NEW HANOVER COUNTY — The county’s soil and water conservation district chair Bill Hart passed away unexpectedly July 20. A career environmental consultant and resource management planner, Hart focused his post-retirement efforts on the soil and water district for more than 19 years.
A celebration of life is being held Friday at Andrews Valley Chapel, 4108 South College Rd.
Vice chair Sue Hayes will assume the role of acting chair for the board of supervisors until new officers are elected in December. The board is recommending Tom Boland fill Hart’s seat through Dec. 5. The N.C. Soil and Water Commission will have the final say.
Hart, born in New York and raised in New Jersey, is most notably known locally for his creation of the statewide Community Conservation Assistance Program, which provides cost share funding for people to reduce runoff from their property. The statewide program was signed into law in 2006 and has become a model followed by governments outside of North Carolina.
In addition, Hart helped organize the Lower Cape Fear Stewardship Development Awards, which annually recognizes outstanding development projects that protect, conserve, improve and provide awareness of the natural resources in the Lower Cape Fear region.
Among other accolades, Hart was honored in 2020 with the Pelican Award for Decades of Outstanding Leadership from the N.C. Coastal Federation to Restore North Carolina’s Coastal Waters.
“Bill has been a mentor to me since my employment with New Hanover Soil & Water Conservation District,” Soil and Water Conservation District Director Dru Harrison said in a press release. “He provided great insight and support throughout my career, and a huge void will be left in the conservation community without him.”
After graduating high school, Hart enlisted in the US Navy at the end of WWII. He went on to earn a degree in forestry from Utah State University and a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard.
He traveled the world working with various national governments in South America, Africa and Asia to develop management strategies for national parks, game preserves and forests.
Tips or comments? Email [email protected].
Want to read more from PCD? Subscribe now and then sign up for our morning newsletter, Wilmington Wire, and get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.
