The Basics

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- The Basics -
Conservation Districts in New York

• Training Module 1

• Special thanks to the Michigan Association of
  Conservation Districts for assisting in the
  development of this training module.

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Training Module 1What Youll Learn

• What a Soil Water Conservation District is.
• What it is supposed to do.
• Who is involved in getting the job done.

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Discussion Questions

• What is the purpose of Conservation Districts?
• What is their legal definition?
• What are their key activities?
• What are the roles of District Directors?
• What are the roles of District Staff?

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The Purpose of Conservation Districts

• New Yorks 58 Districts are responsible for
  educating the public on the benefits of
  conservation practices.
• They work to convince land users to
  protect resources, maintain their productivity,
  and protect or improve their profitability.

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Purpose

• New Yorks Conservation Districts are referred
  to as gateways to natural resource management
  in their local communities.
• Sharing boundaries with New York Counties, they
  provide linkages between land owners/managers
  and a host of conservation service providers.

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Legally Speaking

• According to Section 3 of New York State
  Soil Water
  Conservation Districts Law

A Soil and Water Conservation District means
a county whose board of supervisors
has by resolution declared
said county to be a
soil and water conservation district.
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Legally Speaking

• A Conservation District is NOT
  a non-profit organization
  
• New York Districts are NOT
  authorized to levy taxes
• Districts CAN ask their county governing body to
  allocate an appropriation in their budget

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Legally Speaking

• In many ways, a Conservation District
  can act as a business. It can
• own property
• accept gifts
• sue and be sued
• raise funds for work performed
• Districts DO NOT have the right of
  eminent domain.
• They CANNOT mandate conservation practices.

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Key Activities of Districts

• On an ongoing basis, Districts assess the
  resource needs of the County.
• They develop long-range and annual plans, with
  goals and objectives designed to meet prioritized
  needs.
• They provide linkages between land users and
  conservation service providers

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Key Activities of Districts

• seek funding to implement programs and activities
  identified in their annual plan.
• assess their progress in meeting the goals of
  their long-range plan.
• promote their programs and projects.

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District Directors
The County governing body of a District appoints
a Director to delegate the responsibility of
developing and prioritizing the Districts
policies and programs.
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Roles of District Directors

• Be aware of the different natural resource needs
  within the County and actively seek input for
  solutions.
• Be an example of conservation management by
  practicing applicable conservation methods.
• Promote the ethic of good resource stewardship
  among all residents.

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Roles of District Directors

• Be familiar with laws, policies and program
  concepts of importance to the District.
• Manage District staff, finances and property
  through the Manager or Executive Director.
• Regularly attend District meetings and functions,
  take an active role in overseeing employee
  activities, and generally make the Conservation
  District business a priority.

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Conservation District Staff

• District staff members are responsible for the
  day-to-day business of the District
• maintaining office records
• performing conservation project activities
• representing the District and the Board
  in the community

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Roles of District Staff

• Implement policies and activities as directed and
  approved by the Board.
• Recommend Board action on District business as
  appropriate, advise the Board on issues,
  projects, budgets and any other matters as
  necessary or requested.
• Report regularly to the Board, county residents
  and state agencies about District activities,
  meetings and events.

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Summary

• A Conservation District is a legal entity with
  many responsibilities and
  powers of a business.
• It plans and implements conservation practices,
  seeking cooperation and input from the public.

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Summary

• Districts coordinate with
  federal and state agencies,
• prepare a long-range plan to address specific
  conservation needs of the County,
• secure
  necessary funding,
• perform
  needed work,
• evaluate and
  promote success.

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Summary

• Districts educate their residents on
  good conservation practices and
  encourage stewardship of natural resources.

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Summary

• District staff
• maintain the District office.
• assist the Board, landusers and the general
  public.
• provide information, project assistance and
  access to resources.

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Summary

• Directors are appointed by the county governing
  body to represent their interests in natural
  resource conservation.

• They are leaders, using their own operations and
  activities to set a good conservation example to
  others, and demonstrate conservation
  benefits.

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Review Questions

• What is the purpose of a Conservation District?
• What is the legal definition of a District?
• What are their key activities?
• What are the roles of District Directors?
• What are the roles of District staff?

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Resources Available