The District Board of Directors is made up of 5 elected landowners from Mills County. The District meets in regular session at 9:30 a. m. the third Thursday of every month. The meetings are held at the Natural Resources Conservation Service Office located at 1118 4th Street in Goldthwaite.
The Mills County Soil & Water Conservation District Board of Directors is pleased to report the following accomplishments for the fiscal year 2011:
Youth Activities:
Each year the District holds a poster and essay contest to promote an understanding of conservation in the community. The poster contest was open to third, fourth, and fifth grade students in Mills County Schools and the essay contest was open to students under 18 in Mills County schools.
Annual 6th grade Field Day
The annual 6th grade field day was held October 5th. Sixty-five students attended the event this year which consisted of 12 different booths where students learned about conservation and agriculture related topics including leadership skills and public speaking, how to identify grass and the importance of maintaining good grass cover on rangeland, how to show a calf at the livestock show, information on raising goats, and crops grown in Texas. The student also watched a demonstration on horse shoeing and watched a video about ATV safety. The sixth graders were treated to a hamburger lunch which included entertainment on bow hunting and the safety aspects. Thirty volunteers helped to make this event possible.
Soil Stewardship
Another activity that the District was proud to continue this year was the annual Ministers tour, held each May in order to promote Soil Stewardship and wise use of our natural resources. This year the ministers toured Duane McCasland's pecan orchard and Pecans.com. The group went to the Mills County Airport Community Room and a lunch was prepared and served by the Mary's Taco's Restaurant. After the meal the district presented plaques to Milton McGee of Henderson, Texas as the Mills County Absentee Conservation Farmer of the Year.
Region V Conservation Awards
Federico Martinez of Star and Nicole Allyn of Mullin were both recognized at Area V in Stephenville, Texas on May 3, 2011. They were presented plaques for their outstanding essays about soil and water conservation. Congratulations!
District Directors
On October 20th W. J. Hopper was appointed to a 4 year term after running unopposed for re-election. October 24-26, all of our directors attended the 63rd annual state meeting of soil and water conservation district directors held this year in San Antonio.
Flood Prevention Maintenance
Mills County Commissioners Court and the Mills County Soil and Water Conservation District co-sponsor the 16 flood prevention structures in Mills County. Maintenance of the Dams, spillways, and fences are ongoing operations. The county provides funding for this and the directors perform the maintenance. This year brush control work was carried out on four of the flood control sites.
Conservation Support Services
The District participates in a seed sales program and seed can be ordered through the district for range, pasture and wildlife plantings.
The district purchased a sprayer and tank combination unit with a gasoline powered motor and a roller pump housed within a steel frame. This unit is designed to slip into a pickup bed or can be used on a tractor with a 3 point hookup. This unit can be used to spray weeds and brush or to have on hand to spray water at prescribed burns. The tank holds 150 gallons of water or spray mix. This unit is available for rental from the district for $40.00 per day or $20.00 per half day.
Soil and Water Conservation Districts are one of the few legal subdivisions that do not have power of taxation. The District must have financing to carry out its responsibilities. This encourages the elected directors to seek financing from donations by individuals, groups, organizations, business establishments, and county and agricultural agencies. The District also receives some income from our seed sales program and sprayer rental.
The financial statement for the district is as follows:
Balance – 9/1/10- $25,263.50
Actual income - $17,675.39
Actual expenses - $14,643.49
Balance – 8/31/11 $28,295.40
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