CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Charles Pugh, supervisor for the Northern Panhandle Conservation District, was named the 2002 Carroll Greene Award winner for the Conservation District Supervisor of the Year.
The award was presented to Pugh at the 2002 West Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Partnership Conference Grand Banquet, held in the fall, at the Charleston Marriott Town Center.
Not a stranger. Pugh is a Hancock County native and has been a district supervisor for 29 years, beginning when he was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Shields Mayhew.
He has been elected to represent Hancock County every three years since then. He is the seventh-longest continuous serving supervisor in the State of West Virginia.
Pugh has been in the forefront of the battle to preserve soil, water and related resources.
He has served in most offices of the district and is currently serving his second tenure as chairman.
Pugh was elected as one of the youngest presidents of the now West Virginia Association of Conservation Districts back in 1983.
Important issues. He has been extremely active with watershed issues.
He accepted the district’s appointment to the Wheeling Creek Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Commission in 1974, a position he maintains to the present.
This interstate and federal compact has accomplished so much to provide flood protection to those living in the Wheeling Creek Watershed.
Five dams have been built in West Virginia and 2 in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Pugh has worked with conservation partners to secure funding agreements, including with the Department of Environmental Protection of Pennsylvania.
Pugh has led the commission through some interesting negotiations and continues to maintain his cautious approach to settling issues.
Other activities. Since he has been chair of the commission, several important agreements have been signed that affect districts in the state.
He attended the organizational meeting of the Kings Creek Watershed Association and was elected the first president in September 1977. He worked diligently to get the needed flood protection in place.
Pugh represents the district on the Hancock County Solid Waste Authority and the Northern Panhandle Resource Conservation and Development Council.
He is on the board of the Grant Public Service District, which serves northern Hancock County including New Manchester, Chester and Newell.
Pugh is also a member of the Hancock County Farm Bureau and operates a beef and crop farm.
