Franklin County Conservation District

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Conservation districts had their beginning in the 1930’s when Congress, in response to national concerns over mounting erosion and dust storms, enacted the Soil Conservation Act of 1935. The conservation district concept was developed to enlist the cooperation of landowners and occupiers in carrying out the programs authorized by the Act. Kansas legislature passed Conservation District Law in 1937. Many meetings and three elections were held before the patrons of Franklin County passed the resolution to form the Franklin County Conservation District. The official charter was signed on April 25, 1941 making us the 14th conservation district formed in the state of Kansas.
The conservation district administers non-regulatory conservation programs providing technical and financial assistance to local landowners who wish to establish conservation practices on their land. The conservation district connects landowners to both state and federal programs and assistance for conservation work while providing recommendations for Best Management Practices designed to prevent soil erosion and protect water quality. Our federal partners at USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provide detailed engineering designs for many of the Best Management Practices as well to carry out their mission of “Helping people help the land.”
The conservation district also provides interactive learning experiences for students and adults to engage in non-biased, science based, hands-on learning that encourages the building of critical thinking skills and good decision making processes. Through many of our existing public education programs, the conservation district is already providing services to encourage a water conservation-minded Kansas citizenry to help meet goals outlined in the "Vision for the Future of Water in Kansas." All of the services and programs of the conservation district help us to carry out our mission of conserving natural resources for the future.