Florida Soil And Water Conservation District Supervisor Handbook

Soil and Water Conservation DistrictsCreationThe 1930s Dust Bowl disaster spurred the U.S.Congress to declare soil and water conservation anational policy and priority in 1935. To elicit the activesupport of landowners on a local level, Soil and WaterConservation Districts (SWCDs) serving conservationneeds at a county level were created to work inpartnership with the federal government. Today thereare nearly 3,000 conservation districts nationwidededicated to wisely using soil and water resources andinvolved in efforts as varied as their conservation needsand the local citizenry they serve.The authority to create Florida’s SWCDs wasestablished in 1937 under Chapter 582, F.S. Thereare currently 58 SWCDs in the state. The law wasbased on federal model legislation that establishedSWCDs nationwide. SWCDs were originally organized,for the most part, within county boundaries bylandowner petition based on a need for soil and waterconservation and in the interest of public health, safety,and welfare (see Figure 1). An SWCD so organizedconstitutes a governmental subdivision of the State ofFlorida (Sections 582.10 through 582.14, F.S.).SupervisorsThe governing body of an SWCD consists of fiveelected supervisors. The office of an SWCD supervisoris nonpartisan and district wide. Candidates are electedin a general election to a four-year term. Vacancies arefilled by appointment by the remaining supervisorsuntil the next regular election. Supervisors receiveno monetary compensation for their services, butmay be reimbursed for travel expenses contingentupon an individual SWCD’s budget. A SWCD mayhire employees and agents as needed. For furtherinformation, see Sections 582.18 and 582.19, F.S.Powers, Duties, andResponsibilitiesThe powers of SWCDs and supervisors are quite broad,and relate to the development and implementationof soil and water conservation practices on privatelands. These duties are performed in conjunction withfederal, state, regional, and local partners throughfunding and technical assistance. Funding programsinclude state and federal cost-share for environmentalprotection practices, as well as federal disaster reliefand emergency watershed projects.Powers of Districts andSupervisors, S. 582.20, F.S.Section 582.20, F.S. states the following regarding thepowers of SWCDs and SWCD supervisors:A soil and water conservation district organizedunder the provisions of this chapter shall constitute agovernmental subdivision of this state, and a publicbody corporate and politic, exercising public powers,and such district and the supervisors thereof shall havethe following powers, in addition to others granted inother sections of this chapter:Figure 1. SWCD Boundaries21. To conduct surveys, studies, and research relatingto soil and water resources and to publish anddisseminate the results of such surveys, studies,research, and related information;2. To conduct agricultural best management practicesdemonstration projects and projects for theconservation, protection, and restoration of soil andwater resources:a. Within the district’s boundaries;8. To sue and be sued in the name of the district; tohave a seal, which seal shall be judicially noticed;b. Within another district’s boundaries, subject toto have perpetual succession unless terminatedthe other district’s approval;as provided in this chapter; to make and executec. In areas not contained within any district’scontracts and other instruments necessary orboundaries on lands owned or controlled by thisconvenient to the exercise of its powers; upon astate or any of its agencies, with the cooperationmajority vote of the supervisors of the district, toof the agency administering and havingborrow money and to execute promissory notesjurisdiction thereof; orand other evidences of indebtedness in connectiontherewith, and to pledge, mortgage, and assignd. On any other lands within the district’sthe income of the district and its personal propertyboundaries, within another district’s boundariesas security therefor, the notes and other evidencessubject to the other district’s approval, or notof indebtedness to be general obligations onlycontained within any district’s boundaries uponof the district and in no event to constitute anobtaining the consent of the owner or occupierindebtedness for which the faith and credit of theof the lands or the necessary rights or interests insuch lands;state or any of its revenues are pledged;3. To cooperate or enter into agreements with9. To use, in coordination with the applicableany special district, municipality, county, watercounty or counties, the services of the countymanagement district, state or federal agency,agricultural agents and the facilities of their offices,governmental or otherwise, or owner or occupier ofif practicable and feasible. The supervisors maylands within the district’s boundaries, within anotheralso employ additional permanent and temporarydistrict’s boundaries subject to the other district’sstaff, as needed, and determine their qualifications,approval, or not contained within any district’sduties, and compensation. The supervisors mayboundaries in furtherance of the purposes anddelegate to the chair, to one or more supervisors,or to employees such powers and duties as theyprovisions of this chapter;may deem proper, consistent with the provisions4. To obtain options upon and to acquire, byof this chapter. The supervisors shall furnish topurchase, exchange, lease, gift, grant, bequest,the department, upon request, copies of rules,devise or otherwise, any property, real ororders, contracts, forms, and other documents thatpersonal, or rights or interests therein; to maintain,the district has adopted or used, and any otheradminister, and improve any properties acquired,information concerning the district’s activities, thatto receive income from such properties and tothe department may require in the performance ofexpend such income in carrying out the purposesits duties under this chapter;and provisions of this chapter; and to sell, lease,or otherwise dispose of any of its property orinterests therein in furtherance of the purposes andprovisions of this chapter;5. To make available, on such terms as it shallprescribe, to any owner or occupier of lands withinthe district’s boundaries, within another district’sboundaries subject to the other district’s approval,or not contained