MANSFIELD – A reception was held on April 16 in honor of volunteers for Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (Richland SWCD) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
The dedicated group of volunteers recently received the NRCS 2018 National and Northeast Regional Earth Team Chief’s Field Office Awards. The Earth Team is NRCS’s volunteer workforce.
“Volunteers play a vital role in providing us with the necessary workforce to get our tasks and conservation activities completed,” said Terry Cosby, NRCS State Conservationist in Ohio. “Great opportunities and achievements come from volunteering. Without the support of volunteers and the communities we serve, our conservation goals would have been much harder to achieve.”
Volunteers, who are integral part of the Mansfield Service Center, were thanked for their ongoing commitment and congratulated on receiving the awards. Refreshments were served and volunteers were given pansies donated by Alta Florist & Greenhouse and tree seedlings from Richland SWCD and NRCS.
Through the partnership between NRCS and Richland SWCD, Richland SWCD volunteers also serve as Earth Team volunteers. The volunteer programs are co-led by NRCS District Conservationist Jason Ruhl and Richland SWCD Community Relations Coordinator, Theresa Rozic Sutter. Both organizations collaborate on local projects while utilizing a passionate group of volunteers to stretch valuable resources.
Through this collaboration, the Mansfield office utilizes volunteers to help with administrative duties, photograph special events, scan and archive historical documents and photos and assist with special events. Volunteers record rain and snow precipitation amounts in real-time and collect and record data on lakes and streams.
Each task helps paint a picture of how land use affects Richland County’s eight watersheds. Historical photos and rain, snow, lake and stream data is available for the public to view on Richland SWCD’s website at https://richlandswcd.net/. In 2018, volunteers donated service hours valued at $45,270.00.
