Agriculture 



conservation work within its boundaries. District governing board members are locally 

 elected or appointed by the State Conservation Committee. Conservation District boards 

 plan and carry out long-range programs and provide guidance to the SCS regarding local 

 needs and priorities. At the request of the district board, SCS assigns a district 

 conservationist and a staff to provide technical assistance to the district and its cooperating 

 land user "clientele." 



The Rhode Island State Conservation Law assigns a broad mission to Conservation 

 Districts, giving Uiese bodies considerable responsibility to address non-point source 

 problems, including agriculture-related ones. The statutory definition of responsibility is as 

 follows: 



Powers of Districts and Directors: 



" (9) To prepare and keep current a long-range program for the conservation of all of 



the renewable natural resources of the district Such program shall be directed toward 

 conservation of resources for their best uses and in a manner that will best meet the needs 

 of the district and the state, taking into consideration, where appropriate, such uses as 

 farming, grazing, timber supply, forest, parks, outdoor recreation, water supplies for 

 urban and rural areas; water for agricultural and industrial uses, watershed protection, 

 control of soil erosion, retardation of water runoff, flood prevention and control, protection 

 of open space and scenery, preservation of natural beauty, protection of fish and wildlife, 

 the prevention or reduction of sedimentation and other pollution in rivers, streams, 

 reservoirs, and the protection of groundwaters, and the location of urban facilities and 

 structures will fit the needs of the state and be consistent with the best uses of the 

 renewable natural resources of the state. The program shall include an inventory of all 

 renewable natural resources in the distria, a compilation of current resource needs, 

 projections of future resource requirements, priorities for various resource activities, 

 projected timetables, descriptions of available alternatives, and provisions for coordination 

 with other resource programs; to prepare an annual work plan, which shall describe the 

 action programs, services, facilities, materials, working arrangements and estimated funds 

 needed to carry out the parts of the long range program that are of the highest priority. 

 Each district shall submit to the state committee a copy of its long-range program and 

 annual work plans for review and comment" 



In Rhode Island, the three Conservation Districts place varying degrees of emphasis on 

 particular functions, based on the conservation needs in the district. The Eastern District 

 has assumed an important role in helping towns protect water supplies, and places strong 

 emphasis on groundwater and watershed protection (including erosion control and 

 stormwater runoff management) in addition to agricultural resource protection. In the face 

 of rapid development in Newport County, it is emphasizing farmland preservation and 

 addressing the environmental problems of an urbanizing landscape. TTie Northern District 

 places its greatest emphasis on preparation of resource and livestock management plans and 

 implementation of conservation practices on farms located within the Scituate Reservoir 

 watershed. Towns also call on the district to review erosion and sediment control plans. 

 The Southern District is midway between the two in its emphasis. 



In Rhode Island, in contrast to many other states. Conservation Districts are funded at 

 an extremely low level by the state. Each District normally receives one to two thousand 

 dollars annually from appropriations to DEM. For the upx:oming fiscal year, no funds have 

 been made available, as all such funds have been pooled to support the hiring of a pan-time 



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