Local Conservation Awards

Top- Awards

Throughout the year, there are different awards given to organizations, farms, and programs that show commitment to conservation.

Below are the recipients within New Castle County who have been recognized for their ongoing efforts.

Cooperator of the Year Award

This award recognizes landowners and entities that have demonstrated outstanding stewardship and conservation practices done in partnership with New Castle Conservation District (NCCD).

A cooperator is a landowner or entity who works or has worked with NCCD programs to implement land stewardship practices.

Lee Emerson - 2025 Awardee

Robert Emerson Board President, 2025 Awardee Lee Emerson, and Caleb NCCD Staff.JPG

2025 Cooperator of the Year, Lee Emerson (Center) with NCCD Board Chairman, Robert Emerson (left) and NCCD Conservation Planner and Agricultural Outreach, Caleb Hopkins (Right)

Emerson Family Photo with Award - Cropped.JPG

2025 Cooperator of the Year, Lee Emerson (Center) with four generations of family

The New Castle Conservation District proudly announces that Lee Emerson has been selected as the 2025 Cooperator of the Year Awardee, an honor presented by the District’s Board of Supervisors to recognize farmers who demonstrate exceptional service, leadership, and cooperation in agricultural conservation.

Emerson’s commitment to agriculture and stewardship began early. He spent more than 20 years working alongside his father, Robert Emerson, gaining firsthand experience in the values of hard work, collaboration, and responsible land management. In his early 30s, Lee and his wife, Mandy, established their own farming operation while raising their two children, Robbie and Laura, instilling in them a shared passion for agriculture and a strong respect for practical, common-sense conservation.

Throughout his career, Emerson has consistently demonstrated a proactive approach to conservation. His efforts include planting 1,700 acres of cover crops through the New Castle Conservation District and an additional 2,456 acres through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). In 2024, he completed construction of a concrete heavy-use pad with a roof, significantly improving manure management and storage capabilities on the farm. He has also implemented comprehensive nutrient management practices and incorporated soil carbon amendments to support long-term soil health.

Emerson’s leadership and dedication have not gone unnoticed by his peers. One colleague remarked, “Lee has always shown tremendous interest and commitment to the betterment of the environment around him, with efforts focused on maintaining healthy soils, clean air, and safe waters—not only for agriculture, but for the world around him.”

His passion for agriculture continues to shape a lasting family legacy. In 2024, Lee and his son, Robbie, purchased a farm together—an inspiring example of intergenerational cooperation and a testament to the strength of the Emerson family’s agricultural roots.

Through his conservation achievements, community involvement, and stewardship of the land, Lee Emerson exemplifies the values celebrated by the New Castle Conservation District Cooperator of the Year Award.

Governor's Conservation Awards

Each year, awards are given in the categories of agricultural and urban conservation within each of Delaware's three counties. These honorees are chosen for their "ongoing commitment to improving the environment." Learn more about our 2025 awardees down below.

2025 Agricultural Conservation Awardee:

Michael G. Kitts and Family

Michael Kitts signed up for the USDA-FSA Beginning Farmer Loan Program in 2018 to purchase his home farm at Alley Mill with his wife Rachel and two children, Gracie and Little Mike. Since then, Mike has incorporated best management practices and participated in New Castle Conservation District and NRCS programs for his beef cattle operation and expanded his operation to over 1800 acres of owned and rented cropland.

Mike has been aggressively planting cover crops to improve soil health and reduce losses of surplus nitrogen and phosphorus due to groundwater leaching or excess soil erosion. Mike has also implemented nutrient management plans on the cropland he tills as required by the Delaware Nutrient Management Program. Cover crop planting in combination with nutrient management and yield mapping provides Mike with the best available information to fine tune the application of increasingly expensive fertilizers and soil amendments.

Kitts family receiving their 2025 Agricultural Conservation Award standing with from left to right USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service Acting State Conservationist Shantel King, Governor Meyers’ Deputy Chief of Staff Nikko Brady, Michael and Rachel Kitts Agricultural Awardees, DNREC Deputy Secretary Dayna Cobb, Delaware Association of Conservation Districts President Gwen Pierce, and District Coordinator Kevin Donnelly.

(L to R) USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service Acting State Conservationist Shantel King, Governor Meyers’ Deputy Chief of Staff Nikko Brady, Michael and Rachel Kitts Agricultural Awardees, DNREC Deputy Secretary Dayna Cobb, Delaware Association of Conservation Districts President Gwen Pierce, and District Coordinator Kevin Donnelly.

2025 Urban Conservation Awardee:

The Independence School Stream Stabilization Project

The Independence School Stream Stabilization Project consisted of 360 feet of restoration of an unnamed tributary of Pike Creek, which is part of the Wild and Scenic White Clay Creek watershed. The tributary stream was eroding towards one of the School’s main access roads and the bank erosion had exposed an electric cable-line posing a safety hazard. High stream flows during storm events resulted in frequent out-of-bank flooding and was also cutting into the stream bed.

The project included an imbricated rock seat wall and a boulder path through the tributary stream so that it can also be used as an outdoor classroom. Also, the project used large rocks, log sills, log vanes, and recycled tree-root wads to reconfigure a more resilient, reshaped stream banks. The centerline of the stream was stabilized with cobble and scattered boulders. The stream channel was relocated away from the shoreline. The stream channel was also relocated on the opposite side of an existing Sycamore tree in order to save the tree.

The Independence School receiving their 2025 Urban Conservation Award standing from left to right The Independence School Director of Finance and Operations Patrick Burns, The Independence School Head of School Timothy Costello, and District Coordinator Kevin Donnelly.

(L to R) The Independence School Director of Finance and Operations Patrick Burns, The Independence School Head of School Timothy Costello, and District Coordinator Kevin Donnelly