SWCD Board
The basic responsibility for
conservation programs is
vested by Oregon Statutes in
the district boards of direct
ors. The district board mem
bers are unpaid elected citi
zens of their districts. By
statute, all but two board
members in each district must
be landowners or managers of
ten or more acres of land.
They are elected at the
general election for four-year
starred terms of office.
The districts have responsi
bility for erosion control,
water conservation, water
resources development, flood
control, irrigation water man
agement, animal waste man
agement, nonpoint source wa
ter quality, stream corridor
management, range and pas
ture management, fish and
wildlife habitat protection,
weed control, forest manage
ment, and a large number of
related resource programs.
They are concerned about
natural resource issues on
private lands and on public
lands as they affect private
lands and private land opera
tors. District boards have an
almost infinite number of
responsibilities and opportun
ities for service to their
communities, but they have
severely limited resources
with which to function. Many
lack basic clerical assistance
and support staff.
Districts have been depen
dent upon other agencies,
primarily federal and upon
state and county governments
for all of their manpower and
financial resources. The
USDA Soil Conservation Ser
vice (SCS) has historically
provided technical assistance
through assigned staff techni
cians for each district, but the
numbers of these have been
greatly reduced over the past
few years. SCS has also
provided limited financial as
sistance for district project
activities, but this, too, is
disappearing.
Limited cost -share funds for
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Y0IIR II0X.ll OH 147 Warn
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of Directors
individual district coopcrators
or small group projects are
available through the Agricul
tural Conservation Program
(ACP). The Cooperative Ex
tension Service provides in
formation and education pro
gram support and has gener
ally cooperated with district
boards.
One of our most effective
avenues of reaching districts
is through the Oregon Associ
ation of Conservation Dis
tricts. This statewide organi
zation of SWCD directors
sponsors area meetings each
fall and spring. We are
currently in the midst of the
fall meetings at this time. The
OSCD also sponsors an annual
meeting. The association
meetings provide excellent
forums for exchanges of ideas
and information between dis
tricts as well as for us to
communicate new develop
ments from the state and
federal levels.
We assist districts in their
relationship to other units of
local government, state agen
cies, federal agencies and
many associations and organ
izations. We have been parti
cularly active in building close
ties between SWCDs and
county governments during
the past few years. We believe
that if districts are to survive
and to achieve their goals,
they must have the support of
their county governments.
Currently, we are admini
stering a matching fund
program under which district
boards receive $1,200 of state
appropriated funds, provided
they raise at least $600 at the
district level. These funds are
used for district operations in
many ways, but it is far from
adequate. All districts have
received their matching funds
in past years and we antici
pate that will be true this
biennium.
We are also administering a
new fund this biennium. This
is a grant program under
which we will be able to
SERVICE
EXCAVATING
INSTALLATION Of SEPTIC TANKS
AND DRAIN FIELDS
The
oversees many
provide a very limited amount
of money for conservation
projects. We have $36,000 for
this biennium. but are hopeful
that it can be increased when
the state's economy becomes
stronger.
The division spends much of
its efforts helping districts
supplement the traditional
sources of manpower and
dollars. We were able to
obtain assistance through the
CETA program when it was
available and at one time had
over 40 people in district
offices who were able to
effectively increase SCS tech
nical assistance to the land
owners. We had a student
trainee program funded by the
state which also provided
supplemental assistance.
These assistance programs
were eliminated July 1. 1980
due to budget cuts.
Besides county and state
funds, as previously mention
ed, we have aggressively
sought other sources of fund
ing. One of these was the 208
program under which we have
been able to focus federal
funds on some serious state
conservation problems. We
believe this has been effective
in gaining some much needed
attention on certain priority
problem areas. We have also
prevented EPA and DEQ from
turning it into a strong
regulatory effort which, in our
belief, would have been a
serious mistake.
Much headway has been,
and is being made. More
erosion control practices are
being installed each year in
the wheat-summer fallow re
gion of north Central Oregon.
This effort is beginning to
have an impact and has been
snowballing the last few
years, attracting national at
tention. Neither SCS nor ACP
can keep up with the demand
for assistance.
Previously, districts have
never had the power to tax.
Now. the 1981 legislature has
given Soil and Water Conser-
LET'S
WORK TOGETHER
HANI
K OF
1 M II - I L I II
1 ?iij2fj'
"Your Home-Owned, Independent Bert"
ARLINGTON, HEPPNER AND IONE
Gaiette-Times. Heppner, Oregon,
natural resource issues
vation districts the authority
to go to the voters and ask for
the power to tax. This is an
important first step for dis
tricts. Districts in every part of the
stale are active and aggres
sively moving ahead. Not all
districts are at the same level
of participation, but every
district has a long range
program and is making pro
gress to achieve their goals.
Increased field contacts by the
division staff with district
directors and improved com
munication with local units of
government are vital needs
that must be met if our natural
resource problem is to be
successfully dealt with.
Erosion is a growing nation
al concern. It is estimated that
we are currently losing more
topsoil from agricultural
lands across the country than
we did during the dust bowl.
Without an accelerated na
tionwide effort carried on at
UrtixKzrct! Reciltp, Inc.
EUS N. First St. - Hermiitoii. Ore. 17131
Phone (MJ)SI7438J COLLECT
WHEAT FARM, over 1200 acres; 950 pivot Irrigated, 2 wells,
barns, hayshed. lovely 4000 sq. ft. home, adjoining city.
$1,800,000.
203 IRRIGATED ACRES established in alfalfa seed, shop,
meat cutting room, water from well or Umatilla Hood
Control, 9'4 mile wheel lines, 3V mile hand lines, located
along golf course.
FARMS HOMES COMMERCIAL
WE WANT YOUR
CALL US
WsJVE'RE BEHIND
ALL THE WAY
HELPING
YOU TO
FARM WITH
SUCCESS
BECAUSE CONSERVATION IS
Thursday. February 25, ISS2-FIVE
stale and local levels, the
ability of this country's soil
resources to produce an ade
quate supply of food for a
rapidly growing population is
in extreme danger.
Forestry, from page 3
the timberland around the
homes, the homes are essen
tially unprotected and the
potential for catastrophic loss
in the event of a forest fire is
high. We will be increasing
our efforts to work with
landowners in these areas to
help prevent future losses.
Cost-share, from page 4
beginning of the project. . "
At present there are 10 long
term agreements with Mor
row County farmers for treat
ment of designated fields over
a three to five year period.
The total amount of cost
shares approved on these
agreements is $135,587.
LISTINGS:
Members FLI
YOU
As a farmer, you can de
pend on the people who
depend on you . . . us! We
know that your job is a
vital part of the growth of
this community. . .
and your success
benefits us all.
So we make it a
point to help you
financially when
ever we can.
EVERYBODY'S JOB!!
MEMBER
INSURANCE CORPORATION