The Nevada County Resource Conservation District (
NCRCD) was founded on January 4, 1944 with a mission to promote responsible resource management. The NCRCD is governed by a board of directors appointed by the Nevada County Board of Supervisors. The board is made up of local landowners who provide input for local resource management.
The NCRCD partners with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (
NRCS) in assisting landowners and land managers in improving their land. The NCRCD and the NRCS provide free assistance regarding issues that include erosion control, pond management, invasive weed control, fuels management, wildlife habitat improvement, pasture, orchard and vineyard management and rangeland management.
The NCRCD hosts a series of conservation seminars at the Nevada County Fair each August. Our seminars are varied to address the conservation concerns of landowners, such as:
In addition we also offer seminars throughout the year on conservation practices for western Nevada County landowners. Topics have included Rural Property Management, Native Grass Meadows, The 'Dirt' on Soils, Minimizing Wildlife Impacts of Brush Control, Tree Diseases and Forestry Health, Raising 'City' Chickens, Forest Raptors of Nevada County, Pond Management, Fire Ecology and Your Property, Northern California Bats, and Rural Irrigation.
We sponsor educational and outreach events such as the Conservation Awards Dinner, Arbor Day Plant Give Away, Speak-Off Contest, Range Camp, and more.
Our office offers great planning tools, such as soil surveys, and other information that can help you to determine if your property can accommodate your planned uses. We promote grazing as a land management tool.
In addition, we have a free loan program where landowners can borrow hand tools including a weed wrench puller, pond rake, or a seed/fertilizer spreader.
The NCRCD also collaborates with federal, state, and local agencies and community groups to encourage healthy forest practices and fuels management in our community. We've developed numerous educational brochures and other materials for distribution to the public.