Van Buren Conservation District Celebrates 80 Years
Van Buren Conservation District Celebrates 80 Years
The Van Buren Conservation District (VBCD) Board & Staff hosted a well-attended Annual Meeting, Director Election, & Summer Picnic on Wednesday, July 31, 2024 at Brookside Farms, Paw Paw. Attendees enjoyed the western breeze rolling across the blueberry fields in the humid heat to the musical stylings of Ben Traverse and Carsten Forester.
Before dinner, the VBCD staff thanked their Board of Directors, elected officials, partners, volunteers, and residents of the community for supporting the great work that is happening throughout the county through shared efforts, a variety of grants, and the Van Buren Conservation District operations millage. This year was particularly special, as the VBCD celebrated 80 years of service to the community on April 25.
Several former employees were in attendance, and VBCD Board Treasurer, Carl Druskovich, movingly recounted his beginnings with the Conservation District nearly 40 years ago through the groundwater stewardship program (now known as MAEAP). Druskovich shared, “As a farmer, I know that I’m simply a steward of the land I farm - hoping to leave it better than it was when I started. We’re all stewards of our farms, our yards, our riverfronts - it takes all of us working together to care for the land and water in a way that leaves it healthy for the next generation.”
The VBCD also recognized three individuals for their contributions to the community in conservation. Additionally, Michigan Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt presented the awardees with State of Michigan Special Tributes to honor their efforts. Steve Bare was recognized as the 2023 Conservationist of the Year. Steve Bare was selected for his many years with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and his work with Van Buren County residents. Steve recently retired after spending many years at the Van Buren USDA Service Center working alongside Van Buren Conservation District staff. During his time in Van Buren County, he helped develop and train many VBCD staffers, giving them the benefit of many years of experience in a complicated field. His tutelage has been irreplaceable to Van Buren County landowners. His work with so many farmers, contractors, and landowners mitigating issues has left his mark on Van Buren County. His valuable work will be missed.
Mary Ellis, the Van Buren Conservation Districts Farmer of the Year, has been farming blueberries for 57 years on a beautiful farm that consists of 125 acres of blueberries and 130 acres of forest. On the farm, Mary and Nate raised two sons, Jim and Nathan who now have children of their own. Mary was selected for this award because she always strives to learn and to grow as a farmer. She attends farmer meetings, she asks questions, and she tries new things, but more importantly she wants to be the best steward of the land that she can be. Mary and her husband, Nate, bought their farm from Nate’s parents in 1967, so Mary and Nate (now deceased) were the second generation of Ellis’ to operate the farm. With help from her family, Mary is able to continue the legacy. She will pass the farm on to her granddaughter, Winter Ellis, who is Jim’s daughter and who has been helping on the farm since she was a teenager under Mary’s great mentorship.
George McManus is being honored as a farming soil hero with the “Friend of the Conservation District” award this year. Until his retirement in 2024, George ran a multigenerational farm for 42 years in Benton Harbor, MI. George incorporated soil health practices long before there was a word for it. George understands some farming is hard on the environment so he compensates by reusing plastic for his vegetable production, diverse crop rotation, and resting ground with multispecies cover crop mixtures. George is known for sharing his wealth of farming knowledge and is a great example for others! In addition to farming, George is a husband, father, grandfather and founder of an agriculturally-based charter school located in Benton Harbor, MI.
VBCD staff members were recognized for their longstanding commitment to conservation in Van Buren County. Administrator Kim Sinclair celebrates 15 years of service at the Van Buren Conservation District. Sinclair has been instrumental in shaping the current staff of 16 employees (and many former staff members) through hiring and training. She has also been key in advancing the VBCD’s financial sustainability and some of its key programs like the annual Tree Seedling Sale; the Food, Farm, & Fun Guide; and Outreach - all the while managing the over one dozen grants the VBCD holds at any given time. The growth of the VBCD during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 is a major accomplishment of Sinclair’s who served as acting Executive Director during those years.
Senior MAEAP Specialist Kyle Mead was celebrated for his 20 years of service at the Conservation District. Mr Mead started at the District as its Groundwater Stewardship Technician after Lew Houseman, and he saw the transition of the program to the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP). In his 20 years, Mr. Mead has verified 129 individual properties and farms 375 times because of the every 5-year renewal. Kyle Mead has also been called upon to train dozens of other MAEAP technicians around the State because of his success working with landowners in a non-regulatory, helpful way. Longevity at conservation districts is uncommon, and the entire team and community benefits greatly from the breadth and depth of expertise that these team members bring to the VBCD and Van Buren County.
After the awards were presented, dinner was served! The Conservation District purchased Briley Murphy-Dubay’s Van Buren Youth Fair 4-H pig, and it was prepared by Scott’s Pig Roast along with delicious sides. Corn from Henry’s Vegetable Wagon of Mattawan and cantaloupe from Druskovich Farms of Decatur were also greatly enjoyed. Brookside Farms provided a wonderful variety of freshly-baked pies for dessert. Tables were decorated with beautiful gladiolus from Druskovich Farms and an excellent variety of beverages from Snake Oil Roasters of South Haven were served. It was a beautiful evening celebrating conservation partnerships in Van Buren County.
As dinner was wrapping up, the VBCD staff took time to share some of their proudest moments, like being featured in National Geographic for agricultural research, and some of their ‘dirtiest jobs’, like getting stuck in muck and falling in a culvert, with the audience. Together, the attendees shared laughter and fond memories of the conservation work in Van Buren County that has occurred since the Van Buren Conservation District’s founding April 25, 1944. Executive Director Emilly Hickmott concluded, “It has been our pleasure to serve alongside you as we all contribute to stewarding the land, water, and air in Van Buren County and Southwest Michigan these last 80 years. We look forward to continuing to ensure that Van Buren County is the healthiest, best place to call home for the next 80 years and beyond.”
To learn more about the work of the Van Buren Conservation District, please visit www.VanBurenCD.org and find them on Facebook and Instagram. To find out more about the great work Conservation Districts are doing throughout Michigan, please visit www.MACD.org.
