Friends of Carroll Harrod

Soil and water are fundamental natural resources. They support our food supply, our farms, our drinking water, our communities, and the places where we live.

The Onslow County Soil and Water Conservation District already has programs, technical expertise, financial assistance, and partnerships available to help preserve, protect, and enhance those resources. One of my priorities as a candidate is increasing public awareness of those resources and helping more people understand how they can participate.

Conservation isn't limited to large farms or major development projects. It happens at every scale.

For farmers and larger landowners, conservation can include practices that reduce erosion, improve soil health, manage nutrients responsibly, and improve the way water moves across the land.

For developers and property owners, it can mean thinking carefully about drainage, erosion, vegetation, impervious surfaces, and stormwater management.

And homeowners can participate too. Practices such as rain gardens, rain barrels, maintaining vegetation, reducing unnecessary runoff, planting conservation areas, and testing soil before applying fertilizer can all play a role.

The basic principles are straightforward: protect soil from unnecessary erosion and manage water responsibly.

Healthy soil generally allows more rainfall to infiltrate instead of immediately running across the surface. Vegetation protects the soil, roots help stabilize it and improve its structure, and plants can take up nutrients that might otherwise be carried away in runoff.

My approach to conservation is voluntary and practical. Agriculture, development, and residential land use are all necessary parts of our community. The goal is not to force farmers to farm a certain way, or force every homeowner to maintain a lawn one particular way. It is to make people aware of practical conservation practices, technical assistance, and existing programs that can help them accomplish what they already need to do while protecting our natural resources.

A major priority for me is public outreach: helping more people in Onslow County understand what the Soil and Water Conservation District does, why soil and water conservation matters locally, what resources are available, and how they can participate.