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About the District

The Tompkins County Soil and Water Conservation District was created in the 1940's, along with 37 other county Soil and Water Conservation Districts.  However, Tompkins County Soil and Water Conservation District has only been active since 1994. 

The District is governed by a Board of Directors made up of representatives from Grange, the Farm Bureau, two County legislators, and an At-large member.  The current Board of Directors is made up by:

·        Ron Updike - Chair, At-Large Representative  

·        Daniel Carey - Vice Chair, Farm Bureau Representative

·        Vacant - County Legislator Representative

·        Alan Teeter - Grange Representative

·        Frank Proto - County Legislator Representative

 

The District is governed by a Board of Directors who hold monthly meetings at our office on the 2nd Monday at 1:30 PM.  The public is always invited to attend these meetings.

The District is operated by six full-time staff members including a District Manager, Secretary/ Treasurer, Grazing Technician, Resource Conservation Specialist, Education Coordinator and a Conservation Technician..  The positions are currently held by:

·        Craig Schutt – Conservation District Manager

·        Vicki Hendrix – District Secretary/Treasurer

·        Jake Bengeyfield – Grazing Specialist

·        Darrel Sturges – Resource Conservation Specialist

·        Seth Dennis – Education Coordinator

·        Jon Negley – Conservation Technician

 

The District staff members are committed to providing technical assistance to the residents of Tompkins County in the areas of soil, water, and other natural resource conservation issues.  

The Natural Resources Conservation Service works closely with the SWCD on many projects and  activities.  The NRCS employees stationed in the USDA Service Center are:

  • Patrick Barry  -- District Conservationist (Schuyler & Tompkins)

  •  Lori Beach -- Civil Engineer Technician (Area III)

  • Josh Hornesky -- Soil Conservationist

Be sure to read our quarterly newsletter, either on the web, or in print format; if you do not receive our newsletter in the mail, and would like to, please give us a call at (607) 257-2340 and we would be happy to add you to our mailing list.  Check out our Homepage frequently as well for up-to-date information about District activities.