizing impacts to those areas.

Sussex County

Agricultural: Chip Baker, H&V Farms Inc., Millsboro

As the owner of H&V Farms in Millsboro in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Chip Baker has made a long-term commitment to improving water quality, using innovative methods of enhancing soil health, planting cover crops, and protecting the environment. Baker farms 621 acres of corn and soybeans and has a 50,000-broiler operation. His farm has been never-till for 25 years, and he plants multispecies blends of cover crops on all of his acres, with the goal of having all his ground covered all year round. Baker participates in the Conservation Stewardship Program for nutrient management, irrigation water management, conservation tillage, and pest management, as well as the District’s Air Seeder Pilot Program. Because of Baker’s innovation and interest in improving soil health and promoting soil health practices with his peers, he became a Delaware Soil Health Champion, joining a large national network of more than 200 soil health champions. In 2016, Baker hosted and shared his experience with about 115 people for an Air Seeder Demonstration/Soil Health Field Day at his farm. He also serves on the District’s Soil Health Advisory Committee, providing guidance and direction to the District in regards to soil health outreach and education efforts.

Urban: Delaware Avenue Streambank Restoration Project, Laurel

Initiated by DNREC, the Delaware Avenue/Ellis stream restoration project in Laurel addressed damage from the June 2006 flood in western Sussex County. During this flood event, parts of western Sussex County received between 12” and 18” of rainfall in a 24-hour period. The high storm flows caused severe bank erosion, resulting considerable loss of property. After visiting the site, DNREC’s Drainage Program staff decided to apply a natural channel design or stream restoration approach, rather the traditional bank stabilization methodology. Natural channel design restores degraded streams by creating a system that mimics natural conditions, including sequences of pools and riffles, floodplains, and meanders. These features increase bank stability while helping to improve water quality and ecological diversity. This project was completed for approximately $75,000 from the Resource, Conservation, and Development 21st Century fund and Community Transportation funds provided by Representative Timothy Dukes.

Delaware Association of Conservation Districts’ Legislator of the Year

The Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD) also recognized State Representative David L. Wilson, 35th District, as the 2017 Legislator of the Year, an annual award given for outstanding service, loyalty and devotion to conservation efforts in Delaware. Rep. Wilson has advocated for DACD in his capacity on the House Agriculture Committee and the Bond Bill Committee. He has also been an active supporter of Sussex Conservation District activities and has participated in both Sussex and USDA cost share programs.

Delaware’s Conservation Districts, one in each county, are a unique governmental unit within DNREC. Their mission is to provide technical and financial assistance to help Delawareans conserve and improve their local natural resources, including solving land, water and related resource problems; developing conservation programs to solve them; enlisting and coordinating help from public and private sources to accomplish these goals; and increasing awareness of the inter-relationship between human activities and the natural environment. Delaware’s district supervisors have a statewide organization, the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD), a voluntary, non-profit alliance that provides a forum for discussion and coordination among the Conservation Districts.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902


Governor’s 2017 Agricultural and Urban Conservation Award winners honored

Delaware Association of Conservation Districts also honors Legislator of the Year

DOVER – The Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village was the setting for today’s annual Governor’s Agricultural and Urban Conservation Awards. Governor John Carney, along with DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin, Delaware Association of Conservation Districts President Robert Emerson and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Kasey Taylor, led a ceremony recognizing this year’s honorees and signed a proclamation officially designating April 30-May 7 as Soil and Water Stewardship Week in Delaware under the theme, “Healthy Soils Are Full of Life.”

“Today’s honorees have demonstrated their ongoing commitment to improving the environment, and on behalf of the people of Delaware, I would like to thank each of them for their dedication and for their time, effort, and investment to implement model conservation practices,” said Governor Carney. “I also want to thank all of the Conservation District supervisors and employees for the many and various contributions they make to improve the quality of life in Delaware.”

“Much of the work we do at DNREC is accomplished through partnerships with USDA-NRCS and Delaware’s three conservation districts, and these awards highlight the beneficial outcomes of these relationships,” said Secretary Garvin. “This year’s honorees are wonderful and diverse examples of how we can learn from the success of others and can all be better environmental stewards by taking thoughtful and important actions to protect and enhance our water and air quality.”

