The purpose and passion for conservation is shared among many. It is shared between NRCS employees and partners who help people help the land. And it is shared by the landowners with whom we work. Our passion is manifested through the benefits derived from stewardship of private lands—benefits we all enjoy, such as cleaner water and air, improved soils and abundant wildlife habitat. Learn about our stories, the stories of conservation made possible through a shared purpose, a shared passion and a shared commitment to conservation.

Meet Our Volunteers!!

Dr. Bobby Hall cares about the land. After retiring from the Halifax County Public Schools with 34 years of service, he has more time for his other passion – being an Earth Team Volunteer. He assists the NRCS staff with laying out and checking conservation practices on area farms. He serves as Associate Director with the Halifax Soil and Water Conservation District, chairman of the district’s education committee and assists with the Halifax County Youth Conservation Camp. Bobby says his love for farming came from spending time as a youngster on his grandparent's flue cured tobacco farm in North Carolina and his uncle’s dairy farm in Michigan. He and his wife are currently working on converting their 126-acre beef and grain farm to timber and wildlife.

Three students, under the direction of Dr. Mary Leigh Wolfe, who are attending Virginia Tech partnered with NRCS District Conservationist Tom Greene to develop a storm water management and erosion control design for the Powhatan Boy Scout Camp located in Pulaski, VA.

The Camp recently underwent land clearing along a steep slope, and Adirondacks were constructed to house visiting boy scouts. During construction, camp officials noticed erosion problems arising in the area and called NRCS for help. Tom talked with Dr. Wolfe in the Biological Systems Engineering Department and suggested the problems be addressed via a senior design project. A group of senior agriculture students, including Crystal Muller, Kelsey Ross, and William Harrison formed the Best Management Practices (BMP) Group.

Team leader Crystal Muller says, “The land clearing and construction had caused erosion problems leading to sediment issues and safety concerns for the camp. Formed gullies could easily become hazards to people climbing this slope, causing twisted ankles or falls”.

The team developed an Erosion and Sediment Plan including BMP practices such as storm water conveyance channels, outlet protection, and critical area treatments. They will present their ideas to Greg Harmon, Program Director, Blue Ridge Mountains Council, Boy Scouts of America in early April with hopes that the B.S.A will use the proposed plans to solve the problems.

Thelma Coleman was born and raised in Lawrenceville, VA, Thelma has served as an Earth Team Volunteer for the past 15 years. She is a mother of five, has six grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Thelma began her volunteer career with NRCS in 1993. While she has volunteered for the Red Cross, her main focus has always been volunteering with NRCS. She assisted the District Conservationist by pulling atlas sheets, finding soil and topo maps, fielding calls from area farmers and assisting with outreach mailings. Her extensive knowledge of the community has been an extraordinary asset to the Lawrenceville Service Center. When asked what stands out in all of the years of volunteering, she stated “the people, my favorite thing has been my work and the people.”

Thelma has seen six different DCs come through the Lawrenceville Service Center and she would tell you “I’ve trained them all”. Thelma is retiring from NRCS this year as volunteer with 15 years of service. Her parting comment was “all good things come to an end”. Thelma, you will be missed.

Ward Burton NASCAR driver, founder of the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation and an active volunteer in Halifax County, VA, Ward says, "Preserving our natural resources has become a passion that was instilled in me by my father and my grandfather. Although we formed the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation in Virginia, we realize that across North America, people are becoming more aware of the need for protecting and preserving habitat and wildlife resources. Our Goal is to take that message nationwide, working with volunteers willing to help our program. We believe that it is the inherent responsibility of all sportsmen and conservationists to preserve wildlife, habitat, traditions, and values that we hold so dearly."

Caroline Kerr is a volunteer in the Harrisonburg Area Office.  She works with Fred Garst(GIS Specialist), and is a Senior at James Madison University majoring in Geographic Information Systems. Caroline has assisted with the analysis of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River watershed assessment project, and has produced numerous hydrologic unit maps. Her experience as a volunteer will be an asset when she begins her new job as a geospatial technician after graduation.

Sean Coleman a Geographic Information Science student at James Madison University, is also a volunteer in the Harrisonburg Area Office working with Fred Garst(GIS Specialist). He is acutely adept at internet GIS processes and mapping, and has used his skills to help build the imagery database for Virginia. Sean will be graduating in May 2008, and will either attend graduate school or pursue his vocation.

Richard Paul has worked as an Earth Team Volunteer since July 2006. During this fiscal year he has worked 259 hours to help the NRCS office in Harrisonburg and the Shenandoah Valley Soil and Water Conservation District.

Rick’s volunteer activities included painting the roller crimper tool box, organizing EQIP files, farm plans and contracts back to 1999. He also has prepared and organized district cover crop farmer packets, including aerial photos. Rick also works with Don Flegel, Soil Scientist, assisting with the progressive soil survey in Highland County.

Rick’s supervisor said: “Rick has proven himself to be indispensable to the field office. His organizational skills are remarkable, and he is so efficient that it is impossible to stay ahead of him.”

Larry Layman's main interest is to get conservation on the land. After working as a County Forester in Halifax for 28 years, he  brought his skills to the Earth Team. Larry has his own forestry consulting business and is interested in wildlife. He was able to pursue both of these passions by helping landowners install practices to improve wildlife habitat.

In addition to these activities, he is an Associate Director with the Halifax Soil and Water Conservation District and a member of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Thomas Vance is a Junior at Virginia Tech majoring in Geology. He signed up as an Earth Team Volunteer in December 2007. During his time in Courtland, he assisted with a field visit and boundary identification for a Wetland Reserve Program applicant. He also assisted with various administrative tasks in Southampton County and other surrounding counties during winter break from college. He is a native of Prince George County and plans to assist NRCS when his schedule permits. Thomas has written the office thanking all of the Courtland staff for making him feel welcomed and teaching him about conservation efforts in our area. We look forward to working with Thomas in the future and are grooming him to become a Conservationist

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