South Carolina’s 46 county-based conservation districts are needed now - today - perhaps more than ever, says Von P. Snelgrove, Chief of Conservation Districts for Division of Land Resources and Conservation Districts within the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. “No matter how we earn a living, it is easy for all of our attention, and most of our energy to be taken up by day-to-day details. We, as a nation, must not lose sight of the fact that the abundance of our food supply originated in fields we may never see and grew from fertile soil that needs constant care.

From the dawn of civilization until perhaps fifty years ago the vast majority of Americans were farm-connected. The advent of WW2 brought about sudden and irreversible changes, causing a progressively larger part of the population to trade the agrarian life for the lure of the city. As the distance between our society and the land has lengthened (presently over ninety-seven percent of us live in an urban environment), and we become absorbed in the struggle to make ends meet, we tend to forget the even more basic needs of life--our soil and water.

Many citizens, particularly in large urban areas, are unfamiliar and unconcerned with problems related to the conservation of soil and water. So long as the shelves of our supermarkets are stocked and the water flows from our taps, we give little thought to the sources. This is dangerous and destructive thinking. Deterioration of our land resource base, especially by soil erosion and flooding, is a problem that affects everyone. History tells us we must help people realize that our land and water resources cannot be taken for granted. No need is greater than protecting and enhancing the quality of our " life support systems."What are Conservation Districts? What is their purpose? The best way to explain the "what" and "why" of Conservation Districts is to take a trip back in History, to May 11, 1934. On that day the first of the Nation's great dust storms struck. An area from Montana in the north, to Texas in the south, was engulfed by dust so thick that visibility was limited to a few feet. In the next two days this great cloud of dust obscured the sun for five hours in New York, Baltimore and Washington, DC. Ile decks of ships 200 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean were being dusted by soil blown from America's ailing farmlands. The "Dust Bowl Days" left millions of acres of farmland in ruin, driving thousands of farmers into bankruptcy and a nation in despair.

What went wrong? What could be done? How was the land to be restored and how were people to learn how to practice good soil and water conservation management, and be encouraged to make the extra investment of time and effort that such management demands? Congress responded in 1935 by passing Public Law 46, making soil and water conservation and wise land use a national policy; and created a federal agency, now known as the USDA-Soil Conservation Service, to assist land users with natural resources management.

It soon became apparent that to accomplish a task of that magnitude, State support and participation along with cooperation and leadership on the grassroots level would be necessary. To address this challenge, in 1937 President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote to the Governors across the nation recommending the adoption of state legislation to allow for the forming of soil and water conservation districts, and establishing a state agency to provide coordination, guidance, and additional professional, technical and financial assistance to the districts.

April 17, 1937 marked the beginning of the most far-reaching and successful environmental improvement program in South Carolina history, when Governor Olin D. Johnston signed into law, legislation which provided for the creation and operation of soil and water conservation districts. The Division of Land Resources and Conservation Districts (formerly the S.C. Land Resources Commission) is responsible for administering this program.

Conservation districts are legal sub-divisions of state government that administer programs for conserving natural resources within their boundaries. Today, there are nearly 3,000 conservation districts covering all 50 states and territories, working to conserve land, water, forests, wildlife and related resources for the benefit of today's and future generations. In South Carolina, there are 46 conservation districts whose boundaries correspond to county lines. In South Carolina these Districts are administered at the county level by a board of five commissioners--three are elected in the general election on a non-partisan basis and two are appointed by the Board of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

The Conservation Districts Section includes a complement of well trained “conservation specialists.” Each is assigned to work with two to four conservation districts, providing a variety of services to assist them in planning and carrying out their many programs.

Conservation specialists have expertise in resource management techniques such as conservation tillage, drip irrigation, dams and reservoirs safety, and stormwater management. They work closely with the state's watershed conservation districts in matters regarding flood control, water supply and environmental aesthetics; staff also work closely with representatives of federal, regional, local and other state government officials to carry out flood prevention, wildlife enhancement, wetland protection, and other natural resource conservation programs. They coordinate and conduct workshops and seminars including annual environmental institutes for teachers; field demonstrations and other informational programs to promote land and water quality. Other responsibilities include and assisting with various other di strict- sponsored information, awards and recognition programs and projects for children and adults.

The phenomenal growth of district programs over the years and the dedicated leadership of local conservation district commissioners has proven again that our citizens can best be served with sensitivity and efficiency by responsible local units of government. These non-salaried public officials focus attention on land, water and related resource problems, develop programs to address them, obtain assistance, coordinate the help of local, state and federal government agencies, approve and assign priorities to requests for natural resource development tasks and serve as a clearinghouse for information and services on natural resources.

Although conservation districts were formed to primarily address agricultural issues, they have worked throughout their history with state and local governments on urban erosion and sediment control and stormwater management. As South Carolina becomes more industrialized and our population becomes more urbanized, conservation district programs continue to evolve to meet changing needs.

Educating and informing citizens of all ages is a priority of conservation district programs. They offer educational programs for students in grades K-12, scouts, and teachers; and field demonstrations, tours, clinics, conferences and seminars for farmers and other land users. They help land users adopt "Best Management Practices," (BMPs); enlist and assist cooperators with required conservation practices on highly erodible land to maintain federal farm program eligibility; administer grants from government agencies; carry out wildlife enhancement programs and wetland protection; and work with land users in community-wide and multi-county areas with programs such as watershed conservation projects, river basin development and comprehensive planning.

