GREENVILLE — Fort GreeneVille Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution recently awarded The Darke County Soil and Water Conservation District with the National DAR Conservation Award for their outstanding conservation efforts, in particular the annual Darke County Conservation Day Camp. The NSDAR Conservation Award recognizes those with a “distinguished conservation record” who demonstrate outstanding efforts in wildlife and nature centers, resource management and park establishment, youth leadership and education, and the field of conservation.
The Darke County Soil and Water Conservation District has hosted a Conservation Day Camp since 2020. The camp has approximately 200 campers annually exploring and learning about nature and conservation. It is supported by the community as a community initiative to have the young campers get away from screens and into nature to connect and have fun learning.
Recommendation letters from Darke County Commissioner Marshall Combs and Troy Eden, Light Foundation Chief Operations Officer, assisted in the nomination for the NSDAR Conservation Award. As stated by Eden, “I wholeheartedly support awarding the Darke County Soil and Water Conservation District the NSDAR Conservation Award. Their outstanding work represents the very spirit of this honor—preserving, protecting, and educating others about the invaluable natural resources that sustain our communities.”
Commissioner Combs went on to say, “The Soil and Water District here in Darke County has shown a dedication and commitment to conservation efforts for many years. The work they do benefits the health of our environment, citizens, and wildlife here in the county.”
Accepting the award from Fort GreeneVille Chapter Conservation Chair Rachel Castle were Elizabeth Farver (Camp Coordinator/Darke SWCD Nutrient Management Technician), Kevin Jones (Darke SWCD Supervisor), Rick Honeyman (Darke SWCD Supervisor), and Jennifer Yohey (Greenville City Schools Elementary STEM Teacher/Math Specialist). Also in attendance to honor the Darke County Soil and Water Conservation District were Darke County Commissioner Marshall Combs and Fort GreeneVille Chapter members. The presentation was held at the Darke County Parks Shawnee Prairie Nature Center, Greenville.
