History of the Conservation Movement
District Official Training
In this section...
- Dust Bowl Era
- Hugh Hammond Bennett
- Soil Erosion Service Formation
- Conservation District origins - need for local input for conservation work
- Standard Conservation District Law
- Overview of State Conservation District Law formation
- Local conservation district formation & history
- Conservation District values
- Current information about districts
The roots of Delaware's Conservation Districts extend far beyond the borders of the First State.
The Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl describes a section of the Great Plains of the United States that extended over southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma, and northeastern New Mexico. The term “Dust Bowl” was suggested by conditions that struck the region in the early 1930s.
The area’s grasslands had supported mostly stock raising until World War I , when millions of acres were put under the plow in order to grow wheat.
Following years of over cultivation and generally poor land management in the 1920s, the region—which receives an average rainfall of less than 20 inches (500 mm) in a typical year—suffered a severe drought in the early 1930s that lasted several years. The region’s exposed topsoil, robbed of the anchoring water-retaining roots of its native grasses, was carried off by heavy spring winds. “Black blizzards” of windblown soil blocked out the sun and piled the dirt in drifts. Occasionally the dust storms swept completely across the country to the East Coast.
Hugh Hammond Bennett was a pioneer in the field of soil conservation in the United States of America . He was the head of the Soil Conservation Service, a federal agency now referred to as the Natural Resources Conservation Service .
When the Soil Erosion Service was established as part of the United States Department of the Interior in September 1933, Bennett became the director. He continued to speak out on soil conservation issues, especially through the Dust Bowl years, and eventually influenced the passage of the soil conservation act of April 27, 1935, which created the Soil Conservation Service at the USDA. He remained at the head of that organization until he retired in 1951.
Also see the Hugh Hammond Bennett page on the NRCS website .
The Soil Erosion Service
The Soil Erosion Service (SES) of the U.S. Department of the Interior was created as a temporary organization in 1933. Its purpose was to demonstrate the values of soil and water conservation by placing conservation measures on farms in cooperation with landowners.
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides technical assistance to farmers and other private landowners and managers.
Its name was changed in 1994 to reflect its broader mission. Its mission is to improve, protect, and conserve natural resources on private lands through a cooperative partnership with state and local agencies . While its primary focus has been agricultural lands, it has made many technical contributions to soil surveying , classification and water quality improvement.
Formation of the Soil Conservation Districts
On February 27, 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent a letter to all state governors recommending enactment of soil conservation district legislation. The proposed act suggested establishing districts to direct and manage soil erosion control programs using local citizens participating voluntarily in planning and installing conservation practices. Each district so designated would be empowered to determine local needs, would have personal contact with local individual landowners within the community, and would thus be able to encourage maximum cooperation on a voluntary basis.
The first soil conservation district in the United States was organized on August 4, 1937, in North Carolina. Kent County became the first conservation district formed in Delaware, on October 6, 1943. Sussex County was formed on February 16, 1944 and New Castle County was formed on August 9, 1944. Today, all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands have passed the enabling legislation necessary for the creation of approximately 3,000 local districts.
Read FDR's “ Letter to all State Governors on a Uniform Soil Conservation Law ”. February 26, 1937
Delaware’s enabling act was passed on April 12, 1943. The Act created the Soil Conservation Commission to determine the need for districts, define their boundaries, conduct election of the first Boards of Supervisors and assure that district programs conformed to legislative intent. The functions of the Commission were transferred to the Division of Soil and Water Conservation when State Government was reorganized in 1969 and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control was created.
Key dates for Delaware Conservation Districts.
Conservation District Values
From "Of What Value are Values in Resource Management" by Pete Nowak, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, September 1992
"I believe, again remember that this is based on the assessment of a practitioner not an expert, that values operate at two levels in the natural resource management arena.
First, values are used to express the objectives to which we strive. Examples of these would be stewardship and sustainability. Second, values can also be used to guide the process by which we attempt to achieve these objectives.
While a significant amount of attention has been placed on values to represent objectives, consideration is rarely given to the values of describing how we achieve these higher objectives. For example, we have all heard, read, and seen countless appeals to stewardship and sustainability, however these objectives may be defined.
...
What do I mean by values guiding program implementation procedures? At minimum we should consider the values of equity, efficiency, effectiveness, and a sound scientific base of knowledge."
Delaware's Conservation Districts
Explore the websites of Delaware's three conservation districts to learn more about their programs and work:
Questions for Today
- Are there emerging natural resource concerns should we be focused on? What are they?
- Are we prepared to assist our cooperators with those concerns?
Useful Training Resources
A few additional resources about the history of the Dust Bowl and the Conservation Districts:
Next Topic: What is a Conservation District?