Conservation Award Winners

New Castle County

  • Agricultural: John R. Stinson & Sons Inc., Hockessin
    In operation since 1959 and the last of Delaware’s original mushroom producers, the John R. Stinson & Sons farm is managed and operated by Randy Stinson, with his two brothers and Randy’s son, Brent. Stinson & Sons worked with the New Castle Conservation District and USDA-NRCS to design and install a 257,000-gallon rinse water storage tank and a high-capacity pump and tank aeration system. The new system captures and recycles water for preparing mushroom compost, providing additional water quality protection to the headwaters of Mill Creek.
  • Urban: Dragon Run Tide Gate Repair, Delaware City
    Thirty years after the need to overhaul the Dragon Run tide gate was first reported, with the help of Senator Nicole Poore and Representative Valerie Longhurst, Delaware City obtained $500,000 to fund the project. From a partnership of the New Castle Conservation District, the Delaware City Refinery, Pennoni Consulting engineers and contractor Merit Construction Engineers, the project replaced the old 36-inch diameter tide gate with three 48-inch tide gates to provide enhanced tidal flood protection to the northeast section of Delaware City.

Kent County

  • Agricultural: Robbins Farms, Milford
    Founded in 1895 by Arthur David Robbins with only 10 cows, Robbins Farms is currently operated by Arthur’s great-grandson Ronnie Robbins and his son Artie Robbins. Recognized as a Delaware Century Farm in 1995, the operation currently milks 250-300 cows for Land O’Lakes. Added in 1975, its poultry operation consists of six poultry houses, growing roasters for Mountaire Farms at a rate of 146,000 birds per flock, 4.5 flocks per year. Robbins Farms also manages 600 acres of cropland for hay, silage and corn. Working with Kent Conservation District and USDA-NRCS, the farm implemented nutrient management plans and practices including two manure storage structures, a cattle walkway, a single-channel composter, heavy-use area protection areas and a poultry manure spreader.
  • Urban Conservation Award: DE Turf, Frederica
    Designed by local firm Becker Morgan Group and managed by DE Turf, the Kent County Regional Sports Complex uses synthetic turf to hold and infiltrate stormwater runoff from all of its playing fields, with additional infiltration basins handling stormwater runoff from parking areas. The synthetic turf fields also eliminate fertilizer and pesticide used on traditional athletic fields. The design promotes groundwater recharge and protects the water quality of the nearby Murderkill River. Other partners on the project include Kent County Levy Court and the Greater Kent Committee.

Sussex County

  • Agricultural Conservation Award: James H. Baxter IV, Baxter Farms Inc., Georgetown
    Baxter Farms owner James H. “Jay” Baxter IV is a fourth-generation farmer, working the family farm beside his 93-year-old grandfather, grandmother and sister. Baxter Farms includes 2,000+ acres of corn, soybeans, wheat, sweet corn and lima beans, a 200,000-broiler chicken operation and a Certified Tree Farm. A strong supporter of soil health, Jay participates in the District’s cover crop programs, growing cover crops on about 50 percent of his land. Last year, Jay worked with NRCS and the Districts in creating soil health videos to promote conservation planning, soil health practices and the importance of being good stewards of the land for future generations. Without financial assistance, he also constructed a manure structure and composter and vegetative buffers around all farm ditches.
  • Urban Conservation Award: Delaware Botanic Gardens at Pepper Creek, Dagsboro
    The 37-acre Delaware Botanic Garden, which began construction this spring on a 10-year multiphase plan, will include gardens, trails, habitats and outdoor classrooms that emphasize environmental stewardship, enhance awareness and educate residents and visitors about the natural wonders of Sussex County. Support from the Sussex County Land Trust gave the project its unique location, allowing the creation of various habitats, including 12 acres of hardwood forests and upland landscapes as well as wetlands along the tidal creek.

Delaware Association of Conservation Districts’ Legislator of the Year

The Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD) also recognized State Senator David G. Lawson, 15th District, as the 2016 Legislator of the Year, an annual award given for outstanding service, loyalty and devotion to conservation efforts in Delaware. After moving to Delaware in 1969 and serving a tour of duty in Vietnam, Senator Lawson served four years as a Milford police officer and 1973-1992 with the Delaware State Police. He later opened Shooter’s Choice, an indoor shooting range in Cheswold, which he sold in 2012. He was elected to the Delaware State Senate in 2010 and currently serves as a member of the Senate Finance, Judicial and Community Affairs, Transportation, Veterans Affairs and Joint Finance Committees. Senator Lawson also has worked closely with Kent Conservation District on tax ditches, drainage assistance and stormwater management.

