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Soil and water
DIRECTORS OF THE CULPEPER Soil and Water Conservation District, H, S. Barksdale and Robert Anderson, made the editor’s job easier this week. They sent in a statement asking Rappahannock citizens to join in observing Soil Stewardship Week (May 19-26), and their statement constituted what struck us as a first rate editorial.
Herewith, then, is a “guest editorial” this week from Mr. Barksdale and Mr. Anderson:
Soil Stewardship Week is a time to reflect on the pleasures and benefits we derive from God’s life-giving gifts of soil and water. It is a time to remember that these gifts were given to us for continuing use—not just for today, that they were bestowed on all of us—not just a few, that we all. are utterly dependent on them for our very existance, to say nothing of our standard of living.
These are material things. We should never cease to be grateful also for the richness that land and water add to our lives. What greater source of inner pleasure and serenity has our Creator given us than a beautiful landscape or a rippling stream? We have been blessed with much, and much is expected of us as stewards of these blessings.
Today we are placing more demands on our land and water resources than ever before. New housing spreads out from cities into once-agricultural lands. New industries look for locations where water is plentiful. Non-farm folks look for open, green places for recreation and relaxation. Air conditioning systems and other modern improvements call for increasing amounts of water. These plus demands not yet envisioned provide the challenges and opportunities.
IT IS UP TO US, as good stewards, to develop the potential richness of our soil and water resources. Conserve them we must, but conserving them means using them to fulfill our needs. Future generations will thus be grateful for the blessings that have been ours and are theirs. Land owners and operators in the more than 2,900 soil and water conservation districts across the Nation are looking to the future. They have broadened their concepts to include resource conservation planning for community-wide benefits. Urban people, too, are coming to recognize their direct role in resource development and are joining in the united effort. ‘ We have been endowed with a great trust. All of us—not just a few of us—have the responsibility for stewardship and to plan for our needs for today and the future. □
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