History

A conservation district is a governmental subdivision of this state, and a public body - corporate and political, organized by the people within the district boundaries under provisions of the Soil Conservation District Law, which is part of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA) Public Act 451 of 1994, as amended. It is a locally controlled resource management agency, created by concerned landowners and administered by publicly elected boards of directors.

The locally elected five-member board of directors makes all decisions regarding the district’s programs and activities. The directors employ a district manager (also referred to as executive director or district administrator) who oversees all day-to-day activities including the hiring and management of qualified staff necessary to implement the district’s programs and carry out its mission. The district manager and board of directors follow the rules and regulations according to the Michigan Conservation District's Operations Manual provided by Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD).  The guiding philosophy of conservation districts is that decisions on conservation issues should be made at the local level, by local people, with technical assistance provided by the government.

Conservation districts are local providers of natural resource management services that help citizens implement conservation on their land and protect the environment for a cleaner, healthier, and economically stronger Michigan. The primary goal of a conservation district is to address the most critical local resource concerns. Common examples include:

• Reduce soil erosion and control sedimentation in waters of the state
• Encourage conversion of all mismanaged land to a productive use
• Promote use of effective methods of surface and groundwater management
• Facilitate land use / changes based on land capabilities and user goals
• Enhance and protect the basic ability of land to produce food and fiber
• Promote the maintenance of aesthetic values of land and its related resources
• Assist landowners in controlling nonpoint sources of pollution to surface water, groundwater and air

To effectively carry out its programs, a conservation district should:

• Establish a mission statement 
• Conduct a conservation needs assessment (formerly referred to as the natural resource assessment), every five years, to identify the local community’s top natural resource concerns 
• Develop a five-year long-range strategic plan, based on feedback from the conservation needs assessment, that includes a calendar of actions and annual goals leading to the accomplishment of the long-range plan’s overall goals
• Develop an annual business plan (formerly the annual plan of work) each year based on the goals of the five-year long-range plan 
• Use directors, staff, technical personnel, cooperating agencies, and partner organizations in planning and implementing various phases of the district’s programs

From the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts: 
“Michigan’s 75 Conservation Districts (CDs) are your local providers of natural resource management services -- much like your local fire, police, health, and school services. We're also your neighbors, helping fellow Michiganders conserve their lands and waterways so our environment can be a cleaner, healthier, economically stronger place to live, work and grow for our community.”

“Formed in response to the 1930s Dust Bowl, Conservation Districts are local units of government that utilize state, federal, and private sector resources to address today's conservation challenges like the climate crisis, algal blooms in the Great Lakes, soil erosion, and food-system disruption.”

From NRCS:
“On April 27, 1935 Congress passed Public Law 74-46, in which it recognized that "the wastage of soil and moisture resources on farm, grazing, and forest lands . . .  is a menace to the national welfare," and it directed the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) as a permanent agency in the USDA. In 1994, Congress changed SCS’s name to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to better reflect the broadened scope of the agency’s concerns. The creation of the Soil Conservation Service represented the culmination of the efforts of Hugh Hammond Bennett, “father of Soil Conservation” and the first Chief of SCS, to awaken public concern for the problem of soil erosion.”