History
Established in 1946, our goal is to take available technical, financial, and educational resources, whatever their source, and focus or coordinate them so that they meet your needs as the local land user for the conservation of soil, water and related resources.
Soil Conservation awareness began during the dust bowls of the 1930’s. Hugh Bennett started “Operation Dust Bowl” in order to get the public informed on what was happening and what the country can do about it. Five days after Black Sunday he was in Washington testifying at a senate hearing on soil conservation. He tried to drive a point across about soil loss. “An inch of topsoil can be blown away in an hour, but it takes a thousand years to restore it”. A senator gazing out the window interrupted him saying, “It’s getting dark outside.” It was early afternoon and it was getting dark. Soil from the southern plains fell on the capitol causing the sun to vanish. “This, gentlemen, is what I’m talking about,” said Bennett. “There goes Oklahoma.”
Within a day, Bennett had his funding for a new agency to restore and sustain the health of the soil. The Soil Conservation Act was passed and the Soil Conservation Service was formed, later called Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).
Since then, we have come a long way since that terrible time in the 1930’s. To keep it that way, though, we need to continuously be aware of conserving our natural resources. To that end, we strive to work together with various organizations and the local land users to come together to the common goal of soil conservation
Soil Conservation awareness began during the dust bowls of the 1930’s. Hugh Bennett started “Operation Dust Bowl” in order to get the public informed on what was happening and what the country can do about it. Five days after Black Sunday he was in Washington testifying at a senate hearing on soil conservation. He tried to drive a point across about soil loss. “An inch of topsoil can be blown away in an hour, but it takes a thousand years to restore it”. A senator gazing out the window interrupted him saying, “It’s getting dark outside.” It was early afternoon and it was getting dark. Soil from the southern plains fell on the capitol causing the sun to vanish. “This, gentlemen, is what I’m talking about,” said Bennett. “There goes Oklahoma.”
Within a day, Bennett had his funding for a new agency to restore and sustain the health of the soil. The Soil Conservation Act was passed and the Soil Conservation Service was formed, later called Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).
Since then, we have come a long way since that terrible time in the 1930’s. To keep it that way, though, we need to continuously be aware of conserving our natural resources. To that end, we strive to work together with various organizations and the local land users to come together to the common goal of soil conservation
