628 West 5th Street
Cortez, Colorado  81321
(970) 565-9045   Ext 118

highdesertcd.org

Background

In the early 1930s the United States experienced an unparalleled ecological disaster known as the Dust Bowl.  Severe, sustained drought in the Great Plains caused soil erosion and huge black dust storms that blotted out the sun.  The storms stretched south to Texas and east to New York. Dust even sifted into the White House and onto the desk of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. After seeing the sky black with dust in Washington, the U.S. Congress unanimously passed legislation declaring soil and water conservation a national policy and priority. Since about three-fourths of the United States was 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. The Dolores Conservation District was formed in 1942 and together with Mancos Conservation District serves all of Montezuma County.In 2015 the name was changed to High Desert Conservation District to more accurately describe the area they serve.

Mission

The unified mission of all conservation districts is to coordinate assistance from all interested public, private, local, state, and federal resources to develop locally driven solutions to natural resource concerns.  The High Desert Conservation District’s vision is “a community of responsible stewards who consciously manage our land and natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations.” The  High Desert Conservation District’s mission is to “plant seeds of inspiration to promote conscious stewardship of our natural resources.”

Management

The High Desert Conservation District is governed by a publicly elected Board of Supervisors. All terms are for four years and elections take place in even numbered years.  The present Supervisors, their positions on the Board, and current terms of office are as follows:

Unless otherwise noticed, the Board of Supervisors meets the second Tuesday of each month at 4:00pm at the USDA Service Center in Cortez; 628 West 5th Street. The President is Suzanne Aikin and District Manager, Andrew Schafer is directly responsible to the Board of Supervisors and supervises the District staff.

Related Links

Visit the High Desert Conservation District website at: www.highdesertcd.org