(for
the current annual report in .pdf format - click here) - updated 1/22/09 with 2007-2008 Annual
Report
Note: you need an up-to-date version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to read it.
Contents
Organization, Responsibilities, Planning, District Activities, Technical Support, Funding
Organization
The Conservation District is a subdivision
of state government, and is governed by a locally elected board of directors.
They serve without pay and have four years terms. The current Board of
Directors is composed of seven positions: five zone directors and two at-large
directors.
Board Eligibility
(1) A Director must: own or manage more than 10 acres of land in the district, be actively involved in the management of the property, reside within the boundaries of the district, and be a registered voter. Zone directors must either reside within the zone represented, or own or manage more than 10 acres within that zone and be actively involved in the management of the property. An individual may also serve as a zone director when the individual, in lieu of the other requirements, resides within the zone that is represented and indicates an interest in natural resource conservation as demonstrated by serving at least one year as a director or associate director of the district and having a conservation plan that is approved by the district. (2) At-large directors must live within the boundaries of the district and be registered voters.
Associate Directors Jon Justesen, Elizabeth Turner, Dan Carver, and Van Conklin were appointed by the chair.
Board meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month. All board meetings are
open to the public. Board meetings are held in the
conference room at the District Office in
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Responsibilities
Organized under
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Planning
The board develops an annual plan of work
encompassing a broad range of concerns each year with input from supporting
organizations. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, OSU Extension Service,
Natural Resources Conservation Service, committees, associate directors and
other local partners figured prominently in carrying out the plan of work. The
District's long range plan is reviewed as
part of the annual planning process. Priorities in the annual work plan are
derived from the long range plan and are based on current natural resource
inventories and concerns. All available media, including the district
newsletter, GROUNDWORK, local radio stations and newspapers were used to get
the word out on meetings and activities. Available staff time was augmented
through active use of committees, associate directors, youth groups, and other
volunteers.
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District Activities
As part of their responsibility for protecting and promoting renewable natural
resources within the district, our directors use their powers chiefly to attack
the most serious resource problems. The
directors must obtain public interest, agency
participation, political support, and frequently funding in order to
arrive at successful solutions. In
fulfilling these responsibilities, the Conservation District was involved in a
wide variety of projects and activities during the year. For more detail please see our current annual
report – click here.
Technical Support. Existence of a Conservation District has enabled the US Department of Agriculture to assign Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) personnel to provide technical assistance to the County in soil and water conservation. NRCS supports the District as well as the Farm Services Agency (FSA) in various programs.
Accomplishments through NRCS Technical
Assistance
The district maintains cooperative agreements with many natural resource
agencies. This ready access to various resource specialists enables the
District to respond quickly and effectively to a wide variety of natural
resource problems. Organizations working with the
district for local delivery of conservation programs included:
Natural Resources Conservation Service (296-6178), OSU Cooperative Extension
(296-5494), Farm Services Agency (298-8559), Forest Service (467-2291), Oregon
Dept. of Fish & Wildlife (296-8026), Bureau of Land Mgmt. (416-6700), Weed
& Pest and Water Master (506-2650), Oregon Dept. of Forestry (296-4626),
Oregon Dept. of Agriculture (541) 617-0017.
Funding
The Conservation District receives funding from a wide variety of sources, primarily grants. Grant funds are normally tied to
specific projects and contain very little or no
administrative funding for personnel. The district expends considerable time and effort gathering resources to
accomplish conservation goals. In
2004, local voters gave the District authority to levy property taxes which now
provides stable base funding. Our audit
was conducted by Onstott, Broehl, & Cyphers P.C. of The Dalles.
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