Mission
Providing leadership, technical, educational and financial assistance to landowners and land users in their utilization and management of natural resources.
Vision
The Kittitas County Conservation District is recognized by all private landowners as a source of financial, technical and educational assistance in Kittitas County; and by local, state and federal authorities as the organization of choice to implement on-the-ground stewardship activities.
Who We Serve & Why
We serve the citizens of our community (county, state, country) to ensure the long term use of natural resources in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner using non-regulatory, voluntary approaches. Like us on Facebook for more on us!
What is a conservation district?
The 45 conservation districts are the ONLY organizations in Washington State that routinely design and apply on-the-ground solutions to nonpoint water quality problems on privately owned resource lands. No other group, public or private, does this work. Further, the technical help provided by conservation districts to private landowners is free for the asking. Each conservation district is led by a five-member board of volunteer supervisors - three elected locally and two appointed by the state's conservation agency, the Conservation Commission. These individuals serve three-year terms, during which time they remain aware of locally important natural resource or environmental issues and decide what projects their district will undertake each year. Also, each conservation district has paid staff that works to implement the annual and long range plans of the board of supervisors.
Conservation districts have broad authority under their enabling legislation, and can tackle just about any problem related to the natural environment. Districts in Washington State are involved in issues ranging from air quality (blowing dust), to prevention of groundwater contamination, to stream improvement for endangered salmon, to dairy waste management, to stream bank stabilization, to on-farm irrigation water management, to forestland improvement, to erosion control on dryland farms. Even where natural resources problems exceed local capabilities, local conservation districts usually know who to contact for additional help.
Under their enabling statute (RCW 89.08), a conservation district is defined as "…a governmental subdivision of this state, and a public body corporate and politic exercising public powers…" Conservation districts are part of state government just like hospital districts, irrigation districts, and other special purpose districts created under state law for specific public purposes. They are local governmental bodies charged with fulfilling very specific purposes relating to the conservation of renewable natural resources. Based on this, Section 115 of the Internal Revenue Service Code confers tax exempt status on conservation districts. Also, charitable contributions to districts are generally tax deductible.