Finney County Conservation District
History of Conservation Districts
The 1930's brought an ecological disaster known as the Dust Bowl. Huge black dust storms blotted out the sun and swallowed the countryside.
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On April 2, 1935, while testifying on Capitol Hill, soil scientist Hugh Bennett threw back the curtains in the room to reveal a sky blackened by the rolling dust. Congress immediately responded to the national concerns over mounting erosion, floods and sky blackening dust storms that swept across the country, and enacted the SOIL CONSERVATION ACT OF 1935.
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Today there are over 3,000 local conservation districts with 15,000 public-elected supervisors addressing policy and environmental concerns at the local level. In the state of Kansas, we have 105 conservation districts with 525 supervisors, with staffed offices employing 158. Staff includes District Managers, Water Quality Coordinators, and Administrative Assistants. In most cases, Conservation Districts are housed in a USDA Service Center with NRCS, FSA and RD.
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Each Conservation District sets goals and objectives designed to address local conservation and environmental concerns. We work in partnership with federal, state, and local agencies in administering programs receiving the technical assistance for these programs from NRCS.
Among the wide range of resource issues addressed by the Conservation District, education is one of the most important. they work cooperatively with local citizens to solve local conservation problems, which not only benefit the agriculture community, but society as a whole. Clean water and productive soils are basic to our quality of life now and in the future. Because conservation districts are citizen-directed organizations they are practical partners to coordinate local, state and federal initiatives to protect natural resources and enhance water quality. in addition to local programs, conservation districts administer the state cost-share programs which provide financial assistance to landowners to install conservation practices. Conservation District employees work closely with employees of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and cooperate with other federal and state agencies to help protect and conserve natural resources in Kansas. Conservation Districts provide information and education to landowners, schools and the general public about soil and water conservation issues. Some districts offer conservation related items for sale such as grass seed and trees. Many districts have equipment available to rent that promotes conservation by preventing erosion and improving water quality like grass drills, tree planters, and no-till seeders. Services and activities vary with each conservation district.
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History of the Finney County Conservation District
The Finney County Soil Conservation District was formed on September 30, 1946. In 1973 the name was changed to the Finney County Conservation District to reflect the need to conserve all natural resources. Finney County is the second largest county in Kansas, totaling 833,280 acres. Finney County was settled in the late 1870's to 1900's. We are located in the Pawnee Watershed and James Draw Watershed. The boundaries of the district include all the lands in Finney County including the towns and cities of Garden City, Holcomb, Pierceville, Friend, and Kalvesta.
