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Gov. Ruth Ann Minner led a ceremony April 22, with Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary John A. Hughes and Delaware Association of Conservation Districts President Josef “Andy” Burger recognizing the winners of the Annual Agricultural and Urban Governor’s Conservation Awards at the Delaware Agriculture Museum & Village in Dover. The governor also signed a proclamation officially designating April 27 through May 4 as Soil and Water Stewardship Week.
This year’s Conservation Award Sussex County winners included the following individual and organization.
• Carlton Jones, C & J Farms, Seaford - Agricultural Award. Jones operates a 445-acre grain, poultry and beef operation near Seaford. C & J Farms has participated in many cost-share programs with the Sussex Conservation District and the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service including cover crop and hay land management.
The poultry operation consists of 40,000 broilers and a small flock of free range laying hens. The cow/calf operation is totally grass fed. The cattle operation received cost-share through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program for rotational grazing, three watering facilities, forage harvest management and 1,900 feet of fencing. Proper manure storage is handled by two waste structures. Jones has been approved through EQIP FY08 for six additional watering facilities, a solar pumping plant and 27,600 feet of additional fencing.
• George, Miles and Buhr, Salisbury, Md. - Urban Award. The Sussex Conservation District’s (SCD) Sediment and Stormwater program staff have worked with the Salisbury branch of architectural/engineering design firm George, Miles and Buhr (GMB) for many years and have developed a good working relationship with the firm, which provides design and consulting services to municipalities, developers and local businesses. The high quality of all their Delaware plans and calculations are evident in their submittals and certified construction reviewer inspections.
The design engineers of GMB work closely with the Sediment and Stormwater staff throughout the various stages of plan design, including preliminary design and often throughout the detailed review process of the project. During 2007 the District received two Sediment and Stormwater plans that were approved after the first submittal, which does not happen too often. The GMB office in Salisbury has also provided the District stormwater staff with training in a hydrology program called Pond Pack, and their staff is always available to share their expertise and experience.
The SCD’s relationship with this office extends to the inspection side of the program, where their design engineers are available to meet in the field to answer technical questions. In addition, SCD staff has worked with GMB’s certified construction reviewer program, in which the firm inspects and submits regular reports on some of the largest projects in Sussex County.
This award specifically recognizes GMB for stormwater management plans submitted to SCD.
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