National Association of Conservation Districts

Urban-Rural Initiatives

According to the American Farmland Trust, “America is losing 1.2 million acres of farmland annually, much of it the best and most productive farmland near where most Americans live.” In many cases, that land is being turned into housing developments and shopping malls. It’s in these developing areas that districts’ urban and community conservation services are most concentrated. It’s here that many address natural resource concerns such as soil erosion and sedimentation, stormwater runoff, forest and farm fragmentation, invasive species and more—all of which are covered in more detail on their own web pages.

This section showcases districts’ work and available resources on the broader issue of the urban-rural interface—bringing together the urban and rural sectors to identify their mutual natural resource concerns and finding solutions instead of blame.

District Showcases

• Cheney Lake Watershed Inc, KS
  Cheney Lake Watershed, Inc., a private, non-profit organization, is based upon a unique urban/rural partnership. Farmers, ranchers, and other rural residents of this 633,449-acre watershed are working with the City of Wichita, the largest city in Kansas, to protect a primary drinking water source for more than 300,000 people. Cheney Lake Watershed got its start in 1992 when the Reno County Conservation District and the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) county committee formed a task force to investigate water quality concerns related to Cheney Reservoir and the North Fork of the Ninnescah River.


• Vermilion SWCD, LA (PDF)
  Download this story about how the Coulee Baton Microwatershed is the center of an effort by the conservation district, RC&D and other partners to address both agricultural and residential water quality. This case study is one of 25 from NACD's Our Land, Our Water publication, the full copy of which can downloaded here.


• Popo Agie CD, WY
  The Community Enhancement Program provides incentive for residents and businesses to conserve or improve the natural resources, environment, and natural beauty of our community through conservation practices.

Resources

• A Watershed Partnering Project (PDF, 3MB) - Presented at the 2008 NACD Annual Meeting by Doug Martin, Nevada Tahoe Conservation District, Nevada.


• Urban Watershed Restoration Through Community Conservation (PDF, 1.5MB) - Presented at the 2008 NACD Annual Meeting by Shelly Miller, Wilmington, North Carolina


• American Farmland Trust
• Farming on the Edge Report
• U.S. Forest Service Open Space Conservation
• Forests on the Edge
• Open Space Conservation Strategy