From The Desk of the County Manager - January 31, 2025
Hello, Durham County!
This week, I’d like to take a little time to celebrate a milestone for our Durham Soil and Water Conservation District.
Officially on Sunday, February 2, the office will celebrate its 60th anniversary as a stand-alone soil and water district. And in these ever-changing times, where development sometimes is all we talk about, the work our Soil and Water staff and their partners do in our community each day is worthy of shining a spotlight on.
Their mission is – “To conserve, enhance and promote the natural resources of Durham County by providing technical assistance, environmental education information and economic incentives to County citizens and by exhibiting a diversified program to meet its changing needs.”
And their work touches us each day, many times in ways we take for granted.
Mark Waller, the Vice Chair of the Durham Soil and Water Conservation District Board and owner and operator of Waller Family Farms, asked residents to think about that while we were honoring Soil and Water Conservation District with a proclamation during Monday night’s Board of County Commissioners Regular Session.
“While that’s a big old long title I have, sometimes I feel like the rider on the back of the horse because these guys (pointing at the Soil and Water staff) do all the work, and we just kind of sit and ride along,” he said. “I challenge you, and anybody else the next time you’re out there and you drink some water out of the fountain. I want you to think about these guys right here. And the next time you go down the road to Falls Lake or Jordan Lake, you think about these people over here. Or if you’re crossing a river, stream, or creek – I guarantee you one or more of these have had their feet probably in there. If you ever come across a farm in Durham County, including my own, I would be happy to show you the conservation practices we’ve implemented over the last 30 years such as terraces, waterways, and underground drainage systems all of which are still active today thanks to the efforts of the Durham Soil and Water Conservation District.”
The district has come a long way from its founding, which traces its origins back to the Dust Bowl era.
The story of the Durham Soil and Water Conservation District begins when North Carolina resident Dr. Hugh Hammond Bennett, as a result of the economic and agricultural devastation of the dust storms of the 1920s, urged President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Congress to pass legislation in 1937 that led to the development of Soil Conservation and locally led programs. That same year, the North Carolina General Assembly passed Chapter 139 of the North Carolina General Statutes which allowed for Soil and Water Conservation Districts to be formed.
From March 22, 1937, to February 2, 1965, the Durham Soil and Water Conservation District was part of the multi-county Neuse River Soil Conservation District. However, in the 1960s, soil and water districts began to reflect county rather than watershed boundaries, and on February 2, 1965, the Durham Soil and Water Conservation District became an independent district.
Durham District Director Eddie Culberson has seen a lot of change over the years.
“While 60 years seems like a long time, I batted my eyes and I’ve been here for 40 of those 60,” he stated on Monday night. “Now I don’t date back to the 20s and 30s, when we started out in the Upper Neuse River Watershed District, but those years went by pretty quick, and we are proud of being an independent Soil and Water District for this length of time. History tells us that Soil and Water Districts worked mainly with farmers in the past. One thing we have done well here in Durham is to diversify our natural resource programs to meet the county’s diversified needs. I think our staff has done an outstanding job creating a lot of new programs that were tailor made for Durham that the other districts don’t offer in the state.”
The Durham Soil and Water Conservation is led by five elected and appointed North Carolina citizens known as conservation district supervisors who provide leadership for locally led, voluntary stewardship of natural resources.
“Over the years, the natural resource concerns have changed in Durham County. What was once strictly rural agricultural programs being offered by the Durham District has now expanded to address issues occurring in the urban area as well,” Culberson said. “In recent years the Durham District has added programs such as stream restoration and storm water projects, Ag Economic Development Grant Program, Community Conservation Assistance Program, Green Industry Program Impaired Stream Improvement Program, Voluntary Nutrient Reduction Program and more. It is these programs that have set the Durham District apart from the other Districts in the state.”
Read more about those programs on the Durham District’s webpage.
In fact, Durham’s Soil and Water was named the Conservation Technical District of the Year by the North Carolina Association of Soil and Water Districts in 2024. There are currently 96 districts in the state.
“These types of awards are the results of our department’s efforts and the alliance to the citizens of Durham County,” said Culberson. “Our staff is continuously on the cutting edge by thinking outside the box. As Director of this department, it was rewarding to stand before our cohorts from across the state to be recognized for the fruits of our labor.”
For six decades, the Durham Soil and Water Conservation District has been the steadfast guardian of our region's most fundamental natural resources. They have worked together with farmers, landowners, and our community to protect the foundation of our agricultural heritage and environmental future. Their 60 years of dedicated service represents a commitment to conservation and a legacy of ensuring that the soil that feeds us and the water that sustains us will be preserved for generations to come.
I hope you’ll join me in celebrating and raising up their work!
Until next time,
Claudia Hager