James Hotaling was born in central New York where he was raised on a dairy farm. He graduated from Marcellus High School in 1963 and in 1964 went to work for the Soil Conservation Service as an aide, which lead to his career in conservation.
He retired from the Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District with over 40 years of service in which over 15 years he served as the executive director. He acquired an Associates Degree in business administration from Cayuga County Community College while working full-time for the conservation district. Throughout his career, he received various training from several different soil and water programs.
In his position as executive director of the Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District, he was responsible for a budget of approximately $1.5 million annually and oversight of 30 to 40 employees. At the local level, the conservation district under his direction became known as the "go-to" organization for getting things done.
James served on many professional organizations in a leadership capacity over the past years, including organizer and past president of the New York State Envirothon, past president of the Empire State Chapter - SWCS, treasurer of the Educational Foundation of Soil and Water Conservation, chairman of the Cayuga County Water Quality Management Agency and as an advisor on many professional boards. . He has completed 25 years of service in the Reserves program and has been promoted through the ranks to Master Sergeant and during the last five years as a senior instructor training junior non-commissioned officers.
He is currently serving as the Northeast Representative for the National Soil and Water Conservation Society and Vice President of the Empire State Chaper - SWCS. He is also directly involved in the new Digester Project in Cayuga County. He has also been elected to serve as the Northeast Director to the National Soil and Water Conservation Society and at present serves as Supervisor for the Town of Brutus.
Courtesy of NRCS Photo Gallery