State Conservationist's Corner

Together, we’re better stewards of the land

by Christine S. Clarke

One of my goals as State Conservationist is to increase the capacity of the conservation partnership in Massachusetts. I see many opportunities for NRCS to collaborate with groups like the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Districts, Farm Bureau, agricultural commissions, conservation commissions, the Grange and state agencies to leverage resources in pursuit of our common concern: the Commonwealth’s natural resources.

The challenge is that we each have slightly different missions and are accountable to different parties for expenditure of funds and reporting progress specific to our missions. While this hampers flexibility, we can nonetheless identify common areas where we can work together.

There is tremendous pressure on Massachusetts agriculture. Farming on the edge is not unique here but rather the norm. With such pressure on the land and our strong common interest in protecting natural resources, it is critical that we understand each other’s roles and communicate a common message of wise land use for the good of commonwealth. Communication and coordination are critical to building capacity at the ground level to benefit natural resources and agriculture.

My main focus right now is enhancing the capacity of conservation districts and I’m exploring ideas on how we can do that together. I appreciate district supervisors’ dedication and all that they have contributed to the conservation effort in Massachusetts. They work full-time at paying jobs; some are farmers working seven days a week. All volunteer their time to provide their leadership and direction on conservation programs. 

If we can work together to help districts develop a common vision, establish an income stream, hire staff, update working agreements, promote regular dialogue, provide training, actively recruit new members and volunteers, and produce informational materials to educate the public about conservation, the effectiveness of our partnership would expand exponentially.

There is enough conservation work in Massachusetts to warrant a full-time conservation district workforce that would rival those in other states. The current number of district employees in Massachusetts, however, doesn’t even come close to meeting the need. If fully staffed, there are many ways that conservation districts could help NRCS get conservation on the land.

District employees could assist by identifying land owners who need assistance, they could help in conservation planning, capturing and archiving area photos to support redevelopment needs, conducting GIS analysis, facilitating communication, developing newsletters and websites, and more.

In turn, NRCS can contribute office space at a reasonable price along with basic office equipment. We can include district staff in training, offer access to technical expertise, and help facilitate communication among districts. NRCS is also willing to assist in the development of materials to educate conservation commissions, ag commissions and others about conservation districts and conservation issues. We hope to soon hire a new staff person to assist in this area.

We’re at a juncture where strengthening districts is critical. With limited staff, NRCS is not able to support all the Farm Bill related funding requests that we receive. If districts had technical staff to assist with conservation planning needs, it is likely that more federal dollars would be available to Massachusetts land managers.

A partnership exists when all parts of the partnership contribute. With renewed efforts to get conservation districts adequate funding and technical staff, districts can help NRCS effectively and efficiently deliver Farm Bill programs to Massachusetts landowners. If we don’t work in partnership, however, we run the risk of duplicating our efforts, which is an inefficient use of public funds. The public expects more.

If we leverage our limited resources and function more efficiently, we’ll hopefully get ahead and begin planning for the future resource concerns of the commonwealth. When we work together, we’re better stewards of the land.

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