The great dust bowl in the mid 1930’s resulted in tremendous loss of life and millions of tons of topsoil in the Mid-West. It was obvious that extraordinary efforts were needed to turn around the devastating damage caused by this event. This effort was spearheaded by a group of forward-thinking environmentalists, naturalists, soil scientists, farmers, ranchers and elected officials. However, one man stood out among all the others: Hugh Hammond Bennett. Bennett worked as a soil surveyor, and recognized the connection between soil erosion and soil quality. Bennett understood the importance of respecting the soil as a finite resource and that the degradation of this resource through erosion was detrimental to the health and prosperity of the United States. His 1928 book “Soil Erosion: A National Menace” helped members of congress take notice. Bennett advocated for change and convinced Congress to pass the Soil Conservation Act on April 27, 1935. This act created the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) which is now known as the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Bennett was the first director of SCS and immediately dispatched his resources to set up soil erosion prevention and remediation demonstration projects. These demonstration projects showed farmers how to reduce soil erosion by changing their methods of farming. The strategic placement of grass plantings, new techniques for tillage like terrace farming and contour farming were quickly adopted by farmers, and in a relatively short time more than 40,000 farmers had adopted various soil erosion reduction best management practices (BMPs) on 5.5 million acres. The results of these efforts were tremendous, and the soil conservation movement began to grow nationally.
Prince George’s Soil Conservation District (PGSCD) was Maryland’s fourth Soil Conservation District (SCD) established on April 7, 1941. We are one of more than three thousand soil and water conservation districts in the United States and one of twenty-four soil conservation districts in Maryland.
Maryland SCDs are unique as they are a part of a larger group, known as the Maryland Conservation Partnership, and are responsible for delivery of locally led soil and water conservation initiatives and programs. Primary partners include local county governments, the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) and USDA-NRCS working in unison to deliver programs.
Roles and responsibilities have grown and diversified since 1941. We continue to offer services to farmers in soil conservation planning and implementation of BMPs to reduce soil erosion and improve water quality. Additional responsibilities now include delegated State authority to review and approve all grading, erosion/sediment control plans as well as small pond review and approval for dam safety.
Urban agriculture conservation is growing rapidly as we assist producers in managing their land in the urban setting, while addressing soil and water conservation concerns. We have robust outreach-education programs for youth and adults alike. Staff participate in a variety of activities, such as the Envirothon, Upper Marlboro Green Team, the Prince George’s County Public School’s Environmental and Natural Resources Advisory Board, and many others.
Along with these diverse roles, ag-land preservation, nutrient management, carbon sequestration, climate resiliency, soil health, diversity equity and inclusion are also important responsibilities of what your local soil conservation district does to promote the sound implementation of locally led soil and water conservation programs.