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Soil & Water Conservation Districts

Soil & Water Conservation Districts

Soil & Water Conservation Districts

Soil & Water Conservation Districts

The Soil & Water Conservation Districts and district boards were created by Public Law 31-125:2 (Chapter 71, Title 5, Guam Code Annotated). This law established a northern and a southern district to work in partnership with the University of Guam and in cooperation with all Government of Guam entities overseeing local and federal programs established to promote the conservation, development, and use of soil and water resources of Guam. The entities are to work to control and prevent soil erosion and flooding and to improve agriculture water management.

District jurisdiction

The Northern District’s jurisdiction encompasses the land area to the north of Route 4, which extends from Agana Bay Paseo Loop Bridge to Pago Bay Bridge. The Southern District’s jurisdiction encompasses the land area to the south of Route 4.

District boards

Each district board, the Northern District Board and the Southern District Board, is made up of five district directors. The directors are elected from within and among district members.

District membership

The membership of each district is made up of farmers, farmland owners, and land occupiers in said district. A farmer is defined as a resident registered as a farmer by the Department of Agriculture. A farmland owner is a person, firm, or corporation who is an owner or operator of land used for the purpose of producing aquaculture products, bushes, crops, fruit or nut-bearing trees, herbs, livestock, ornamentals, timber, or vines. A land occupier is any person, firm, or corporation who holds title to or, in the case of leased land, the person, firm, or corporation who holds possession of any lands lying within a district.

Registry of active members

Each district board shall: a) invite farmers, farmland owners, and land occupiers in their respective district to register as members and b) cause each registered member to be listed in an official registry of active members. Said registry is to be maintained and updated quarterly, as needed, by each district board. Said registry of active members is used by the University of Guam to determine eligible voters and district director candidates as well as eligible nominators for director candidates in each district.

UOG's Role

With respect to this statute, the University is to work in partnership with the Soil and Water Conservation District Boards to promote and support the conservation of Guam’s soil and water resources.

The University:

  1. assigns to the district boards an advisor from the College of Natural & Applied Sciences;
  2. assists district boards with the coordination of programs, projects, and activities, insofar as that may be done by advice and consultation;
  3. assists district boards with the dissemination of information throughout the University and the island concerning district programs, projects, and activities;
  4. assists the district boards with the preparation and implementation of soil and water resource conservation and utilization, to ensure the promotion of the conservation, improvement, and protection of Guam’s soil and water resources, in coordination with the pertinent government of Guam entities;
  5. assists the district boards in fulfilling their mandates, to include obtaining the assistance of the federal government and government of Guam agencies in the work of the districts;
  6. provides technical support at the request of a district, as may be approved by the president of the University;
  7. keeps a record of all official actions taken with respect to working with, or providing support or assistance to, the districts and district boards; and
  8. conducts the election of all district directors, and in conjunction therewith including to promulgate the necessary rules and regulations by which farmers, farm land owners, and land occupiers shall nominate and elect, from among their number, district directors; and for the president of the University of Guam to certify the election results and provide a copy to the governor of Guam and the Guam Legislature.