Chris Heitmann has been a resident of Lincoln County for 23 years. He and his wife Susan have one son who is a high school senior at Lincoln County High School. He owns H&H Industrial Maintenance, Inc., a local company providing jobs for the community and support to many people for the past 23 years. His wife Susan owns Lo & Gussies, a local boutique shop on Main Street. His son Gavin is a senior at LCHS where he excels in academics and enjoys playing soccer for the Red Devils. Chris serves and supports the community through many groups, school related and otherwise as a business owner, parent and concerned citizen willing to help. He currently serves as a Supervisor and Treasurer on the Lincoln County Soil and Water Conservation District Board, the Lincoln County School Board of Education, District 4, the Lincoln County Athletic Booster Club as project chair, helping work and sponsor the annual Golf Tournament. Chris and his family attend Lincoln County United Methodist Church where he is currently Lay Leader. Chris and his family are land owners who farm timber and cattle. He understands the need for good stewards to implement land preservation so future generations can enjoy what we all take for granted.

Rebecca married into a farm family and began her love of farming. Her husband, Brian, was a county extension agent for 35 years. With his expertise, they have grown their family farm into a community asset. Double Branches Farm and Produce Market is a 140 acre U-Pick farm which produces strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, pumpkins, and vegetable greens for the community. Drip irrigation was installed in order to conserve water resources from their well and nearby stream. Using crop rotation and planting with plant based plastics during strawberry season are beneficial to their crops. Rebecca has learned so much about conservation and farming as well as the importance of pollination. Bee hives are kept on the farm to assist the bees with the work of pollination needed for abundant berry production. Extra care is taken to provide the bees with sunflowers and other wild flowers which help the bees to make enough honey for food stores throughout the winter months. With the assistance of master gardeners, Double Branches Farms, runs an education program to teach school aged children and other groups about pollination and other farming techniques. Double Branches Farms was named as Georgia’s 2019 recipients of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) U.S. Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award for their dedication toward pollination efforts. Rebecca is excited to use her Lincoln County SWCD Board position to teach others about the importance of farming and conservation techniques.

Gary Ward entered school at Augusta Collage and soon transferred to the United States Air Force and spent four years as a Jet Engine Mechanic. After his service to the US military, he finished his degree at Georgia Tech with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. After college, he worked for Cessna Aircraft Company. Ward returned home to expand his family owned sawmill in McCormick, SC. The family sold the fully integrated Pine processing facility that produced 20,000 BF/hour. Ward became a pilot at the age of 16 and performed aerobatics at air shows all over Central and North America. Ward is a 4th generation Pine grower and has managed the 3000 family owned timberland since 1977. Throughout the years, he has managed the timber stands with thinning, cutting and replanting trees for regrowth, and prescribed burning along with other Best Practice Management. Ward loves the land and loves managing his timber stands and continues to look for ways to improve and teach conservation practices in Georgia, the national leader in forestry.