Soil and Water Conservation Districts are a product of the 1930’s Dust Bowl.

In an effort to prevent the economic and environmental disaster, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt recommended the Standard State Soil Conservation Districts Act be signed into law by all state governors.

This act gave states a step-by-step guide to create conservation districts; listing their powers and responsibilities. On July 25, 1946 the National Association of Soil Conservation District Governing Officials was created, more commonly referred to as the NACD.

SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICTS REPRESENT NEARLY 3,000 DISTRICTS IN

all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territories of American Samoa, The Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

​Each SWCD is designed to serve the conservation needs of that county and to help local citizens manage their land, water, forests, wildlife and other natural resources. ​​

The Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District (JCSWCD) was created in 1974 and has been assisting the public in restoration and conservation practices since.

Prior to 1974, Jefferson County was home to two local districts: Trout Creek Soil Conservation District founded in 1957 and West Jefferson Soil Conservation District founded in 1961.

In 1974, both districts concluded that joining efforts in a county wide Soil and Water Conservation District would be the most effective solution to accomplishing large scale restoration.  ​