What is a Conservation District?
Born from the Dust Bowl crisis of the 1930s, conservation districts are local champions of soil, water, and natural resource protection. The Spokane Conservation District, established under Washington State’s 1939 law, works with landowners and communities to steward Spokane County’s environment, turning places like The Quarry from barren land into thriving ecosystems.
What is a Conservation District?
Born from the Dust Bowl crisis of the 1930s, conservation districts are local champions of soil, water, and natural resource protection. The Spokane Conservation District, established under Washington State’s 1939 law, works with landowners and communities to steward Spokane County’s environment, turning places like The Quarry from barren land into thriving ecosystems.
OUR MISSION
To help protect, conserve and enhance natural resources. To promote the sustainable use of natural resources within Spokane County.
OUR VISION
To take available technical, financial, and educational resources, whatever their source, and coordinate them so they meet the needs of the local landowner for the conservation of soil, water, trees, and other natual resources.
Led by a Board of Supervisors elected by district residents, SCD ensures our work reflects the community’s needs, from The Quarry’s pollinator gardens to county-wide conservation projects.
Technical Assistance
We provide tools, expertise, and materials to landowners for projects like reforestation, erosion control, and habitat restoration.
Education & Outreach
Through workshops, demonstrations, and community events, we empower Spokane County to conserve soil, water, and trees.
Community Collaboration
We partner with landowners, businesses, and residents to create sustainable solutions, like The Quarry’s transformation into a 50-acre nature reserve.
1930s
Dust Bowl highlights need for
soil conservation.
1937
First conservation district formed in the U.S.
1939
Washington State passes Conservation District Law (RCW 89.08).
Today
Nearly 3,000 districts,
including 45 in WA, protect natural resources.
A Legacy Born from Crisis
In the 1930s, the Dust Bowl devastated the Great Plains, exposing the urgent need for soil conservation. Under President Franklin Roosevelt’s leadership, the first conservation district was formed in 1937 to promote sustainable land use. Washington State followed in 1939 with RCW 89.08, empowering local communities to protect natural resources.
Today, nearly 3,000 conservation districts operate nationwide, including 45 in Washington State. The Spokane Conservation District continues this legacy, providing technical assistance, education, and resources to landowners on a voluntary basis—no regulatory authority, just collaboration.
our resources
WATER RESOURCES
FORESTRY
Production Ag
