Our
Programs
Wheat
Week is a series of five lessons, delivered over the course of one
week, educating students about water, soil, wheat, salmon, dams
and energy and how they impact our daily lives.
The
Century Farm and Ranch Program was created to recognize farm and
ranch families with century-long connections to the land and
Douglas County's rich agricultural heritage. The program is
administered through Foster Creek Conservation District in
cooperation with the Do. Co. Commissioners. Successful applicants
receive a certificate signed by the Do. Co. Commissioners. A metal
sign, suitable for hanging on a gate or post, identifying their
historic Century Farm or Century Ranch is also available to the
family.
This 4 foot by 8 foot tunnel gives kids an
opportunity to "go underground" and experience things such as a
well, septic system, groundwater, root systems, animal and bug
burrows and other items related to soils. For more information
about borrowing the project for your educational program, contact
Kristine at the District office.
The
Douglas County Multi Species Habitat Conservation Plan is a
50-year project to allow our agricultural community to conserve
local wildlife while continuing to sustainably operate their farms
and ranches. The MSHCP is an agreement between Foster Creek
CD, the US Fish and Wildlife, and the National Marine Fisheries
Service providing legal assurances to local agricultural
landowners against endangered species litigation.
To
support the local, state, and federal salmon recovery efforts, the
Foster Creek Conservation District is the Lead Entity for salmon
recovery in Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIAs) 44 - Moses Coulee, and
50 - Foster Creek.
As
part of state legislation, local groups were encouraged to assess,
plan, and implement projects to benefit and enhance their local
watersheds. In 1999, Foster Creek CD became the lead agency
in Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIAs) 44 - Moses Coulee, and
50 - Foster Creek and administers the Douglas County Watershed
Planning Association consisting of over 50 local and state organizations.
Noxious
and invasive weed species are detrimental to local biodiversity
and the agricultural crops produced in Douglas County. Since
2001, FCCD has worked with local landowners, non-governmental
agencies, and WSU Extension to distribute insects that control
weed species. In addition, FCCD cost shares with landowners
on herbicide applications for priority weed species that have not
yet established a significant presence in the county.
Under
the Federal Farm Bill Conservation Title, Foster Creek assists the
Natural Resources Conservation Service implement voluntary
programs designed to protect and enhance our natural resources.
The
Canon Envirothon is an annual competition in which winning
state/provincial teams compete for recognition and scholarships by
demonstrating their knowledge of environmental science and natural
resource management. The teams, each consisting of five high
school-aged students from participating US States and Canadian
Provinces, exercise their training and problem-solving skills in a
competition centered on four universal testing categories (i.e.,
soils/land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, and wildlife) and a
current environmental issue.
Foster
Creek CD uses many avenues and events to reach out to our
conservation partners. Yearly with or South Douglas
Conservation District neighbors we hold an annual meeting in
winter. FCCD publishes a quarterly newsletter distributed to
over 1,000 interested recipients. We hold an annual county
tour or event to showcase our local projects. And, we have
displays featured in the North Central Washington Fair each year
in Waterville.
