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DEPARTMENTAL REGULATION |
Number: 1340-001 |
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SUBJECT: Cooperation with Conservation Districts |
DATE: July 7, 1983 |
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OPI: Conservation Planning and Application Division, SCS |
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1 PURPOSE
To encourage all
agencies of the Department to cooperate with conservation districts in carrying
out their district programs for soil water, and related resource management.
2 SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS/CANCELLATIONS
The following Secretary's Memoranda are
superseded by this regulation and are hereby rescinded:
a Secretary's Memorandum 1488, Cooperation with Soil and
Water Conservation Districts
b Secretary's Memorandum 2006, Conservation Assistance
to Indians on Tribal Lands
3 BACKGROUND
The primary responsibility for soil and
water conservation rests with the people who own and/or operate the land. USDA
provides assistance through conservation districts as part of a nationwide soil
and water conservation program on private and Indian lands. The districts,
organized under State enabling laws, stimulate local initiative and are
governed by elected or appointed local citizens.
Since 1937, various States,
territories, and Indian tribal governments have enacted conservation district
legislation. There are in existence under State, territorial, or tribal laws
some 2,930 local conservation districts organized through the democratic
procedures of petition and referendum. They encompass a total area of
2,215,000,000 acres of land. They include 95 percent of the Nation's privately
owned agricultural and forest land and 94 percent of the farms and ranches.
More than 17,000 local citizens are members of the boards that govern these
districts.
Enabling laws provide for State conservation
committees (or boards or commissions), the members of which are either named in
the act by their position or are appointed by the Governor. As agencies of
State government, they guide the organization of districts and facilitate in
their functioning.
Each district has responsibility under
law for developing a districtwide soil and water conservation
program and for carrying it forward by helping private land owners and
operators to plan, apply, and maintain technically sound conservation programs
for their land. Each district is autonomous and self-governed. It has the
authority to enter into working agreements and arrangements with any agency,
governmental or otherwise and with any person to carry out its program to
accomplish its purpose.
4 POLICY
It is USDA policy to cooperate with
conservation districts by:
a Encouraging local citizens to organize districts for the
privately and Indian owned land in the entire
b Entering into working agreements and other
appropriate arrangements with districts and States to provide assistance in
carrying out their programs
c Encouraging land owners and operators to cooperate
with their local districts; and
d Providing
assistance through research, education, technical assistance, financial
assistance, and credit to individuals and groups of farmers, ranchers, other
land users, and units of government to help them carry out their soil, water,
and related natural resource programs.
The Secretary of Agriculture has entered into
a Memorandum of Understanding with each district. The various agencies of USDA
are encouraged to enter into supplemental Memoranda of Understanding or other
appropriate working agreements with these districts to help implement the
district program.