Welcome to the
Kansas Association of Conservation Districts

The Kansas Association of Conservation Districts is a voluntary, nongovernmental, nonprofit, incorporated organization that was established in 1944, two years before the National Association of Conservation Districts was formed.  Its members are the conservation districts located in the state’s 105 counties.

The KACD Board of Directors is composed of five elected members, each of whom represents one of five geographical areas of the state.

USDA Local Workgroup Meeting Announcement

Conservation Districts in Kansas are currently scheduling Local Workgroup Meetings across the state. The Kansas Association of Conservation Districts (KACD) will be assisting districts with facilitation of the meetings with one meeting being scheduled in each of the 29 NRCS management units. 

The purpose of these meetings is to gather information and make recommendations to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist, as well as other state and local leaders, related to addressing natural resource concerns identified at local level. The recommendations gathered locally, as well as a consolidated report for the entire state of Kansas, will be shared with all interested parties.

“LWGs are important because they provide recommendations on local and state natural resource priorities and criteria for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation activities and programs. It is critical that the ‘boots on the ground’ have a voice in the process,” said Dan Meyerhoff, KACD Executive Director.

Topics to be covered at the LWG meeting will include:

  1. A review of a resource assessment completed by each Conservation District in the Management Unit.

  2. Identification of local priority resource concerns

  3. Training Needs in the Management Unit

  4. Outreach Opportunities in the Management Unit

  5. Other issues raised by meeting attendees

We want the local workgroups to be diverse.  Attendees should include agricultural producers representing the variety of crops and livestock raised within the local area; representatives of agricultural and environmental organizations; governmental agencies carrying out agricultural and natural resource conservation and activities as well as anyone from the general public with an interest in their community’s natural resources.  LWGs also take into account concerns of particular historically underserved groups and individuals including but not limited to women, persons with disabilities, socially disadvantaged, and limited resource groups. 

Most of the LWG’s will have a virtual component to allow you to participate remotely. 

To find the time and location of an upcoming local workgroup meeting in your area please click HERE

 

 

 

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Our Mission

"Providing local leadership to protect and improve Kansas Natural Resources through collaboration, education and implementation"

Throughout its history, KACD has helped forge key partnerships among federal, state, and local entities all committed to a common goal: wise and efficient conservation practices to protect the state’s natural resources. These partnerships spanning more than six decades have been highly effective and mutually beneficial, allowing for shared space, equipment, and knowledge.

 

On April 14, 1935, an estimated 300 million tons of soil blew from the land.

That day, known as “Black Sunday,” people of the Great Plains suffered the devastating effects of a massive drought. It was one of the darkest periods in Kansas history. 

But just as every cloud has a silver lining, out of those dust clouds came a firm commitment to soil conservation. The Kansas Legislature passed a bill that created conservation districts in Kansas, which was signed into law by Governor Walter Huxman on March 25, 1937.

With that action, Kansas began a commitment to conservation that has lasted more than seven decades.