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About the
HCSWCD
History
The Dust Bowl of the 1930s was
the result of drought, poor land
management, and wind erosion
that blew topsoil for thousands
of miles. In the wake of this
devastating natural disaster,
crop failure and livestock loss
plagued farmers. In response to
these tragedies, in 1937,
President Theodore Roosevelt
passed legislation that
supported the establishment of
Soil and Water Conservation
Districts by local governments
with the goals of preventing
flooding and soil erosion. The
Soil and Water Conservation
District’s Law was adopted by
the State of New York in 1940.
The purpose of SWCDs is not only
to conserve water and soil
resources, but to control
erosion, conserve natural
resources, reduce flooding,
protect public lands, improve
water quality, decrease
pollution, preserve wildlife,
and promote sustainable
agriculture through proper
drainage and irrigation
techniques.
The Hamilton County Soil & Water
Conservation District (HCSWCD)
was established on February 4,
1965, and since then,
has been
working toward conserving the
abundant natural resources of
the county.
Hamilton County is the
third largest in New York State,
and the least populated.
There are 5,279 year round
residents, and that number jumps
to 20,000 with the addition of
summer residents. 70% of
our land is state owned Forest
Preserve and remains unaltered
by human development. 89% of
county land is forested, 5% is
water and 6% is open area and
hamlets. Our staff provides technical assistance to
land owners in order to meet
resource conservation and
economic needs, and protects
the environmental integrity of
the Central Adirondacks.
District Staff
Elizabeth Mangle, District
Manager
Janice Reynolds, Clerk/Treasurer
Lenny Croote, Conservation
Technician
Caitlin Stewart, Conservation
Educator
Del Cook, GIS Resource Center
Board of Directors
Robin Morrison, Chairman
Barry Hutchins, Vice Chairman
Edward Winchell
Richard Wilt
Bruce Jennings
Natural
Resources Conservation Service
Cliff Hand, District
Conservationist
Contact Information
Hamilton
County Soil and Water
Conservation District
PO BOX
166, Route 8
Lake Pleasant, NY 12108
Phone: 518-548-3991
FAX: 518-548-5602
Email:
hcswcd@frontiernet.net
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