Conservation Districts in Washington State
How did conservation districts come to be?
A model Soil Conservation Districts Law was enacted by Congress in response to the "dust bowl" disaster of the 1930's. This law was then provided to each state in the Union. Washington State's Conservation Districts Law was passed during the 1939 legislative session, and has remained on the books in substantially the same form since then. The present state law is codified as Chapter 89.08, Revised Code of Washington. It provides for the establishment of conservation districts and their programs to protect the state's renewable natural resources. The Washington State Conservation District Law may be found at the Conservation Commission's website: http://www.scc.wa.gov/, or at the State Legislature's website: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/.
There were originally 78 conservation districts (CDs) established in the State of Washington, beginning with the North Palouse Soil and Water Conservation District on January 30, 1940. Since then, these districts have consolidated and adjusted their boundaries to become the 47 districts currently active in Washington State.
The Conservation Districts Law also establishes the Washington State Conservation Commission and sets forth its responsibilities. The Commission assists and guides CDs as they carry out their programs, and coordinates their activities within the intent of the Law. It is important to note that the Conservation Commission is a state agency, while conservation districts are not. However, districts are subdivisions of state government.
What is a conservation district?
There are several ways to define a conservation district - by what they do, by what they are, by what they are not, and by their unique nature.
What they do:The 47 conservation districts are the ONLY organizations in Washington State that routinely design and apply on-the-ground solutions to nonpoint water quality problems on privately owned resource lands. No other group, public or private, does this work. Further, the technical help provided by conservation districts to private landowners is free for the asking.
Each conservation district is led by a five-member board of volunteer supervisors - three elected locally and two appointed by the state's conservation agency, the Conservation Commission. These individuals serve three-year terms, during which time they remain aware of locally important natural resource or environmental issues and decide what projects their district will undertake each year.
Also, each conservation district has paid staff, consisting of employees hired by the supervisors using district funds; plus technical professionals assigned to assist the district by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's technical arm, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). These individuals carry out the work of the district as a team, under the guidance and direction of the board of supervisors.
Conservation districts have broad authority under their enabling legislation, and can tackle just about any problem related to the natural environment. Districts in Washington State are involved in issues ranging from air quality (blowing dust), to prevention of groundwater contamination, to stream improvement for endangered salmon, to dairy waste management, to stream bank stabilization, to on-farm irrigation water management, to forestland improvement, to erosion control on dryland farms. Even where natural resources problems exceed local capabilities, local conservation districts usually know who to contact for additional help.
Many districts also have a proactive outreach program to schools. They understand that the best way to instill a long-term conservation ethic in our citizens is to teach it beginning in elementary school.
What they are: Under their enabling statute, a conservation district is defined as "…a governmental subdivision of this state, and a public body corporate and politic exercising public powers…" Conservation districts are part of state government just like hospital districts, irrigation districts, and other special purpose districts created under state law for specific public purposes. They are local governmental bodies charged with fulfilling very specific purposes relating to the conservation of renewable natural resources. Based on this, Section 115 of the Internal Revenue Service Code confers tax exempt status on conservation districts. Also, charitable contributions to districts are generally tax deductible.
What they are not: Conservation districts are not regulatory in nature. They were not organized to tell people they can or cannot do on their land. They were formed to help people find ways to use their land without impairing renewable natural resources.
Districts are not state agencies, and do not receive an ongoing operating budget from the state General Fund, as most state agencies do. Conservation districts usually have a close working relationship with their county government, and some even receive a limited amount of funding from that source. However, districts are not a part of county government either.
Districts have authority under state law to propose to their county government that a special assessment be added to the property tax on lands within their jurisdiction that benefit from district activities. This assessment must be approved by the county legislative authority before it is implemented, and currently 11 of the 47 districts in Washington State have a special assessment in place. Many districts rely on year-to-year grant funding to carry out their projects. Such grants usually come from the Conservation Commission, although the Department of Ecology and the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation (IAC) also have grant funds for which districts may compete.
What makes districts so special?Conservation districts are unique in several ways. First, they are set up to provide local solutions to local problems. Each district's supervisors are familiar with local natural resource issues because at least three of the five must be landowners or operators of farms within the district.
These five supervisors give program direction not only to their own staff, but also to the USDA-NRCS technical professionals assigned to their district. What this means is that local people are telling federal employees how best to help them. This does not occur routinely anywhere else in the nation.
Conservation districts are truly grassroots organizations, setting their priorities from the bottom up, not from the top down. Because of their voluntary and non-regulatory nature, districts often act as a "buffer" between private landowners and regulatory agencies.
Washington State Conservation Districts Law gives districts the authority to cooperate not only with one another, but also with "…any agency, governmental or otherwise, or any occupier of lands within the district…" to carry out conservation of natural resources. This is indeed a broad mandate, and allows districts to work with just about anyone or any group to accomplish their goals.
Why it's important
The reasons conservation districts were created in the first place remain valid and compelling. The productive capacity of the land is of prime importance to the well being of Washington State and the nation. The knowledge and application of methods to conserve natural resources are key to maintaining this capacity. This practice of responsible stewardship is what conservation districts are all about.
Additional information about conservation districts in Washington State may be obtained from:
Washington State Conservation Commission
P.O. Box 47721
Olympia, WA 98504-7721
Phone: (360) 407-6200
FAX: (360) 407-6215
E-mail: support@scc.wa.gov
Website: http://www.scc.wa.gov
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