Conservation Districts
Conservation Districts are unusual institutions. In Washington they are local sub-divisions of state government, created by RCW 89.09 and overseen by the Washington State Conservation Comission. They are authorized to advocate for an support the voluntary stewardship of natural resources. They are not Regulatory entities (unlike Counties) and bring Funding through grant writing to counties, and provide technical assistance. They tend to access and integrate resources designated for Water Quality, Salmon Recovery and Farm Bill programs. They are often divided into programs focused on ecosystem restoration, as well as programs to reduce the impacts of Agriculture. They often have strong Education programs. Their base funding is provided by a per-parcel assessment set by County commissioners (called “Rates and Charges”). Each district is governed by three locally elected supervisors and two appointed by the Commission. Elections occur through an annual meeting process that is not part of county elections. The CDs recently developed the Washington Association of Conservation Districts governed by volunteer directors of county districts.
Relationships
- broader: agriculture
- located in: washington
- related to: counties
- related to: county
- related to: education
- related to: farm bill
- related to: funding
- related to: rcw 89.09
- related to: regulatory
- related to: restoration
- related to: salmon recovery
- related to: washington state department of ecology
- related to: water quality