Soil and Water Conservation Districts

Our Survey
The National Association of Conservation Districts' (NACD) Great Lakes Committee surveyed the 209 soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs) in the Great Lakes basin to assess their conservation needs. The results indicate that a concerted effort from federal, state and local government, in cooperation with private landowners, is needed to improve and maintain the health of the basin's unique land and water resources.

Federal and state agencies have a limited ability to expand their staff as new needs arise. Districts have begun to fill the increasing personnel gap by hiring professional and experienced natural resource managers. While this provides a larger base of scientific knowledge at the local level and is ultimately more cost-effective than hiring at the state or federal level, more technical personnel require larger district budgets.

Download the report! (PDF, 713 KB)

Our brochure
This brochure, Helping Great Lakes conservation districts meet the regional challenge of improving our natural resources at the local level, summarizes the results of the district survey of the resource and financial needs of the of the districts in the Great Lakes Basin.

Download the brochure! (PDF, 183 KB)