Conservation districts call on many state and federal agencies for assistance. Their principal source of state assistance is from the Land Resources and Conservation Districts Division of the Department of Natural Resources, with federal assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service.

This "team" of local, state and federal partners has provided for an effective and efficient delivery system for natural resource conservation. This teamwork has resulted in some 65,000 clients working with conservation districts to implement plans to address natural resource problems on approximately 6.5 million acres of land in South Carolina. Truly an impressive record.

Charleston Office
PO Box 12559 217 Ft Johnson Rd Charleston, SC 29422-2559
(843) 762-5430, Fax 762-5600

Dillon Office
411 West Hampton St. P.O. Box 609 Dillon, SC 29536
(843) 774-9577, Fax 774-8968

Greenville Office
Greenville County Square 301 University Ridge Suite 4800 Greenville, SC 29601
(864) 467-2770, Fax 467-2774

Moncks Corner Office 223 North Live Oak Room A-8 Moncks Corner, SC 29461 (843) 761-8340, Fax 761-1047

Aiken Conservation District
1555 Richland Ave., East Suite 400 Aiken, SC 29801
803-649-4221

Allendale Conservation District
James Brandt Building, Rm. 111 Allendale, SC 29810
803-584-4234

Anderson Conservation District
521 N. Pearman Dairy Road Anderson, SC 29625
864-224-4201

Bamberg Conservation District
Rt. 2, Box 400 Bamberg, SC 29003
803-245-2555

Barnwell Conservation District
County Ag. Building, Main Street Barnwell, SC 29812
803-259-7144

Beaufort Conservation District
281 Parris Island Gateway Burton, SC 29902
803-521-0302

Berkeley Conservation District
223 North live Oak, Rm. A-5 Moncks corner, SC 29461
803-761-8340

Calhoun Conservation District
111 Courthouse Annex St. Matthews, SC 29135
803-874-3337

Charleston Conservation District
2420 Mall Drive, Suite 102 North Charleston, SC 29406
803-727-4671

Cherokee Conservation District
P.O. Box 399 Gaffney, SC 29342
864-489-7150

Chester Conservation District
744 B Wilson Street Chester, SC 29706
803-581-1908

Chesterfield Conservation District
106 Scotch Road Chesterfield, SC 29709
803-623-2187

Clarendon Conservation District
9B West Rigby Street Manning, SC 29102
803-435-2612

Colleton Conservation District
531 Robertson Blvd., Suite B Walterboro, SC 29488
803-549-1824

Darlington Conservation District
P.O. Box 232 Darlington, SC 29532
803-393-0483

Dillon Conservation District
P.O. Box 609 Dillon, SC 29536
803-774-9577

Dorchester Conservation District
Rt. 1, Box 645 St. George, SC 29477
803-563-3412

Edgefield Conservation District
304 Gray Street Edgefield, SC 29824
803-637-3340

Fairfield Conservation District
414 B S. Congress Street Winnsboro, SC 29180
803-635-4831

Florence Conservation District
P.O. Drawer 2028 Florence, SC 29503
803-662-4535

Georgetown Conservation District
719-C Front Street Georgetown, SC 29440
803-546-7808

Greenville Conservation District
301 University Ridge, Suite 4500 Greenville, SC 29601
864-467-2756

Greenwood Conservation District
120 Main St., Suite B10 Greenwood, SC 29646
864-229-2805

Hampton Conservation District
1005 Elm Street, E Hampton, SC 29924
803-943-2367

Horry Conservation District
1202 First Avenue Conway, SC 29526
803-365-7923

Jasper Conservation District
P.O. Box Drawer K Ridgeland, SC 29936
803-726-8148

Kershaw Conservation District
632 W. Dekalb St., Rm. 210 Camden, SC 29020
803-432-2576

Lancaster Conservation District
P.O. Box 2108 Lancaster, SC 29721
803-286-4455

Laurens Conservation District
218 W. Laurens St., Box 348 Laurens, SC 29360
864-984-6921

Lee Conservation District
P.O. Drawer 726 Bishopville, SC 29010
803-484-6325

Lexington Conservation District
123 Park Road Lexington, SC 29072
803-359-3165

McCormick Conservation District
P.O. Box 126 McCormick, SC 29835
864-465-2594

Marion Conservation District
Rt. 5, Box 651 Marion, SC 29571
803-423-1742

Marlboro Conservation District
County Ag. Center, Parsonage Street Ext Bennettsville, SC 29512
803-479-4552

Newberry Conservation District 1
512 Martin St., Box 434 Newberry, SC 29108
803-276-0032

Oconee Conservation District
301 West South Broad St. Walhalla, SC 29691
864-638-2415

Orangeburg Conservation District
550 Henley St., NE, Rm. 103 Orangeburg, SC 29115
803-534-2732

Pickens Conservation District
P.O. Box 245 Pickens, SC 29671
864-878-6155

Richland Conservation District
2020 Hampton St., Box 192 Columbia, SC 29202
803-929-6080

Saluda Conservation District
201 E. Church Street Saluda, SC 29138
864-445-8110

Spartanburg Conservation District
201 Magnolia St., Rm. 102 Spartanburg, SC 29306
864-583-0281

Sumter Conservation District
101 South Main St., Rm. 101 Sumter, SC 29150
803-773-9222

Union Conservation
District 226-A South Gadberry Street Union, SC 29379
864-427-9412

Williamsburg Conservation District
208 Short Street Kingstree, SC 29556
803-354-9621

York Conservation District
13 South Congress St., Rm 5 York, SC 29745