Peter C. Rush

Office sought: Director Soil/Water Conservation District
Party: Independent
Age: None given.
Web site:
None given.
E-mail:
None given.

Questions & Answers

Q: What do you see as the key challenges facing the Soil & Water Conservation District, and how will you meet those challenges?

A: I see the following challenges: The general challenge is to continually improve the quality of the water in our watersheds while maintaining and expanding the economic uses made of the land that depends on those watersheds, which includes agriculture, livestock, forestry, vineyards, equestrian pursuits, and fallow fields and pastures, and hand-in-hand with that, to minimize run-off both of soil, and of polluting substances of all kinds from animal wastes to pesticides and fertilizers to gasoline from our roadways. To address this overall goal, I see the following specific challenges: 1. Implementing the Declaration of Cooperation (DOC) of the Loudoun County Strategic Watershed Management Solutions (SWMS) meeting of 2006, which brought together dozens of Federal, State, local and private agencies to work out a common approach to improving water quality and protecting the watersheds of Loudoun County. The goals and plans elaborated in this document are too numerous to list here, but the general goals are to continue to clean up our water, manage stormwater runoff better, protect the diverse habitats in Loudoun county, preserve the economic value of healthy watersheds and manage groundwater and surface water supply for current and future needs, and the Soil and Water Conservation District has a vital role to play in implementing the DOC. 2. As a part of this, maintaining momentum of the Best Management Practices (BMP) program, which encourages farmers and livestock raisers to minimize non-point-source runoff of undesirable substances and degradation of streams and streambanks. Since immediate benefits to the farmer or livestock raiser of adopting BMPs may appear small and the costs and responsibilities high in some cases, the job of encouraging those farmers and livestock raisers who have not yet chosen to join the program, to do so becomes more and more important, and requires sensitivity to the reasons some farmers and livestock raisers have not yet joined the program. 3. Also as a part of this, every shift by a farmer or livestock raiser to more natural or organic means of farming or raising livestock contributes to these goals. While still small, the number and size of alternative farms is growing, and with the growing demand by consumers for more naturally produced fruits, vegetables and meat, can continue to grow, which growth needs to be encouraged. 4. Greatly expand the educational and outreach activity of the SWCD to create a much more informed public awareness of the challenges, and of what everyone can do to help. I intend, if elected, to address these challenges by 1. First, thoroughly educating myself, especially on the full scope of the SWMS recommendations, and the role the SWCD is expected to play in implementing them, and then doing what I can to ensure that the SWCD fulfills its assigned role. I believe that all the SWCD directors need to carry forward the spirit of cooperation of the SWMS, and to maintain active liaison with the other agencies that took part in the 2006 meeting, to ensure the fastest and more effective implementation of its recommendations; 2. Second, expanding educational activities. I see a substantially larger role for public education on the part of the SWCD, which is one of its primary mandated activities, and I think a good start would be to significantly improve its own website and make it a much more valuable and informative resource for the community. Despite valuable work by dedicated personnel in a dozen or so initiatives carried out by the SWCD, I believe that the work of the SWCD, and even its existence, is still largely unknown to most residents of Loudoun County, especially its more urbanized eastern residents. The website, and efforts to publicize its existence, could help make the SWCD a household word. 3. I know that data collection has been recognized as a major need, and that it is expanding as fast as limited funding will permit, but I intend to search for ways to accelerate the collection of data, above all on land use, and on the economics of BMPs. 4. I will seek ways to maintain momentum on encouraging ever more farmers and livestock owners to adopt best management practices. 5. I will seek ways to help those farmers and livestock raisers who use more organic methods, and to provide information to all farmers on these methods. Specifically, I intend to publicize the existence of the Certified Naturally Grown program, which is an important alternative for small growers who can't afford the time or cost of getting certified "organic" by the FDA, but who are using the same practices of so-called "organic" farmers. The existence of this nationally-recognized alternative certification program is not known even to most alternative farmers in Loudoun, and it could significantly help the farmers at farmers markets to increase their sales.

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