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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, In response to the Dust Bowl, Congress enacted
3the Soil Conservation Act, which President Roosevelt signed on
4April 27, 1935, creating the Soil Conservation Service (SCS)
5in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly created the Soil
7and Water Conservation Districts Act to promote the protection
8and wise use of soil, water, and related resources on July 9,
91937; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The Marshall-Putnam Soil & Water Conservation
11District (MPSWCD) was founded on December 6, 1941 and has
12promoted conservation ethics for 80 years; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The Marshall-Putnam Soil & Water Conservation
14District discussed practices for long range work in 1942,
15which included contouring intertilled crops, seeding small
16grains, adding permanent sod waterways, improving pastures,
17mowing pasture weeds, controlling weeds, harvesting hayseed,
18liming, fertilizing, and tree planting; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The State Soil Conservation District Board
20respectfully requested the Illinois General Assembly fund the
21Illinois Soil Conservation District in 1943 to provide for

 

 

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1incidental expenses as required by law, such as ads or
2elections and office supplies; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Hugh Hammond Bennett, the father of soil
4conservation, visited the Marshall-Putnam Soil & Water
5Conservation District in 1943, where he spent time talking to
6local landowners, explaining how conservation would help their
7farming practices, and instilling the beginnings of relations
8with the local field offices; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The Illinois River divides both Marshall and
10Putnam Counties, creating its own unique concerns and problems
11for conservation; while the Marshall-Putnam Soil & Water
12Conservation District is one of the smallest districts, it is
13one of the top producers of conservation dollars and practices
14implemented in its part of the State; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Illinois Erosion and Sediment Control law,
16often referred to as the T by 2000 program, became effective in
17April 1980 and was designed to preserve the long-term
18productivity of Illinois soil and to protect water quality;
19and
 
20    WHEREAS, The first survey was run in 1982, and it showed
21that around 50% of the acres in Illinois were protected from
22soil loss, which was the average across the State; by the year

 

 

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12018, 99.6% of the acres in Marshall and Putnam Counties were
2protected from soil loss by being under the 2% of T soil loss;
3and
 
4    WHEREAS, The Marshall-Putnam Soil & Water Conservation
5District wrote a grant in 2018 to put conservation on the
6ground in the form of waterways, basins, and edge of field
7practices, which allowed the district to open 25 new
8partnerships with agencies across the State; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The Marshall-Putnam Soil & Water Conservation
10District's devoted Board of Directors and staff have achieved
11measurable results in preventing soil loss since the
12district's formation; the current Board of Directors are Terry
13Bogner, Debbie Leigh, Richard Ashdown, Carol Stadel, Josh
14Merdian, Jim McQuilkin, and Diana Williamson; staff members
15are Jill Ketter, Stacy Williamson, Erika Luft, and Tyler
16Shipley; therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
18HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
19we congratulate the Marshall-Putnam Soil & Water Conservation
20District for 80 years of continued conservation efforts for
21Marshall and Putnam Counties; and be it further
 
22    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be

 

 

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1presented to the Board of Directors and staff of the
2Marshall-Putnam Soil & Water Conservation District as a symbol
3of our respect and esteem.