The purpose of the Cowley County Conservation District is to encourage the application of sound conservation measures which will improve and protect our soil, water, air, animal and plant resources, while also providing for sustained agricultural production. This makes for a busy, active and rewarding work environment for NRCS, district employees and district supervisors.
Severe soil erosion problems in the “Dust Bowl” days prompted the passage of the Conservation District Law by Kansas Legislature in 1937, which lead to the formation of conservation districts in Kansas. Across the state 105 conservation districts (one in every county) provide local leadership by helping local people address local natural resource needs.
Conservation made its beginning in Cowley County in January 1945 with the organization of the Cowley County Soil Conservation District. Since its inception the district has served to advance the conservation process, working with individuals, groups and agencies to provide technical expertise and assistance for the purpose of protecting and preserving our most important resource – our nation’s soil.
Members of the first board of supervisors were: George E. Brown, Arkansas City; Frank Weigle, Burden; Neal Elder, Winfield; O.D. Mills, Cedar Vale and Earl Kielhorn, Cambridge.
At that time meetings were held at the old extension service building across from the post office in Winfield.
In January 1946, a Memorandum of Understanding between the district and the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) was signed and Sam Keller became the first Work Unit Conservationist to serve in Cowley County. In 1947, Don Roberts began work as the SCS Conservation Technician and continued until his retirement in 1982.
Several changes have occurred over the years. The word soil has been dropped from the original title as the protection of all our natural resources (soil, water, air, plants and animals) is now the goal of the conservation district. SCS has become the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Work Unit Conservationists are now called District Conservationists.
Information and education continues to be a major part of the district workload. The annual “Conservation Field Day” held at the Winfield City Lake for county 5th graders and the annual “Poster and Limerick Contest” for county students 2nd thru 8th grades is an excellent way to inform the youth of the county on ways to protect our natural resources.
Field days such as the Watershed Management Conservation Tour and the Cowley County Brush Rodeo provide farmers and ranchers with ideas on how to design, apply and maintain various conservation practices.
The Conservation District and NRCS as “Partners in Conservation” have become increasingly busy with state and federally-mandated programs. EQIP, WHIP, Continuous CRP, CRP, WRCSP, NPSCSP, the Buffer Initiative, just to name a few, require more and more paperwork and fieldwork every year. It is quite an accomplishment for the field office to complete the amount of information and education programs that are traditional with the districts and NRCS.
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Cowley County Conservation District
