The conservation district office encourages you to think about your personal responsibility to be a good steward of all natural resources, including soil, during its annual Stewardship Week celebration. The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) has proclaimed April 26 – May 3, 2009 as Stewardship Week.

2009 Stewardship Week is themed “DIG IT! The Secrets of Soil.” Correlating education materials were developed based on an exhibition created by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and sponsored by the Soil Science Society of America and the Nutrients for Life Foundation.

Soil supports forests, wetlands, grasslands, tundra, and aquatic ecosystems. Soil makes up the outer layer of the earth's surface, it nourishes the plants we eat, the animals we use for food and fiber and the thriving underground kingdom of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, earthworms and other microbes that are critical to the planet’s food web. Soil directly and indirectly effects agricultural production, water quality and climate. Thanks to the earths soils, most of the rainfall hitting the planet is trapped and absorbed, watering plants and replenishing aquifers, rivers, lakes and streams.

Eddy Russell acts as the Joint Chairman for the Logan County Conservation Districts. The Districts were formed to assist people in Logan County with conserving water, soil, forests, wildlife and related natural resources. During Stewardship Week, Logan County Conservation Districts will provide church programs, program inserts, and educational materials for pre-K through 6th grade.

If any church or civic group would like a program on this year’s theme “DIG IT! The Secrets of Soil”, please contact Dianna Penrod at 270-726-1371.

Logan County Conservation Districts are members of the National Association of Conservation Districts (http://www.nacdnet.org) which oversees the Stewardship Week program. Stewardship Week is one of the largest national annual programs to promote conservation. NACD represents the nations 3,000 conservation districts, which were established to encourage resource conservation across the country.

“Since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, the protection of soil from erosion and degradation has greatly increased through the work of conservation districts and our partners. These conservation groups assist landowners and the general public through education and technical assistance as to the importance of the soil and how to properly manage it.,” said NACD President Steve Robinson. “Soil is one of our precious natural resources that we must conserve for the next generation. All communities benefit when they have a better appreciation of soil and it connections to our every day life. Conservation districts are working with local communities to instill the appreciation for our natural resources across America.”

For information about Stewardship Week and conservation, contact Logan County Conservation Districts at 270-726-131 or logancd.org. You can also visit http://www.nacdnet.org to learn more about NACD and Stewardship Week.