East Maricopa NRCD
www.emnrcd.org
Notice is hereby given that pursuant to the provisions of the Natural Resource Conservation Districts Law of the State of Arizona, an election for the purpose of electing Supervisors for the East Maricopa Natural Resource Conservation District will be held on the 1st day of May, 2010, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., at the polling place listed below:
USDA-NRCS Chandler Field Office
805 E. Warner Rd. Suite 104
Chandler, AZ 85225
A candidate for Supervisor of the East Maricopa Natural Resource Conservation District must reside within the District. Nomination Petitions may be obtained from the District Board of Supervisors. Completed Petitions must be filed with the Natural Resource Conservation Commissioner of the State Land Dept., 1616 W. Adams St., PHX, AZ 85007 at least 30 days prior to the election.
“The governing body of the districts may provide a mail ballot to qualified District elector for which it has a first class mailing address. Qualified electors of the District who wish to vote by mail ballot shall file a first class mailing address with the District governing body at least 30 days prior to the date of election.” Qualified District electors who receive ballots in proper form from the District governing body may cast their votes by mail.” (A.R.S. § 37-1051) To be counted, complete mail ballots must be received by the District Election Board before the closing of the polls on Election Day.
What is a conservation district?
Known in various parts of the country as “soil and water conservation districts,” “resource conservation districts,” “natural resource districts,” “land conservation committees” and similar names, they share a single mission: to coordinate assistance from all available sources -- public and private, local, state and federal -- in an effort to develop locally driven solutions to natural resource concerns.
Conservation districts help:
- Implement farm conservation practices to keep soil in the fields and out of waterways;
- Conserve and restore wetlands, which purify water and provide habitat for birds, fish and numerous other animals.
- Protect groundwater resources;
- Plant trees and other land cover to hold soil in place, clean the air, provide cover for wildlife and beautify neighborhoods;
- Help developers and homeowners manage the land in an environmentally sensitive manner; and reach out to communities and schools to teach the value of natural resources and encourage conservation efforts.
Conservation Districts' History and Origins
In the early 1930s, along with the greatest depression this nation ever experienced, came an equally unparalleled ecological disaster known as the Dust Bowl. Following a severe and sustained drought in the Great Plains, the region's soil began to erode and blow away, creating huge black dust storms that blotted out the sun and swallowed the countryside. Thousands of “dust refugees” left the black fog to seek better lives.
But the storms stretched across the nation. They reached south to Texas and east to New York. Dust even sifted into the White House and onto the desk of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
On Capitol Hill, while testifying about the erosion problem, soil scientist Hugh Hammond Bennett threw back the curtains to reveal a sky blackened by dust. Congress unanimously passed legislation declaring soil and water conservation a national policy and priority. Since about three-fourths of the continental United States is privately owned, Congress realized that only active, voluntary support from landowners would guarantee the success of conservation work on private land.
In 1937, President Roosevelt wrote the governors of all the states recommending legislation that would allow local landowners to form soil conservation districts
Current Challenges
Sixty years have dramatically changed the American landscape. In rural America, farmers use new technology to improve crop and livestock productivity while practicing environmental stewardship. Widespread conservation practices like planting trees and leaving crop residue on fields prevent soil from blowing and washing away. Land managers have altered their practices -- from the way they till their land to the crops they plant and how much fertilizer they use -- to protect the natural resources we all depend upon.
Although weather still acts as both friend and foe to the farmer, the Dust Bowl has taught everyone a distant but valuable history lesson. Today, conservation districts continually adapt to newly emerging challenges.
Farmers and ranchers are still challenged to properly manage manure and fertilizer so they do not contaminate water resources. Conservation efforts also focus on wetlands restoration, efficient irrigation and flood protection. Urban expansion poses a variety of problems, from threatening plant and animal habitat to compromising water quality.
Sprawling suburbia pushes forward other issues. Common construction practices often accelerate erosion, allowing sediment to wash into waterways. Homeowners often use too much fertilizer and pesticide in their yards, and that also ends up in the waterways.
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