History of the Virginia Soil & Water Conservation Districts

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a letter written to governors, said, "The history of every nation is eventually written in the way it cares for its soil.”  Over 50 years ago state legislators recognized the need to support grassroots conservation efforts.   In 1938, the Soil Conservation Districts Law of Virginia was passed. The first District was located in the Tidewater area.  Today, there are forty-seven Conservation Districts which serve as  political subdivisions of State Government that utilize state, federal, and private sector resources to solve today's conservation problems.  The guiding philosophy of all Conservation Districts is that decisions on conservation issues should be made at the local level, by local people, with technical assistance provided by government.  Each District is led by a Board of Directors, elected or appointed to study local natural resource issues and make decisions which enhance and protect their community.   The Mountain Castles District was formed in 1987 to serve Botetourt and Craig Counties.  It was so named for the two county seats, New Castle and Fincastle and the beautiful mountains found in each county.

Overview of the District

The Mountain Castles Soil & Water Conservation District focuses attention on land and water quality issues, then implements the Virginia Agricultural Best Management Program (BMP) Cost-Share Assistance Program with local landowners.   The District provides the technical expertise for design and installation of conservation planning.   Farm plans are approved by the District Board of Directors for the USDA/NRCS Farm Bill, in accordance with federal, state, and local requirements. 

Districts plan and coordinate educational programs that provide public awareness of conservation programs and watershed pollution problems through field days, farm tours, and classroom programs.  The Virginia Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts also sponsors the Virginia Envirothon which is a natural resources competition for high school students testing their knowledge of soils, forestry, aquatics, wildlife, and agriculture land preservation.  District teams compete locally with the possibility of going on to the State Envirothon, then may advance to the National Competition.

 Address general inquiries to the via email:  mcswcd@vaswcd.org or  phone number (540) 977-2698 ext.3. The  address is:

Mountain Castles Soil & Water Conservation District
36 Executive Circle, Suite 1
Roanoke, VA  24012