First place winner of National Conservation Poster Contest

Also receiving special recognition at the awards ceremony was Eason Li, a 6th grader from Newark who attends The Independence School. Eason was Delaware’s state-level winner in the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts’ annual conservation poster contest, qualifying his creative and informational poster for entry representing Delaware in the National Association of Conservation Districts’ (NACD) conservation poster contest, themed “We All Need Trees.” His poster, which was displayed with other national winners at the NACD’s annual meeting in Denver, Colo., was framed and presented to him today, along with a check for $200 from the NACD Ladies Auxiliary, which sponsors the poster contest.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902


Charter School of Wilmington Team A wins 2017 Delaware Envirothon state championship

Dover — Charter School of Wilmington Team A won the 2017 Delaware Envirothon competition held April 27 at University of Delaware’s Webb Farm in Newark, marking the school’s 18th win in the event’s 22-year history, including an unbroken winning streak since 2002. Middletown FFA finished second and Charter School of Wilmington Team B placed third. The Envirothon is sponsored by the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts.

The 21 competing Envirothon teams worked hard all school year to prepare for the event. Each team identified samples, took measurements and answered questions on topics dealing with aquatic ecology, soils/land-use, wildlife, forestry, air quality and the current environmental issue of agricultural soil and water conservation stewardship. Teams also had to give a seven- to 10-minute oral presentation on a scenario utilizing the nine steps of conservation planning to identify resource concerns and best management practices of a cropland and poultry farming operation. After more than three hours of testing, Charter School of Wilmington Team A was crowned the 2017 state champion, continuing the school’s remarkable run of success in the Envirothon.

Each member of the winning team earned a $500 scholarship from the Delaware Envirothon, a $100 gift card and other prizes. The winning team will also receive an award plaque for their school and will represent Delaware at the National Conservation Foundation North American Envirothon at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmittsburg, Maryland at the end of July. The second, third and fourth place teams received more than $1,670 in special team awards and cash prizes.

Prizes in the form of gift cards and ribbons were awarded to the top seven teams. The official Envirothon results were:

  • First place: Charter School of Wilmington, Team A – Siddharth Gangrade, Catherine Yu, Connor Sweeney, Allen Wang, and Ashley Pennington. Team advisors: Rose Lounsbury and Greg Darone
  • Second place: Middletown High School FFA – William Nylander, Ariana Gaston, Joshua Housler, Timothy Mulderrig, and Sara Collins. Team advisor: Jeff Billings
  • Third place: Charter School of Wilmington, Team B – Adraitha Anne, AJ Yuan, John Garcia, Elan Tran and Pooja Kaji. Team advisors: Rose Lounsbury and Greg DaroneFourth place: Peach Blossom 4-H Club – Oliver Menard, Lida Gannon, Reese Yost, Leslie Webb, Maci Carter, Drew Harris (alternate) and Adam Collier (alternate). Team advisor: Elaine Webb
  • Fifth place: Charter School of Wilmington, Team C – Nicole Flowerhill, Tara Lennon, Eddie Huang, Priyanka Hoskere, and Harshitha Henry. Team advisors: Rose Lounsbury and Greg Darone
  • Sixth place: A.I. DuPont High School, Team Clean Coal – Jan Castro, Mackenzie Crossley, Bethany DeGrotto, Julia Szymanski, Rachel Widom, Alicia Chen (alternate) and Sophie Girke (alternative). Team advisor: Amy Huebner
  • Seventh place: MOT Charter, Mustangs Team A – Viktoria Brown, Shannon Hanggodo, Vishnusundar Somasundaram, Shachi Shah, Jalen Williams. Team advisor: Michelle Guenther

Since its inception, the Delaware Envirothon has awarded $55,000 in scholarships to 110 students. It is hosted by the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD), a voluntary, non-profit association that coordinates conservation efforts statewide to focus on natural resource issues identified by Delaware’s three local districts.

For more information about the Delaware Envirothon, please visit delawareenvirothon.org or contact Rick Mickowski at 302-832-3100 ext. 8979.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 47, No. 91