What are Conservation Districts?

Conservation districts—sometimes referred to as “CDs”—engage people with voluntary actions that keep our air, water, soil, habitats, and farmland healthy for all.

CDs are community-based hubs of natural resource expertise and funding. They're staffed and led by locals who understand the needs of landscapes and fellow community-members that they serve.

Each of Washington’s 39 counties is represented by at least one conservation district.

Find Your Conservation District

Conservation districts provide:

Non-regulatory services that are tailored to meet the needs of local people, local properties, and natural resources.
Site-specific plans for your property designed to help you achieve your land use and conservation goals.
Grant funding and free or low-cost services that make it more affordable for you to take actions that make our water, soil, air, landscapes, and habitats healthier for all.
Technical expertise for project planning, permitting, and construction.

Examples of conservation district services include:

Habitat restoration and enhancement
Livestock and nutrient management
Soil, forest, and rangeland health
Natural disaster preparedness and recovery

Irrigation water management
Stormwater management
Environmental education
Urban agriculture

Reasons to contact your local conservation district:

Conservation districts are trusted partners. They are non-regulatory entities that do not enforce compliance or impose penalties, but instead work collaboratively with people to help them responsibly and efficiently manage their land.
Conservation districts have a personal investment and interest in improving the quality of life in their communities. Because they live where they work, staff have deep, firsthand knowledge of the natural resource issues and challenges faced by their fellow community members.
Conservation districts are repositories of natural resource expertise, knowledge, education, and dedication. Staff offer people expertise in fields such as soil resource management, conservation biology, forest and ecological engineering, and more.

More Information

There are 45 Conservation Districts in the state of Washington. Find yours today! Visit the Conservation District Map and Directory.
Each conservation district is directed by a five-member board. Interested in becoming a leader at your local conservation district? Find out more about local elections and appointments.
Chapter 89.08 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) is the enabling statute for conservation district work in Washington and was adopted by the legislature in 1939.

Soil sampling — *Okanogan Conservation District staff finish a long day of soil sampling*