2005 Year in Review

What is The Soil and Water Conservation District?

by Dave Harrison

Like the Unknown Comic of the 1980’s the Soil and Water Conservation District has been working with a bag over its head to mask its identity. For over fifty years the directors and staff have provided services to the county’s landowners both private and public. The problem arises because we don’t do large splashy projects publicized by a public relations office.

You may say that this is all good and fine but what are you and what do you really do? Good question let me explain! First we are one of 98 SWCD’s located throughout Illinois. Each SWCD is governed by a five-member board of landowners elected to one year terms. Two to three members are elected each year at an annual meeting or election. The board designates a chairperson, vice chair, and secretary-treasurer.

The board’s job is to administer conservation programs in the county to the betterment of the land. Most boards employ at least an office manager and a resource conservationist whose job is to implement SWCD board policies and assist landowners. Some SWCD’s like Whiteside also employ an education coordinator who works with schools and adults to further the SWCD goals.

Examples of various programs we deal with are the Federal Conservation Reserve Program that pays land owners to retire sensitive farmland while providing wildlife habitat. There are various state programs such as the Conservation Practice Program that cost shares the expense of soil conservation practices such as waterways and seals abandoned wells. We also try to secure various grants that bring money into the county for conservation on the ground.

So there you have it a local agency that helps all members of society while bringing money into the county. The Unknown Comic finally took the bag off his head and it is time the SWCD revealed its true identity.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
December 21, 2005