Your local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is your connection to conservation assistance. Each county in Iowa is home to a SWCD (Pottawattamie county has 2 districts, an East and a West) that were established in response to the “Dust Bowl” period of the 1930s. The great dust storms of this period demonstrated the need for an organized effort to implement soil and water conservation to protect the land.
SWCDs are governed by a 5 member board of locally elected “Commissioners.” The Commissioners are responsible for directing the soil and water conservation efforts in their SWCD as well as making decisions on providing financial assistance to landowners to assist them with implementing conservation practices on their land. To view the names of the Commissioners for your SWCD, or if you are interested in contacting the SWCD to discuss your conservation needs, click on your location on the map available by clicking on the View Map link below.