South Bend, Indiana is a long way from home for Soil Conservationist Rafael Vega, but his conservation work with the Natural Resources Conservation Service makes it worthwhile.  Born and raised on the beautiful tropical island of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea, Vega developed an interest in conservation at an early age.  His father, a chemist for a drinking water treatment facility, and mother, a science teacher, taught him to respect Mother Nature.  This influenced Vega's decision to pursue a degree in Environmental Sciences at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico.  A summer internship through the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities brought Vega to the Indiana state office to assist with digitizing the Web soil survey.  From that point, Vega was hooked on conservation.  "That experience gave me the chance to see what this Agency is doing for the benefit of our natural resources and made me realize that working for NRCS is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life," said Vega.


Pictured at left: Soil Conservationist Rafael Vega's love for the land is apparent, whether he is surveying farmland for conservation practices or talking to a group of students on the benefits of conservation.

To Vega all projects are important and deserve his best effort.  He desires to do his best to influence all customers and potential customers to become involved in conservation. Vega had an opportunity to do just that when he participated at the Indiana State Fair Pathway to Water Quality, where NRCS is a sponsor.  After working in the outreach activity area with young people, he said, "I think that educating the next generation provides them with the knowledge and instills the values for the future...helping people help the land."

Vega looks for opportunities to communicate conservation beyond his normal work duties.  He has volunteered to be Indiana's Hispanic Special Emphasis Program Manager and has taken on recruitment efforts of the Hispanic sector with the same enthusiasm that he exerts in all other aspects of his work.  Volunteering to work at the 2008 National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Convention Career Expo in Indianapolis, Vega went the extra mile preparing for this recruitment event.  He passionately talked to FFA students about NRCS and conservation of our natural resources.

As a conservationist, Vega desires to be a good example to the community, to help Indiana in making economically and environmentally friendly agriculture that is sustainable, and take the Agency to the next level in the future.

Back to 'Conservation...Our Purpose. Our Passion.' homepage