From the National Association of Conservation Districts:
WASHINGTON, D.C.—April 22, 2013—This afternoon, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) was formally announced as a new member of the Source Water Collaborative (SWC) during a signing ceremony in Washington, D.C. In remarks at the ceremony, NACD CEO John Larson talked about the critical role of conservation districts in locally-led efforts to protect and improve water quality, and stressed the importance of strong public and private partnerships at the local, state and federal levels as a key to success in ensuring preservation of our water resources for the future.
“After years of partnership, NACD is officially joining the Source Water Collaborative in an effort to raise the visibility of the association’s engagement on the crucial issue of source water protection,” Larson said. “Whether it’s water supply for irrigation or wildlife, or the quality of water for drinking or manufacturing, the issue of how, where and when we get our water is one that affects each of us, every day. Conservation districts have been around for more than 70 years and continue to play a leading role in the implementation of on-the-ground, locally led efforts to protect and preserve our water resources for the future.”
Conservation districts were originally formed in response to the ecological disaster known as the Dust Bowl — a result of years of lack of management of soil and water resources on the land. Districts have since become the leading collaboration point for stakeholders to come together at the local level to implement conservation on private lands. Districts support local decision making, with community values at the core. NACD is the national advocate for this local-level decision making process.
“If we truly want to have a long-term impact on the quality of our water resources nationwide, it is critical that we build strong, diverse partnerships at local, state and federal levels,” Larson continued. “This is why we’re so pleased to be joining efforts with the Source Water Collaborative. We recognize that being part of a larger group that advocates and works to achieve the same overall outcomes is essential in these fiscally challenging times, and we look forward to a strong and productive partnership in the years ahead as we focus together on addressing commonsense and meaningful actions to improve water quality across the landscape.”
Comprised of federal, state, and local partners, the SWC has come together to further the goals of protecting sources of drinking water – recognizing that resources are extremely limited, authorities are split, and the actors who can actually protect source waters are diffuse. For more information, visit: www.sourcewatercollaborative.org.