FARMINGTON — Thayden M. Farrington of Jay was honored at the 64th annual meeting of the Franklin County Soil & Water Conservation District held on April 13. Thayden has been on the board of supervisors since 1980 and has only missed four meetings throughout his 32 years of faithful service.

Farrington was taken by surprise when fellow board members told the audience that it had been very difficult to plan for this dedication as he was always at every meeting. The group presented him with a Coleman lawn chair that they hope he can use to do some relaxing.

Pictures depicting Farrington’s board membership, meeting attendance, presenting and receiving awards, as well as fun times with family and friends were arranged on a displayed for audience viewing.

Close to 50 individuals attended the meeting. Certificates of appreciation were presented to District and Earth Team volunteers for their nearly 2,000 hours of service in 2011. The Farmington Field office earned an award as the no. 1 USDA/Conservation District site in Maine for nearly 2,000 hours of donated volunteer work. Juan Hernandez, state conservationist, presented the plaque to district conservationist, Paul Hersey, and soil conservationist, Jade Gianforte.

Hernandez also presented a special plaque to Franklin County Conservation District honoring Marcy Libby, who had served as a volunteer for the district and the NRCS Earth Team from December 1993 through March 2012 when she passed unexpectedly. This special award was accepted by her daughter and the district’s executive director, Rosetta Thompson.

Robert Zundel and his family were honored for their woodlot work. Peter told the life cycle of the property and emphasized how the Zundel’s are working to bring the property back to its full potential. Patty Cormier shared in the presentation to honor them. The family was presented with a 2-foot by 3-foot “Conservation Woodlot Owner Of The Year” sign.

Bruce Tracy, FCSWCD board secretary, and Paul Hersey, district conservationist,  jointly presented the Marble family with a “Conservation Farm of the Year” sign to honor their hard work and the USDA program involvement that has increased productivity on the Marble Family Farm.

Hernadez spoke about opportunities that are available through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program and other Farm Bill Programs. he also discussed the amount of money the Natural Resources Conservation Service State Office has brought into Maine to assist farmers with conservation practices.

Thayden Farrington of Thayden’s Photography and son of Thayden M. Farrington gave a 45-minute presentation showing much of his work capturing Maine’s wildlife, agriculture, nature and coastal scenery. He explained the stages he has had to go through to reach the point he is at now with his work as a photographer.

The evening culminated with the Department of Agriculture’s Commissioner, Walt Witcomb telling the audience about the proposed forthcoming merging of the Departments of Conservation and Agriculture. He stated that this was not to be a cost cutting measure so much as it is for filling in the gaps of missing expertise. He had hoped to give more details about the process but the legislature was still in session as he spoke.