Judge Howard McGillin recently administered the oath of office to three newly elected board members of the St. Johns Soil and Water Conservation District — Chuck Owen, Nicole Crosby and Mary Lawrence.
Lawrence had been appointed to her position when it was vacated and, along with Crosby and Owen, was elected in November to four-year term.
Erica Connor was voted board chair, and Chad Levrini was voted vice-chair. Both were elected in 2018.
Connor, Crosby and Levrini are Ponte Vedra residents. Lawrence and Owen live in St. Augustine. The five positions are nonpartisan and non-salaried.
The district arose out of the 1930s Dust Bowl disaster, when in 1935 Congress declared soil and water conservation a national policy and priority. To elicit the support of local landowners, soil and water conservation districts were created to work in partnership with the federal government. St. Johns County’s district was established in 1950.
The authority of the district and its supervisors relate to the development and implementation of soil and water conservation practices on private lands.
