Conserving natural resources starts with evaluating conditions on your land and developing a plan that meets your goals. We call that conservation planning.
Conservation planning is at the core of our work with landowners and resource managers to conserve natural resources for use today and for future generations.
We are all stewards of natural resources no matter where we live. If you live in a city in Clackamas County, check out our Backyard Habitat Certification Program page.
If you own or operate a farm, then you know that today’s farmers and ranchers are faced with a seemingly impossible task — to feed a rapidly growing global population with fewer farmable acres, less fresh water, and more pronounced climate change. More than ever before, American farmers and ranchers have come to understand that the future of our children and grandchildren is rooted in improving and sustaining the health and function of our natural resources.
- How do we increase farm productivity and profitability?
- Reduce the off-site impact of nutrients and fertilizers on water quality?
- Improve farm resiliency?
- Reduce flooding and hold more water in the soil profile?
- Sequester more carbon?
- Increase wildlife and pollinator habitat?
- Improve the condition of our forests and grazing lands?
- Reduce agricultural energy use?
The answers to these questions will emerge with the help of state-of-the-art, comprehensive conservation planning. High-quality conservation plans can transform our future by giving landowners and operators step-by-step recommendations they can use to improve wildlife habitat, pest management, soil health, and yields while reducing energy and input costs.
We encourage you to download the Conservation Planning booklet produced by the National Conservation Planning Partnership.* This booklet provides an excellent grounding in how conservation planning is conducted.
For more information, please review our summarized information about conservation planning or contact the Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District.
*The National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP) was formed to emphasize the critical role that conservation planning plays in advancing voluntary conservation efforts on private lands. NCPP is made up of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), the National Association of State Conservation Agencies (NASCA), the National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA), and the National Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils (NARC&DC).
