A week doesn't pass when someone doesn't ask, "What does the conservation district do? What are the responsibilities? Please tell me about your work."

We must all work every day to prove our worth. Since my military days, I have learned it is very important to go the extra mile, to devote extra time to accomplish goals. A good attitude is always important in any field. Certainly, working with people is always exciting, along with the joy of completing our daily objectives.

One of our most serious struggles here at the Butler County Conservation District is getting people - our customers, our neighbors - to recognize who we are.

We are often called DEP, NRCS, Penn State Extension and other things. The conservation district has many duties separate from other environmental agencies.

We partner with and have memos of understanding with the state Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Penn State Extension. We also partner with the state Game Commission, Fish and Boat Commission and Department of Transportation.

The conservation district has an excellent working relationship with the USDA Farm Service Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. We work with the Bureau of Forestry, too.

Usually, when the phone rings or someone visits our office, a person is looking for help with a specific environmental-related problem. The district has a water-testing program and sells maps.

Many people are referred to our office by a person, county department, or state, federal or local agencies or municipalities.

Sometimes people are not very happy with governmental regulations or red tape. Others simply want immediate action and compliance with environmental laws on the books. There have been numerous complaints for and against environmental laws during my 22 years of public service.

We always strive for voluntary compliance and assist people with completing the necessary paperwork. It is our business to protect the environment by helping to implement conservation practices on the land. Our efforts will prevent water pollution.

Examples of some programs include the DEP Erosion/Sediment Control Program and Dam Safety and Waterway Management Program, and the Pennsylvania Nutrient Management Program. The conservation district issues general permits, reviews environmental plans and handles complaints for earthmoving activities. Also, the conservation district is now coordinating the Pennsylvania Farmland Preservation Program and West Nile virus program through the commonwealth.

The district is involved with a program to address problems with dirt and gravel roads and biosolids.

The district also administers a number of grants for farmers such as manure management and soils testing grants. Environmental education is also a big priority for the conservation district. Other activities include: an annual Envirothon, an awards banquet and a tree seedling sale, which is under way. We manage a community garden program at the Sunnyview Nursing Home complex.

There are 66 conservation districts in Pennsylvania, each unique in its own right because issues and concerns are different from county to county. A nine-member board supervises the district's activities.

Set up along county lines, conservation districts have been organized from state law to represent landowners in identifying natural resources issues, to seek solutions to meet those issues, and to work with agencies, programs and regulations to attain the goals of landowners in natural resource management.

In order to achieve such an extensive mandate, the districts have become good one-stop locations for environmental information on where to go for what.