within any district’s boundariesagricultural and engineering machinery andequipment, and such other material or equipment,that will assist such landowners and occupiersto carry on operations upon their lands for theconservation and protection of soil and waterresources;6. To construct, improve, operate, and maintain suchstructures as may be necessary or convenientfor the performance of any of the operationsauthorized in this chapter;10. To adopt rules to implement the provisions of thischapter; and11. To request that the Governor remove a supervisorfor neglect of duty or malfeasance in office byadoption of a resolution at a public meeting. If thedistrict believes there is a need for a review of therequest, the district may request that the council, byresolution, review its request to the Governor andprovide the Governor with a recommendation.Any provision with respect to the acquisition, operation,or disposition of property by public bodies of thisstate does not apply to a district organized under thischapter unless specifically so stated by the Legislature.The property and property rights of every kind andnature acquired by any district organized under theprovisions of this chapter are exempt from state,county, and other taxation.7. To provide, or assist in providing, training andeducation programs that further the purposes andprovisions of this chapter;3

Soil and Water Conservation District ActivitiesState Agencies to Cooperate,S. 582.29, F.S.Section 582.29, F.S. states the following regarding stateagencies cooperating with SWCD supervisors:Agencies of this state that have jurisdiction over, or arecharged with, the administration of any state-ownedlands, and of any county, or other governmentalsubdivision of the state, that have jurisdiction over, orare charged with the administration of, any countyowned or other publicly owned lands, shall cooperateto the fullest extent with the supervisors of such districtsin the implementation of programs and operationsundertaken by the supervisors under the provisions ofthis chapter. The supervisors of such districts shall begiven free access to enter and perform work upon suchpublicly owned lands.Soil and Water ConservationDistricts’ Roles in Today’s WorldThis section provides some guidance and illustrationson how a Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD)can apply its statutory duties and responsibilities tomeet today’s challenges. Supervisors should considerthese and other opportunities when developing aplan for SWCD activities. Appendix 2 contains a list ofwebsites where additional information may be found.4National and state initiatives rely on the use of nonregulatory programs to meet the challenges ofnonpoint source loading of pollutants to water bodies.This has created an increased demand for localtechnical assistance services that provide information tolandowners on the use of best management practices(BMPs) and conduct demonstration projects that showthe effectiveness of conservation practices. Becauseof their unique relationship with local landowners andtheir use of conservation partnerships, SWCDs are ableto conduct these activities without additional and costlyregulatory programs.Today, SWCDs carry out conservation measures inpartnership with private and public landowners,wherein SWCDs provide resources for technical andfinancial assistance for conservation measures, executelease agreements with producers on publicly ownedlands, and/or provide management services forpublicly owned lands. The need for this role has neverbeen greater in Florida. SWCDs also have a prominentrole in participating in public land managementdecisions through land management plan review andadvisory teams. It is important for SWCD supervisorsto take advantage of the opportunity to serve on theseteams.A fundamental role of the SWCD Board of Supervisorsis to bring together, at the local level, all interested andaffected parties, along with the support organizationscharged with providing technical and administrativeassistance, to develop and implement a plan to addressresource concerns. Through a locally led consensusprocess, priorities are determined for conservationprograms. The partners then work to implementprograms that provide assistance to landowners,agricultural producers, and local residents.The federal Clean Water Action Plan and the UnifiedNational Strategy for Animal Feeding Operationsillustrates the importance of comprehensiveconservation planning. Federal initiatives increasethe demand for nutrient management and waterconservation planning, engineering, construction,irrigation management, and waste utilization designedto protect water quality. SWCDs are playing a rolein developing and implementing managementplans, providing cost-share funds, determining planeffectiveness, and identifying operational problems.It is not necessary for a SWCD to possess all ofthe resources needed to implement conservationprograms. Under the federal model law, and somestate laws, SWCDs have access to the expertise andresources of their federal and state partners, andshould rely, in part, on partners’ cooperation andassistance in meeting local priorities and in educatingsupervisors about important natural resourceprotection issues. However, supervisors should seek todevelop local technical and financial resources withinan SWCD to expand the number and type of tools inthe “conservation toolbox” and enhance an SWCD’scapabilities to deliver local conservation programs.The ability to enter into agreements with publicagencies and landowners in conservation activitiesis a valuable tool for SWCDs. These agreements mayinclude public land management services; waterconservation initiatives such as the establishmentor support of mobile irrigation labs (MILs) and theprovision of modern measuring devices for irrigationequipment; the promotion of innovative agriculturalequipment for soil conservation, water retention, andmanagement; soil, plant, and animal products testing;public education; and other services. Agreements maybe developed with state, regional, and local agencies,and with private landowners.Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) promote the conservation of Florida’s natural resources through avariety of programs and partnerships. Some examples of these programs and partnerships are provided below.A calendar of events and activities is provided in Appendix 1.Cooperative ProgramsConservation ProjectsSWCDs partner with a variety of agencies, includingNRCS, FDACS/OAWP, UF/IFAS, United States ArmyCorps of Engineers (USACOE), and water managementdistricts (WMDs), to provide a variety of cooperativeprograms, including: BMP projects; Farm Bill programssuch as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program(EQIP), Conservation Security Program (CSP),Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP),and Regional Conservation Partnership Programs(RCPP); and other conservation projects.SWCDs can carry out projects such as water qualityimprovement, habitat restoration, and administeringcost-share funds provided by partners to assistfarmers and other landowners with implementingconservation practices (waste management anderosion control systems, irrigation retrofits, nutrientmanagement practices, tailwater recovery, weatherstations). For example, SWCDs can contract with otherentities (federal, state, or local) for the management,maintenance, and repair of water control structures.Demonstration ProjectsMobile Irrigation Labs (MILs)SWCDs can support or initiate demonstration projects,such as irrigation, drainage, tailwater recovery, erosioncontrol, nutrient management, pesticide use, invasiveplant control, and waste management, which helpeducate agricultural producers regarding their benefits.For example, an SWCD participates in the researchand demonstration of improved irrigation practicesthat conserve water resources through reduced wateruse; promote water quality improvements, whichreduce pollutant loss to the environment; and restore,augment, and/or improve the area’s water resourcesand ecology.SWCDs can work with partners to support mobileirrigation labs (MILs). With the funding the MILs receivefrom FDACS, they perform evaluations on agricultural,not urban, irrigation systems. MIL technicians examineirrigation systems to determine the uniformity andefficiency of water distribution. Based on the evaluationof information collected, MIL operators identifyproblems and recommend solutions. Some SWCDshave contracts to provide MIL services in their area ofcoverage.Educational WorkshopsPlanning and Rule-MakingSWCDs can organize and present workshops thatinclude topics such as water quality and quantity,pesticide and fertilizer management, watershedengineering, wetlands, soil characteristics, soil tillagetechniques, plant identification, invasive plant control,farm ponds, and agricultural production. Districts mayalso provide informational kiosks for the general publicat local fairs; festivals; agriculture expositions; andfederal, state, regional, and local agency offices.SWCDs often participate in county, regional, state,and federal planning and rule-making as they affectresource conservation. The SWCD may provide inputas a liaison between community interest groups, localauthorities, and regulatory entities.5

Youth EducationSpeech ContestStudents participating in the annual land judgingThe Association of Florida Conservation Districtscontest, speech contest, poster contest, and the(AFCD) and Florida Conservation District EmployeesEnvirothon learn to understand soil and water systemsAssociation (FCDEA) annually coordinate a speechin a much broader sense than only learning to describe contest reflecting the current National Association ofsoils. In addition to gaining knowledge about soils and Conservation Districts (NACD) Soil Stewardship Theme.land use attributes, these students learn how to makeThe competition includes three levels: District (county),informed decisions about overall land use, developArea (multicounty), and State. At the District levelpublic speaking skills, and create awareness whilethe competition is divided into two groups: middlehaving the opportunity to develop statewide leadership school and high school. District winners in each groupand citizenship skills.advance to the Area competition, where the highestoverall scoring student (middle or high school) thenLand Judging Contestadvances to the State Contest. The State Contest is heldThis competition is for 4-H and Future Farmers ofprior to or during the AFCD Annual Meeting.America (FFA) students between the ages of 14 and18. The students, as individuals and as a team, thePoster Contestphysical properties of the soil, identify improved landThe National Association of Conservation Districtsmanagement practices for various types of farming, and (NACD) selects a topic for the poster contest each year.the limitations of the soil for home sites. The winningStudents from Kindergarten through the 12th gradeteams from local contests are eligible to compete atcreate posters on the NACD selected topic and arethe State Contest, and the state winners compete at thejudged within designated age groups. The AFCD isNational Contest in Oklahoma each year.responsible for sending state winners to the nationalcontest.EnvirothonThe Envirothon competition is open tostudents from the 9th through 12th grade. Fivestudents compete as a team and answer questionsabout forestry, soils, aquatics, wildlife, and a currentnatural resource issue. The winners of the localcompetitions compete at the Florida Envirothon, andthe state winner competes at the North AmericanNational Envirothon.Other potential contests sponsored by SWCDs includeessay contests, landscape tray contests at local fairs,and science fair exhibits.Becoming a SupervisorThe information provided here is a compilation of existing information available at the time of publication and offersguidance only. Contact your county Supervisor of Elections for the official and most current information available.QualifyingTo qualify, the candidate must be a registered voter ofthe county and live within the boundaries of the Soiland Water Conservation District (SWCD) see Figure 1.(Form DS-DE 24B). This form can be obtained fromthe local Supervisor of Elections.3. Statement of Financial Interests (Form 1). Thisform can be obtained from the local Supervisor ofElections.4. Payment of qualifying fee of 25.00 (must be paidby a check drawn on the campaign account andmade payable to the local Supervis

This handbook will be distributed with the understanding that the authors or individuals who . United States Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Quality Incentives Program Florida Administrative Code . United States Army Corps of Engineers United States Department of Agriculture Water Management District Planning and Reporting