National Association of Conservation Districts

Auxiliary Distinguished Service Award

NACD 2008 Annual Meeting • February 10 - 13, 2008 • Reno, NV

Vonda R. Gumm - West Virginia
The NACD Auxiliary’s 2008 Distinguished Service Award winner this year is a true conservationist. Vonda R. Gumm, from West Virginia has been married for 51 years to Joe Gumm. They have a daughter and son-in-law and a granddaughter. She was Valedictorian for her high school class.

She and Joe purchased a 20 acre farm when they were married and raised cows, hogs and chickens. They later purchase another 120 acres and raise Angus cattle, sold that farm and leased land for a dairy operation for six years.

Vonda now works for the Randolph County School system. She has served two terms as the West Virginia Auxiliary President.

Vonda has constructed displays for Randolph County 4H Ag fair and for the West Virginia State fair with topics covering recycling of everyday waste and future uses for these by products. She has two displays that are exhibited on the sate history of conservation districts and programs and plans which are available to farmers in West Virginia. She has presented and exhibit at the Appalachian Grazing Conference on nutrient management of grasslands and forages.

She has shared an agricultural video with school children about farm life and the responsibilities that come with working on a farm, and has also done presentations on recycling for school children. Vonda works with the local Envirothon activities, poster and photo contests various other contests with the conservation district.

She has traveled to Washington D.C. with the conservation supervisors to lobby for funding for technical assistance to implement conservation programs. One of the projects which came to fruition due to lobbying is the Elk Fork water dam.

Vonda is very involved in the many activities of her local conservation, state, regional, and national conservation organizations.