Partners in Conservation Unifying voice of Districts – Non governmental Local entity to lead conservation efforts Supports conservation districts – State Technical support of districts - Federal

TEAM Teach about what you do. You cannot be utilized if they don’t know what you can do or how to find you. Engage in the community, with local and legislative officials Advance the mission of the district and ask how the district can be relevant to the mission of partners Motivate staff, supervisors and partners that may need a little extra encouragement.

Module 5 – What You’ll Learn Who are the Districts’ State and Federal partners? Who are the Districts’ non-profit partners? What other organizations do Districts work with?

Discussion Questions How do the following groups assist Districts: Idaho Soil & Water Conservation Commission (State) USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Idaho Association of Soil Conservation Districts (IASCD) National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) What other organizations do Districts traditionally partner with? In what IASCD Division is your District located? Who is your IASCD Division Representative at the state level?

State & Federal Partners Conservation Districts partner with many local and statewide agencies, groups and organizations. The 2 main agencies that assist Districts are: Idaho Soil & Water Conservation Commission USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

ISWCC The Idaho State Soil and Water Conservation Commission is responsible to assist Districts in the following areas: Offer assistance to the District Supervisors in implementing their responsibilities. Help Districts and other conservation partners connect with each other to cultivate new partnerships and funding opportunities. Provide low interest loans for landowners for conservation equipment and projects that support the local Districts priorities.

ISWCC Secure the cooperation and assistance of federal and state agencies to further the work of the Districts. Allocate technical assistance to Districts, such as engineers and resource conservationists. Distribute state funds and conservation project grant funds to Districts. Prepare and update total maximum daily loads (TMDL) implementation plans for agriculture in cooperation with Districts.

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service - NRCS NRCS is a federal agency with the goal of conserving natural resources on private land. NRCS works through a voluntarily incentive based program for privately owned lands, as well as with other private and public resources, and units of government. Many Districts have an NRCS employee housed in local USDA Service Centers.

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service - NRCS cont… A memorandum of understanding was executed between USDA and Conservation Districts at the time of its organization. This Mutual Agreement and the Cooperative Working Agreement allows the District to utilize NRCS technical services. In general, the agreement says that NRCS will: assign technical personnel to the District. provide assistance in accordance with the District’s Annual Plan. consult with the District in advance when personnel and/or assistance changes are to be made. may provide office facilities.

Non-Profit Partners Conservation Districts also receive assistance from 2 partners that are non-profit organizations: Idaho Association of Conservation Districts National Association of Conservation Districts

National Association of Conservation Districts - NACD Formed in 1946, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD): is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that represents nearly 3,000 Districts nationally. maintains offices in Washington D.C. and has regional representatives. has established a strong voice on soil, water and other natural resource concerns at the national level. Notes for Presenter/Facilitator Read and help participants understand the slide.

USDA Farm Services Agency - FSA The mission of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) is to: Stabilize farm income Help farmers conserve land and water resources Provide credit to new or disadvantaged farmers Help farms recover from the effects of disaster

Cooperative Extension - CCE Cooperative Extension (CCE) staff serve as another source of information, and assist Districts in demonstrations and education programs. CCE provides local experts in agronomy, horticulture, home economics, and more. Extension Agents are located throughout the state to assist the community.

Resource Conservation & Development – RC&D RC&Ds administer grant projects for and through Conservation Districts and other groups. RC&Ds provide a multi-purpose approach to resource management.

Department of Environmental Quality - DEQ Source Water Protection Program DEQ can provide watershed planning grants to towns, villages and counties. Districts may partner with eligible municipalities and entities to carryout watershed planning efforts. DEQ Source Water Protection Grants provide funding for projects to protect sources of public drinking water, that leads to the reduction of risk in contamination of the drinking water source.

Department of Environmental Quality - DEQ Surface Water Program DEQ is responsible for insuring Idaho streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and wetlands meet their beneficial uses and Idaho Water Quality Standards. Section 319 of the Clean Water Act established a grant program to support a wide variety of nonpoint source pollution management activities. Conservation Districts compete for § 319 subgrants that are used to address nonpoint source pollution in their watersheds.

Other Organizations Districts interact with many organizations that can be a source of funding, resources and program support including: Land Conservancies Wildlife Groups Water Districts Foundations Local and State Government Officials Businesses Nonprofit organizations

Resources Available Information on the following District partners can be found on the web at: Farm Service Agency - FSA www.fsa.usda.gov Idaho Association of Conservation Districts - IASCD http://www.iascd.org Idaho Conservation District Employees Association - IDEA http://www.idahodea.org Idaho Soil & Water Conservation Commission - ISWCC http://swc.idaho.gov Department of Environmental Quality - DEQ http://deq.idaho.gov/ University of Idaho Extension http://www.uidaho.edu/extension National Association of Conservation Districts - NACD www.nacdnet.org Natural Resources Conservation Service - NRCS www.nrcs.usda.gov Idaho Resource Conservation & Development – RC&D http://idahorcd.org/