So, I stumbled across something about the Pender County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor position the other day. It’s funny what jogs your memory, isn’t it? I’m not aiming for any kind of office, nope, not my cup of tea. But it did make me think back to a bit of a mess I had a few years ago, right here in my own backyard.
It all started when they began clearing land for a new bunch of houses just up the hill from my place. Nice idea, more neighbors, whatever. But then the rains came. And I mean, came. My little vegetable garden, the one I pour my sweat into every spring? It started looking more like a mud bog. Water, reddish-brown and full of gunk, just pouring down, washing away my good topsoil.
Dealing with the Deluge
At first, I figured, okay, construction, it’s messy. I tried putting up some silt fences myself, the cheap kind you get at the hardware store. Ha! That stuff was flattened after the next big shower. I even went up and tried talking to the construction foreman. Got a lot of “yeah, yeah, we’re on it” but nothing really changed. My tomatoes were drowning, and I was getting pretty steamed.
Someone, I think it was old Mr. Henderson from down the road, mentioned the Soil and Water Conservation District. Said they deal with this kind of stuff. Honestly, I didn’t even know such a thing existed. Sounded like another government office where you fill out a form and it disappears into a black hole. But I was desperate.
So, I gave them a call. And you know what? Someone actually answered. And they listened. They didn’t just brush me off. A fella came out a few days later. Walked around my yard, looked at the muck, then went up to the construction site. He wasn’t loud or pushy, just pointed out a few things to the site manager. Regulations, he called them. Things they were supposed to be doing to keep their dirt on their property, not mine.
What I Learned About Keeping Dirt in Its Place
It took a bit more back and forth, a few more calls, but things did start to get better. They put in some proper, heavy-duty erosion control measures up there. The river of mud into my garden slowed to a trickle, and then mostly stopped. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a heck of a lot better.
Through all that, I got a bit of an education. I learned that:
- These folks actually have rules about how you develop land to protect the soil and water.
- They try to help landowners manage their resources.
- It’s not just about farms; it’s about construction sites, drainage, all sorts of things.
It made me realize that these Supervisor roles, while they might not sound super exciting, are pretty darn important. They’re the ones overseeing this kind of work, making sure the local district is actually doing its job. They’re dealing with the nitty-gritty, literally the ground we stand on and the water we depend on. It’s not always a fast process, and I’m sure they deal with a lot of headaches. But seeing it in action, right in my own backyard, gave me a new appreciation for it. It’s good to know there are folks whose job it is to try and keep things from just washing away.
So yeah, the Pender County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor. Not a role I’d ever want, too much responsibility for my liking. But I’m glad someone’s doing it. Made a difference for my tomatoes, that’s for sure.
