Anyone in Marion County can call a hotline with questions about weeds in their yard and have a specialist come out to take a look and plan a project. Landowners concerned about soil erosion near waterways can get guidance, and apply for grants. Kids can climb into school buses, head to the river and learn about the salmon life cycle on a field trip.It’s all made possible by the Marion Soil and Water Conservation District, a lesser known local government body. It’s a special district, like a school or fire district, covering all of Marion County. This year, over half its board seats will be on voters’ ballots in Marion County. One race is contested, one has one candidate and two had nobody file.  What the district does Since consolidating from multiple districts in 1971, the Marion Soil and Water district has focused on protecting and improving soil and water quality throughout the county through answering questions, holding educational events and funding projects to stabilize and protect the region’s water quality. It levies property taxes — less than $15 per year for the average Salem homeowner — to support its activities.Recently, the district helped fund a project by Mill Creek neighbors which will take out invasive plants and add native ones to several backyards on the creekside. The work will help protect traveling salmon.A recent initiative, the Little Habitat Project, invites urban homeowners and landowners to apply for certification and a yard sign showing their native plants contribute to local food webs and biodiversity. Brenda Sanchez, district manager, said that as volunteers board members get the satisfaction that they’re helping to take care of the community.  “Taking care of streamside areas, putting in pollinator hedges, preventing soil from getting in our water… you can drive all over our district and you can see the work we’ve done,” she said.  The district has 12 employees, and seven board members who make the decisions about spending. Each board member’s term lasts four years. Who’s on the ballot In the Nov. 5 election, only the race for at-large director, position 1, is contested. Peggy Hart, a substitute teacher with a background in agriculture, is running for reelection after stepping in to fill a vacancy two years ago. Her opponent is Tony Shepherd, whose experience includes farming and selling agricultural supplies. Two of the positions remain vacant, and no one has yet filed to run for them. One vacant position, Zone 1, covers the northern tip of Salem to Butteville. The other, Zone 2, includes parts of Woodburn and northeast Silverton.“Zone 1 and Zone 2 have a lot of trouble getting people. Zone 1, I think it’s been years,” Sanchez said, after the departure of someone who held the seat for decades. The deadline to file for a write-in campaign is Oct. 22 at 5 p.m. Write-ins won’t be counted unless the candidate has been certified as a candidate by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Sanchez said she found it to be an easy process.Sanchez said that if people miss this election, the board is able to appoint people to fill vacant seats mid-term. She recommended going to meetings to learn more about them.Anyone is welcome to apply, and Sanchez said that business-minded people and those concerned with conservation tend to thrive in the role. The main requirement is interest in the work.“You’ve got to be prepared at the meetings. They only meet once a month, and do a whole month’s business in three hours,” she said.  In September, the district published its strategic plan for the next five years. Read it here. Below, meet Peggy Hart and Tony Shepherd, the candidates for an at-large director’s position, the only contested race in the district this year.Angela Plowhead is running unopposed for Zone 4. Plowhead is a small landowner, outdoorsman and hunter who believes in preserving water quality, according to her biography on the district’s website. Plowhead is also vice chair of the Oregon Republican Party. Peggy Hart Name: Peggy Hart Age: 74Residence: SilvertonOccupation: Woodburn High School substitute teacher Agricultural experience: Team taught agricultural ethics class Cal Poly; worked on a small farm and at a wholesale native plant nursery Education: B.A. in Politics, UC Santa Cruz; M.S. in Soil Science and International Agricultural Development, Cal Poly State UniversityPrior governmental experience: Board member of Marion Soil and Water Conservation District Two years ago, Peggy Hart handed out flyers at the Keizer Station and in South Salem to share her write-in campaign for an at-large position on the district’s board. She landed it, uncontested, with 186 votes.Hart grew up in the Bay Area, and though her family didn’t ranch, her father had cows on a friends’ ranch.Hart has a master’s degree that focused on soil science and international agricultural development, and has worked on a small farm and at a native plant wholesale nursery in California. She moved to Oregon four years ago.“That’s one of the reasons I moved here, is to be in the agricultural world,” she said.Before running for the district, Hart said she was interested in what ranchers and farmers had to teach the environmentalists.“The difference between what’s being done with the land now, and 20 or 30 years ago is amazing. The farm community has made so much ecological progress about how they approach what they’re doing,” she said.Hart said, in 2022, the empty seats on the board piqued her interest and she wanted to use her degree while being a part of the agricultural community in the area.“It’s right there in the middle. It’s completely nonpartisan, and we’re serving the whole community in this really important work. That’s why I like being in it,” she said.Hart said one of the most important considerations for board members is the spending of taxpayer funds.“We’re responsible for the public’s money, so this is something that we have to think carefully about when we make decisions,” she said. “We have to be grateful to the public for supporting this.”Hart said that, in the past two years, she’s learned how to be more effective, has learned how the district functions and got to know the staff that makes it run. On the board, she’s been a part of a team effort to work with watershed councils and tribes in the region. Recently, they voted to fund a two-day field trip for a high school ecology class to visit a water treatment plant. A goal for her next term is to improve outreach to urban and rural communities.“Mutual respect in this common effort is really important to me,” she said.Hart said she’s happy to have an opponent, because she thinks any interest in the district is good. She encouraged anyone to watch the meetings online, and hopes that the Zones 1 and 2 seats will have candidates. Tony Shepherd Name: Tony Shepherd Age: 70Residence: SilvertonOccupation: Semi-retired Agricultural experience: Fresh market vegetable grower in Hawaii; Maui Pineapple Co; United Agri Products – Hawaii and Oregon; agricultural crop input supplier Advan LLC – organic crop input manufacturer representative in the PNW; Acadian Plant Health – kelp biostimulant manufacturer representative in the PNW Education: B.S. Horticulture, B.A. Business both from University of HawaiiPrior governmental experience: Oregon Processed Vegetable Commission Tony Shepherd has worked in the agriculture sector for over 40 years, and in his semi-retirement decided he wanted to give back to the community by running for office. “I’m very concerned with climate change, and the effects that can affect not only wildlife and the environment, but also the livelihood of farmers,” he said. “We need to look at how we can help with mitigation and adaption to the changing climate.” Shepherd has a bachelor’s in horticulture, and his career in Hawaii and Oregon has spanned from farming to distribution. He’s been a crop adviser for over 25 years, and in that role advises farmers through decisions about technology, pest management, seeds and sustainability. Shepherd is one of nine commissioners on the Oregon Processed Vegetable Commission, appointed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s director.Shepherd said the goal of the agricultural commission is to help agriculture be profitable and viable statewide.“Viability of agriculture here is under threat. Foreign competition is tough, commodity price is low, government regulations are continuing to increase and labor costs are going up. Farms are having a tough time, and I basically have been trying to help with mitigating those negative effects,” he said.If elected to the Marion Soil and Water District, Shepherd wants to work to decrease pollution. He said he’s especially concerned with water resources, such as groundwater issues and pesticide and fertilizer runoff from farmers. He wants to mitigate runoff impact by supporting new technologies and farming techniques. “I think we need to balance out the needs and wants between what man needs and what the environment needs to be healthy and viable,” he said. Shepherd hopes his business experience will be an asset to the district. “I’ve worked in many different sectors and geographies, and I just feel like it’s time to give back to the community and see what I can do to help Marion County be a better place,” he said. Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post Your guide to the lowest-profile election in Marion County: a contested soil and water district seat appeared first on Salem Reporter.