Conservation districts and their offerings weren’t on my radar until we required assistance replacing a severely leaking irrigation pipe. Given that water conservation is one of their goals, we qualified for grant funding from the Okanogan Conservation District (OCD).
In his book, “Dirt, The Erosion of Civilization,” David Montgomery reveals that the westward movement in the United States was driven by soil degradation and erosion, culminating in the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Following this devastation, President Franklin Roosevelt recommended the Standard State Soil Conservation Districts Act. This Act led to states establishing conservation districts to protect soil and water resources.
Conservation districts work directly with individual landowners (cooperators) by offering cost-share programs that help landowners finance eligible conservation projects. Working with the Washington State Conservation Commission (WSCC), financial and operational support is provided to conservation districts. According to the website, “Conservation Districts of Washington State,” conservation districts provide site-specific plans to property owners to help them achieve their land use and conservation goals. They provide grant funding and free low-cost services that make it more affordable to take actions that make our water, soil, air, landscapes, and habitats healthier for all and provide technical expertise for project planning, permitting, and construction.”
They do this by offering assistance with livestock and nutrient management, being a source of information for farm bill programs, helping with water conservation, supporting forest health through forest planning and onsite assessments of wildfire risk, offering solutions for managing waterfront property, helping preserve farmland, providing services that include soil testing and erosion control, help save energy on farms by assessing ways to improve efficiency and helping with equipment upgrades, offering help with noxious weed management, and hosting native plant sales. More recently, conservation districts have been key participants in watershed planning and salmon recovery efforts.
On the WSCC’s website at www.wacd.org, you can find much useful information about the various programs administered through conservation districts. The Voluntary Stewardship Program “offers a voluntary, incentive-based approach to identify and protect critical areas on agricultural land through locally led conservation programs and periodic reporting of stewardship practices.” The Forest Health and Community Wildfire Resiliency Program offers wildfire risk assessments and a Firewise grant program to implement recommendations. Other programs, such as the Irrigation Efficiencies Grants Programs, help qualified landowners with information and funding for implementing “best management practices that increase the efficiency of crop water delivery to irrigated agriculture.” Many of the water-saving pivots scattered throughout the Valley are thanks to the OCD.
The OCD is celebrating its 85th anniversary this year. Monthly meetings open to the public are held on the first Thursday of each month. Craig Nelson, the current Executive Director, has been with the district for 26 years, and Lorah Super, a Methow Valley resident, is chair of the volunteer Board of Supervisors. This year, the focus is on drought mitigation planning for Okanogan County with a grant received from the Washington Department of Ecology in collaboration with the Methow Watershed Council, Washington State University, Okanogan County, and others. The OCD publishes a useful quarterly newsletter, which can be found at either of our libraries, or you can subscribe by contacting Emmy Engle at emmy@okanogancd.org.
Thanks to the OCD, we can turn our irrigation back on, knowing we will conserve water and not flood our neighbor’s pasture.
