POMEROY — The Meigs Soil and Water Conservation District will hold its annual meeting, banquet and election at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at Meigs High School with the election of supervisors beginning at 6 p.m.

Guest speaker for the evening will be G. Thomas Watters, Ph.D.

Dr. Watters is a native of Beavercreek, but by his description, “at an early age contracted the Jacques Cousteau Syndrome and decided marine mollusks were his calling.”

He received his B.S. at the University of Miami, Fla., his master’s degree at the University of Rhode Island and his Ph.D. at Ohio State University but having returned to Ohio and discovering a severe lack of oceans he turned to freshwater and land mollusks.

He is currently Curator of Mollusks at OSU and science director of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Facility. He has authored two books, several book chapters and more than 40 papers in peer-reviewed journals. His research interests include the biology of freshwater mussels and zoogeography of Caribbean land snails.

Locally, he has been involved in the reintroduction of native mussels into Leading Creek following the 1993 mine dewatering into that stream.

In addition, attendees will elect two board members to the Meigs SWCD Board of Supervisors to serve terms commencing January, 2013.

Candidates are Joe Bolin of Rutland, Kim Romine, Pomeroy and Adam Woirol, Langsville.

Bolin and his wife, Janet, live on a 120-acre farm in Rutland. He is a member of the Masons, Scottish Rite, Shriners, National Rifle Association, Star Grange, Meigs Local Emergency Planning Committee, Community Improvement Corporation and is a Rutland Township Trustee. He also serves on the Buckeye Hills Resource Conservation and Development Council and the Ohio Mineland Partnership. He has been a Meigs SWCD Supervisor since January, 1993.

Romine and her husband, Keith, live on a 70-acre farm in Bedford Township where they raise produce and are planting a vineyard. She is a member of the Racine Area Community Organization, Star Mill Park Board, an officer of Hemlock Grange and president of Forest Run Ready Mix LLC. She is also a past president of Southern Band Boosters and is retired from the Southern Local School District. She is currently employed at Forest Run Ready mix and teaches at the University of Rio Grande-Meigs Center. She has been an SWCD supervisor since January, 2010.

Woirol is the owner/operator of Dexter Run Farms in Salem Township and was one of two Meigs SWCD 2008 Outstanding Cooperators of the Year. In recent years he installed 8,400 feet of fence, a heavy use pad, a 400-gallon round stock tank, a 100-gallon bank tank and four automatic waterers. He also installed a rock stream crossing, access road, water line and a pump, completed under the Appalachian Special Project. Woirol also had a WHIP (Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program) contract which included a 5-acre tree planting.

Meigs SWCD, established in 1943 is a legal subdivision of state government that provides natural resource management assistance to county landowners and other units of local government. The district is funded by the Meigs County Board of Commissioners, and county funds are supplemented by funding from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The district is governed by a five-member board of supervisors, all county residents. Board members serve staggered three-year terms.

Voting will take place 6-7 p.m. Residents or landowners, firms and corporations that own land or occupy land in Meigs County and are 18 years of age or older may vote for supervisor. A non-resident landowner, firm or corporation must provide an affidavit of eligibility which includes designation of a voting representative prior to casting a ballot.

There are three ways an eligible voter can cast a ballot: at the annual meeting, at the SWCD office from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 25, or via absentee ballot. Absentee ballots can be requested at the Meigs SWCD office at 33101 Hiland Road, Pomeroy OH 45769 beginning Sept. 4 and must be received no later than Sept. 25.

The dinner begins at 7 p.m. Annual Meeting registration costs are $13 per person this year and must be purchased by Sept. 17.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call the Meigs SWCD office at (740) 992-4282.