FY 2008 (7/1/07 – 6/30/08) Long Range Plan

Who We Are:

The Foster Creek Conservation District (FCCD) is located in north central Washington and encompasses 622,520 acres in the northern-half of rural Douglas County . FCCD is a legal subdivision of WA state government. We are mandated by, RCW 89.08 to develop and administer voluntary, non-regulatory programs to conserve natural resources. WA ' s 47 Conservation Districts are the only locally-driven, conservation delivery systems that identify local problems and guide voluntary local solutions.

The Foster Creek Conservation District is governed by a board of volunteer supervisors who establish local priorities and set policies. These district supervisors are not paid, but direct the expertise of district staff.

Our Conservation Team:

The Foster Creek Conservation District (FCCD) works closely with the Washington State Conservation Commission and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in a unique partnership.  The FCCD is self-governed by local landowners and concerned citizens, while the Washington State Conservation Commission (a state agency) and the NRCS (a federal agency) work as separate entities providing technical assistance to cooperators.  The WSCC and NRCS receive much of their direction on a local level from the FCCD board.  It’s a partnership that has been working well since 1942.

Mission of the Foster Creek Conservation District

To protect natural resources; enhance sustainable, profitable agriculture; and improve the quality of life in Douglas County by:

§       Encouraging good land stewardship through education, incentives, and quality technical assistance.

§       Protecting individual private property rights.

§       Building strong coalitions with other groups.

§       Including government assistance as a valid conservation partner to agriculture, by providing quality, intelligent, technical assistance to cooperators and partners.

Our Long Range Natural Resource Priorities and Goals:

§         Provide leadership regarding natural resource issues.

§         Negotiation and implementation of a country-wide multi-species habitat conservation plan ( Douglas County MSHCP ) to address current and potential Endangered Species Act listings in the agricultural community.

§         Facilitate renewal of the Conservation Reserve Program and similar programs.

§         Serving as the Lead Entity for Watershed Planning under ESHB 2514 in WRIAs 44&50.  Coordinating the efforts of the Douglas County Watershed Planning Association including implementation of the watershed management plan.

§         Sponsoring informational tours and/or conferences for private landowners, elected officials, and the general public.  Our goal is to build common ground among the environmental community, agricultural landowners, agency representatives, and private citizens.

§         Coordinating with other natural resource conservation entities.

§         In cooperation with partners, develop and implement tools to track the current status of natural resources in the county.

§         Providing youth education through the Regional Envirothon and other activities in the schools.

§         Cooperatively addressing weed issues and problems, expand our biological control program.

§         Assisting private landowners in addressing resource issues and concerns.

§          Provide assistance to the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in implementing conservation programs in the Federal Farm Bill .

Long Range Plan (PDF)