Milton Grange #685

The Saratoga County Soil and Water Conservation District, that is! The Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is the best kept secret in the County. The District is an agency that offers services to landowners and municipalities in the county, most services without cost. The District is a non-taxing political sub-division of New York State. There are Districts in each county in NYS and similar agencies in most other states.

The District was established by Saratoga County in 1947 through enabling legislation that was passed by NYS after the Dust-Bowl. Districts were established to bring soil and water conservation to the land through local “grass-roots” efforts. Our District is governed by a 7-member Board of Directors. The membership on the District Board is established by legislation and includes:
2 County Legislators
1 Grange Representative
1 Farm Bureau Representative
2 At-Large Members
1 At-Large Practical Farmer

District programs and activities are approved, in general, by the New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee (NYSSWCC) which is considered the Governing Body for Conservation Districts in NYS. The Board of Directors makes decisions regarding the employees and pay rates, sick and annual leave amounts, holidays and other personnel issues. The Board holds monthly meetings to conduct business. The District Manager is the supervisor of the District Office Staff and District Technicians.

The SWCD receives about 27% of its annual revenues from Saratoga County. NYS provides a reimbursement resulting in about 43% of the annual revenues. Income producing programs such as Tree and Shrub Sales, Tire Recycling, Fish Stocking and various trainings make up the remaining 30%. The activities of the District are carried out by the Field Staff consisting of the District Manager and Technicians who respond to requests for services to farmers, landowners and municipalities. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has one person assigned to the District to carry out Federal Programs in Saratoga County and surrounding counties.

Other Agencies that interact with the District include The USDA Farm Services Agency (FSA), located at the Greenwich Field Office and works closely with the NRCS on Farm Bill activities as well as other farm related programs. The District and NRCS have common space and equipment at their office located at 50 West High Street, Ballston Spa. The County’s Cornell Cooperative Extension, Planning Board, Real Property and Highway Department are examples of county departments that interact with the District. Additionally, the District is a membe1Gr of the Upper Hudson River Watershed Coalition which works with local SWCDs and Regional Planning Boards to implement conservation on a watershed basis. The District has a sub-committee, the Water Quality Coordinating Committee (WQCC), which is made up of interested citizens (such as Friends of the Kayaderosseras, Ballston Lake and Saratoga Lake) who work to keep the water quality at a high standard in the county through education and grant programs.

Other agencies that the District is affiliated with include The New York Association of Conservation Districts (NYACD) which consists of Conservation District Board of Directors members, working on legislative improvements for conservation and on other efforts to bring together all districts working for a common cause. The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), this group includes each State Association that provides legislative efforts. And the New York Conservation Districts Employees’ Association (NYCDEA) who’s group consists of the District employees from throughout NYS and its main efforts are in education and training for employees.

There are many educational programs such as The Saratoga Regional Environthon, The Saratoga County Fair, Moreau State Park NatureFest, Targeted Youth Programs, WHIZ,BANG, POP Adventures in Science Fair Saratoga County and Conservation Days (4-H Training Center). They work on educating the public about invasive species with their mobile invasive species bill board. The SWCD also facilitates On Farm No-Till workshops, the 4-hour DEC Erosion and Sediment Control Training, as well as aiding municipalities and others with storm water issues. So you can see the District truly is a gem in our County. Next time you drive past a freshly hydroseeded sloped area or streamside remediation project it just may be that our SWCD is involved.