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TEMPLE — José Dodier of Zapata, Scott Buckles of Stratford and Barry Mahler of Iowa Park were re-elected May 6, to serve a successive two-year term on the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board ( TSSWCB).
Dodier represents TSSWCB Area 3, which consists of 50 counties in the Gulf Coast and South Texas Plains regions. Area 3 encompasses 46 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs).
Established in 1939, TSSWCB administers Texas’ soil and water conservation law and delivers coordinated natural resource conservation programs through the State’s 216 SWCDs. Additionally, TSSWCB is the lead agency for planning, implementing, and managing programs for preventing and abating agricultural and silvicultural nonpoint sources of water pollution. TSSWCB also works to ensure that the State’s network of 2,000 flood control dams is protecting lives and property by providing operation, maintenance, and structural repair grants to local government sponsors.
The TSSWCB board of directors consists of five elected members and two gubernatorial appointees who must be actively engaged in farming or ranching. The five TSSWCB elected members are chosen in a convention type election by SWCD directors in the State District in which the TSSWCB member represents.
Dodier, who has been a member of the TSSWCB since May of 2005, is a partner in the Don José Land & Cattle Company in Zapata County, which the Dodier family has been operating for over 80 years. The ranching enterprise is a conservation- driven cow-calf operation that produces commercial Charbray cattle. He also serves as Chairman of the Zapata SWCD, which he has been a member of since 1991.
Dodier is also a member on the Board of Directors of the South Texas Workforce Solutions. Workforce Solutions for South Texas is a local organization that implements a system of services to increase community economic development in Jim Hogg, Webb, and Zapata Counties. On the national level, Dodier is a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) where he served for eight years, as well as serving on the NACD Executive Board. He is a 1971 graduate of the University of North Texas.
Dodier and his wife Janeann, have a daughter, Danielle Dodier Pena, and two grandchildren, Sofia and Ace Pena.
Buckles represents TSSWCB Area 1, which consists of 51 counties in the Panhandle and South Plains regions. Area 1 encompasses 49 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs).
Established in 1939, TSSWCB administers Texas’ soil and water conservation law and delivers coordinated natural resource conservation programs through the State’s 216 SWCDs. Additionally, TSSWCB is the lead agency for planning, implementing, and managing programs for preventing and abating agricultural and silvicultural nonpoint sources of water pollution. TSSWCB also works to ensure that the State’s network of 2,000 flood control dams is protecting lives and property by providing operation, maintenance, and structural repair grants to local government sponsors.
The TSSWCB board of directors consists of five elected members and two gubernatorial appointees who must be actively engaged in farming or ranching. The five TSSWCB elected members are chosen in a convention type election by SWCD directors in the State District in which the TSSWCB member represents.
Buckles currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and Chairman of the Sherman SWCD, which he has been a member of since 1992. He has been a member of the TSSWCB since 2011 and is the managing partner of Buckles Farms. The family operation has been in business since 1917 and currently produces corn, grain, sorghum, wheat, and stocker cattle. He is also the co-owner and operator of a crop and aerial spraying service.
When Scott has spare time, he builds and operates a 1/8th scale railroad and enjoys spending time in Red River, New Mexico. Scott and his wife Dana have 3 children, Carson, Haley, and Hunter.
Mahler represents TSSWCB Area 5, which consists of 51 counties in the North and Central Texas regions. Area 5 encompasses 41 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs).
Established in 1939, TSSWCB administers Texas’ soil and water conservation law and delivers coordinated natural resource conservation programs through the State’s 216 SWCDs. Additionally, TSSWCB is the lead agency for planning, implementing, and managing programs for preventing and abating agricultural and silvicultural nonpoint sources of water pollution. TSSWCB also works to ensure that the State’s network of 2,000 flood control dams are protecting lives and property by providing operation, maintenance, and structural repair grants to local government sponsors.
The TSSWCB board of directors consists of five elected members and two gubernatorial appointees who must be actively engaged in farming or ranching. The five TSSWCB elected members are chosen in a convention type election by SWCD directors in the State District in which the TSSWCB member represents.
Mahler, who has been a member of the TSSWCB since May of 2007, is an Iowa Park businessman, cotton, and wheat farmer. Mahler also serves Precinct 3 on the Wichita County Commissioner’s Court and is a reporter for Farm Bureau Roundup, a weekly farm radio program.
Mahler currently serves as Secretary for the Wichita SWCD, which he has been a member of since 1980. He has previously served as President of the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts and a former Alternate Director of the National Association of Conservation Districts Board of Directors. Barry and his wife Sheri, have two sons, Braden and Matthew.
