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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. 

Pursuant to Chapter 71, Title 5 of the Guam Code Annotated, the University of Guam announces the call for nominations for the upcoming triennial election to fill the non-partisan board positions of the:

Northern Soil & Water Conservation District Board (5 to be elected)

and

Southern Soil & Water Conservation District Board (5 to be elected)

Call for Nominations:

Nominations to form the list of candidates for the Aug. 19, 2025, election will be received by the University of Guam as follows:

8 a.m. ChST on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, through

12 p.m. ChST on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025

During regular business hours, excluding holidays and weekends, at:

University of Guam Cooperative Extension & Outreach
Agriculture & Natural Resources Office
UOG Agriculture & Life Sciences Building, Room 105
Phone: (671) 735-2080

Original nomination documents must be received at the above location by 12 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. Nomination forms are available for pickup at the UOG Agriculture & Life Sciences Building, Room 105, or may be downloaded here:

Download Nomination Form

Qualifications for Office:

Pursuant to 5 GCA § 71104(b), “Each district board shall cause all farmers, farm land owners or land occupiers, as appropriately registered with the Department of Agriculture or the Department of Land Management, to register as active members of each district.” Individuals listed on the Registry of Active District Members maintained by either the Northern or Southern Soil & Water Conservation District are eligible to nominate, vote, and/or run for office within their respective district.

To verify registration contact:

The University of Guam complies with Guam Public Law 36-34 changes to the Open Government Law and Guam Public Law 24-109 with reference to the provisions and requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. For special accommodations, please contact the ADA coordinator at 735-2244 or (TTY) 735-2243.

 

USDA logoThe work of UOG Land Grant is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food & Agriculture and the government of Guam. USDA and UOG are equal-opportunity providers.