Conservation Districts: Locally-Led Conservation€¢ Enabling Legislation – All states have enacted legislation based on this model – Provide a mechanism for creating conservation

ConservationDistricts:Locally-LedConservation

CBEAR MAAPOctober 13, 2017

Shepherdstown, WV

OriginsofConservationDistricts

• EnablingLegislation– February1937,PresidentRooseveltissuedmodelSoilConservationDistrictLawforconsiderationbyeachofthestates

– Modelenablingactwassenttostategovernors,suggestingthatfarmersandranchersbegrantedauthoritytoestablishdistrictstoconservesoilandwaterresources

– Twenty-twostatespassedenablinglegislationwithinthesameyear.

• EnablingLegislation– Allstateshaveenactedlegislationbasedonthismodel– Provideamechanismforcreatingconservationdistrictstoconservesoil,water,andrelatedresources

– Eachdistrictisgovernedbyalocallyelectedorappointedboardofofficials,usuallycalleddirectors,commissioners,orsupervisors

– Althoughdistrictboundariesgenerallycoincidewithcountyboundaries,therearedistrictsthatcovermorethanonecountyorwatershedboundaries

OriginsofConservationDistricts

• Becausestatesadoptedbothconsistentanduniquetermsintheirenablinglegislation:– Levelofconsistencyinauthorizedtermsandconservationdeliveryfunctions

– Variabilityinactivities,programs,andfundingsourcesacrosstheU.S.

– Somedistrictsaremorereliantontraditionalfundingsources(i.e.federal,state,localagencybudgets)

– Othersfundthroughuserfees,levies,orotherself-fundingmechanisms.

OriginsofConservationDistricts

StartedwithConservationDistricts• 1946- NACDwasfounded

byconservationdistricts• Conservationdecisions

shouldbemadeatthelocallevelbylocalpeoplewhohavethebestunderstandingofresourceneeds.

NACD: Who We Are

NACD’smissionisto promotethewiseandresponsibleuseofnaturalresourcesforalllandsbyrepresentinglocally-ledconservationdistrictsandtheirassociationsthroughgrassrootsadvocacy,education,andpartnerships.

Who We Are

•Guidedandgovernedby:• Localleadersfrom58statesandU.S.territories• Representingnearly3,000conservationdistricts,

stateandterritoryassociations• Morethan17,000publicofficials

Who We Are

WhatWeDo• ConservationAdvocacyandFunding• BuildsandmaintainsstrongrelationshipswithCongressandfederalagencypartners

• Advocateforstrongconservationprograms,appropriations,andpolicies

• Promotelocally-ledconservationdistricts

• Partnerships• CorePartners(USDA-NRCS,NASCA,NARC&D,NCDEA,NACD)

• Federal,stateandlocalpartnersandlike-mindedorganizationssuchasCBEAR

NACDProgramsSoilHealthChampions• 170+,peertopeernetworkofchampionsin42states• Distributionofresearch,economicsandbestpractices• Recentlydistributedsoilhealtheconomiccasestudies

demonstratingincreasedeconomicperformance

NACDProgramsUrbanAgricultureConservationInitiative• Totalof$3millioningrantsovertwoyearsto61conservation

districtsin30states• Improvingtechnicalassistanceandknowledgeofsoiland

waterconservationpracticesinurbansettings

OpportunitiesforBehavioralEconomics

• NACDrepresentsnetworkof3,000conservationdistrictsacrossthecountry

• Conservationdistrictshavecommonmissionsineverystateandterritory

• Trustedlocalleaders• Opportunitiestopilotvarietyofadministrativeandfieldexperimentsatnational,stateandlocallevel

Thank [email protected]

202-547-6223http://www.nacdnet.org