Spokane Conservation District

How do we do it? 

  

How does a small organization like the Spokane Conservation District manage to accomplish so much with so few people and limited resources?  Leveraging - and no that is not a nasty word in the context of leveraged buyouts and toxic assets.  In this case, leveraging is a very positive and necessary part of doing business as a conservation district.  Let’s begin in the context of leveraging operational funds. 

Conservation districts are political sub-divisions of state government but receive little if any funding directly from the state.  Most of the 45 districts in the State are reliant on short-term project specific grants.  

 In 1989, the Washington State Legislature passed a law allowing the counties of Washington State to impose a special assessment on behalf of the conservation district in that county.  This method of providing local funding to solve local issues falls perfectly in line with the mission of the conservation districts themselves; solving local issues with local solutions led by local people.  The Spokane District was the first in the State to request that implementation in 1990 and the assessment went into effect in January 1991.

No-Till farming saves moisture, soil, fuel, and money

Over the ensuing 21 years, the Spokane Conservation District has realized nearly $7 million in revenue from the assessment while leveraging that money into well over $10 million in project specific grants that would not otherwise been administered in Spokane County.  The assessment also allowed us to begin a new conservation program that supplied low interest loans to agriculture producers to purchase farming equipment designed to reduce soil erosion and prevent soil runoff into area streams and lakes.  That program utilizes money from the Department of Ecology which comes to the District as a loan, and then is loaned out to producers.  Since 1995, the District has loaned more than $22 million for conservation farming equipment purchases.  The net gain from this program is being able to eliminate soil erosion on more than ½ million acres of crop ground and the taxpayers got the money back with interest!   That program has now been expanded to 14 counties and 17 conservation districts in Eastern Washington and now 4 counties in North Idaho, all with the assessment rate caps remaining the same as they were in 1991.   

 Livestock and Land

 

The District recently introduced a new program; Livestock and Land.  This program originated in California and is now being introduced in Washington by the Spokane Conservation District.   It is designed to help livestock owners with proper management of pastures and paddocks and to deal with manure and mud issues.   Many livestock owners have problems with manure management.  In the summer, the impacts of having manure accumulate in pastures and paddocks is not too serious.  Most of the folks are able to apply the manure on the ground to fertilize pastures that have already been grazed.  But during the winter when the animals are confined, some serious health and environmental issues can occur.  With the onset of winter comes rain and snow, which when mixed with manure in confined spaces can create an incredible mess.  The Livestock and Land program provides those landowners with effective solutions to manure management, composting, drainage and shelter.  This program takes advantage of grants and cost-share opportunities to help fund the projects with the District staff providing technical and construction assistance.  If you would like more information on this program, contact Walt Edelen, the Water Resources Program Manger for the District.  Email: Walt-edelen@sccd.org or call 509 535 7274 extension 224.

With only 36% of our total budget coming from the assessment, taxpayers in Spokane County receive a lot of value for their $5 per year contribution. We do that through leveraging all of our human and financial resources to the maximum!  Support your conservation district.  We do everything - From the Ground Up!