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Our
History
The
Latah Soil and Water Conservation District (Latah SWCD) is a subdivision of state government, led by a locally elected Board
of Supervisors. The volunteer seven-member Board is joined by associate supervisors, District staff and volunteers to carry
out district activities.
Latah SWCD works through voluntary,
incentive-based programs to assist private landowners and agricultural operators with the conservation of land, water, plant
and wildlife resources throughout Latah County. Latah County contains approximately 697,000 acres, of which 38% is devoted
to agriculture and 61% are forest and range lands. Approximately 77% of the county is in private ownership.
In recent years, the work of the Latah SWCD has focused on conservation tillage,
erosion control on forest and agricultural lands, wildlife enhancement, Palouse Prairie restoration, environmental education.
and watershed planning.
Mission Statement
Lead local efforts to promote stewardship of natural resources, on behalf of
citizens, through development of comprehensive plans and implementation of strategies for economic and ecological sustainability,
through coordination of leadership, information and funding.
District Goals
District Capacity
Develop and maintain the political and organizational capacity to fully
exercise District rights and responsibilities.
Local Governance
Lead and support landowners,
agricultural operators, local communities and government agencies to collectively identify natural resource issues of concern,
review alternative solutions to address these issues and undertake local efforts to resolve priority issues using voluntary
mechanisms.
Community
Outreach
Promote efforts to enhance the local community's
understanding of ecological systems, the social systems directly dependent upon these natural systems, and the political and
organizational systems developed for the management of natural resources within the District.
Comprehensive Planning
Promote individual, local, regional, state, tribal and national planning efforts that
recognize, and manage for, the interconnected elements of natural systems and seek sustainable management approaches for the
natural resources within the District. Provide for the long-term natural resource conservation objectives of landowners and
agricultural operators, strengthening the long-term health of local economies and protecting the long-term public interest
of the community, as a whole.
Coordinated
Implementation
Lead the voluntary implementation of conservation
efforts that seek to simultaneously protect and enhance the long-term productivity of the District's natural resource
base while providing for the long-term natural resource conservation objectives of landowners and agricultural operators,
protecting the established rights of individual landowners and operators, strengthening the long-term health of local economies
and protecting the long-term public interest of the community, as a whole.
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