By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
After 12 years, Tucker County native Jim Nester is seeking a fourth four year term as District Conservation Supervisor for the Tygart Valley.
“I’ve done 54 years of public service in my lifetime,” Nester said. “I done two years in the Army, 30 years for the phone company, 9 years for FSA, which is a farm service agency, goes back to my farming roots and then this District Supervisor job,” Nester said.
The Tygart Valley District consists of Tucker, Taylor, Upshur, Randolph and Barbour Counties, according to Nester. As District Conservation Supervisor, Nester represents Tucker County on the Board. There are two supervisors from each County on the 10 member board, according to Nester. “Our Board is one of the unique ones,” Nester said. “We have a work crew. There’s only two of them in the State.”
The work crew, according to Nester, assists with brushwork, excavation and other duties such as pond work and spring development. Nester also said the work crew has a variety of heavy equipment to use on various jobs on both public and private land with the work crew recently assisting the US Forest Service. “We done a little of everything,” Nester said. “Right now, we’ve done a little brushwork. We have an excavator and we have a skid steer that has brush cutters on them. We have a bulldozer with a root rake on it.”
Besides working with the Forest Service, Nester said the work crew has also assisted local farmers and the Department of Natural Resources. Nester said the crew had also constructed the parking lot in Hendricks near the Swinging Bridge. According to Nester, his Board partners with NRCA, FSA, DNR and the Forestry Service. “The biggest part of our work is done in farmland,” Nester said. “We did some boat ramps for DNR and parking lots for DNR. Whatever we can come up with.”
According to Nester, a past Director wanted to have all of the work crews disbanded. Nester said it was due to funding disputes. However, according to Nester, the crew has remained. “The past Director, he wanted to see them all closed.,” Nester said. “He didn’t want us to have any or do any work at all like that.”
Nester said the Board is also promoting the use of bio-char for farming and gardening. The process, according to Nester, involves starting a fire, getting it very hot and then extinguishing and when cooled, crushing the charred wood to a coffee consistency for use in compost. “We are trying to promote bio-char,” Nester said. “You put that in your ground and as the nutrients is needed, it will release it. When the ground is saturated with water, it will take on water. When the ground needs water, it releases water.”
If elected, Nester said he plans to continue to promote agriculture and the Board’s Ag program.
Nester said he enjoys giving back to the community, farming and is renown for his home brewed peach brandy. Nester said he also attends church services every week in Parsons.
