Technical & Financial Support
Supporting conservation work through technical and financial means results in getting conservation work done! Getting conservation practices on the ground takes time, expertise, and money. Through grants and cooperative agreements, AACD and the Districts can support efforts that address the conservation goals of producers, agency partners, county governments, and other stakeholders.
Several of Arizona’s Conservation Districts and AACD have been awarded grant monies through Technical Assistance grants from the NACD since 2018. These funds support technical assistance to districts and local NRCS conservationists in the field and at the office.
Contracted professionals provide technical support to assist with cultural resource surveys, field surveys, inventories and data collection, GIS mapping, GPS, conservation plan writing, and specifications associated with NRCS program requirements. Others provide NRCS field offices assistance with a range of tasks, including greeting customers, general office administration, NRCS-producer contracts support, and outreach and education of NRCS programs to producers and districts.
Technical and Financial Support to Districts has been made possible through Conservation District funding, Technical Assistance grants from the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD)/NRCS, grants/cooperative agreements with USFS, BLM, AZ DFFM, and others, and grant funding through NRCS’s RCPP.
Furthermore, a Community Investment Grant from South32, a mining and metals company, supports annual access to AZSITE for Tribal government cultural resources personnel. This helps to get conservation practices on the ground.
Producer Programs
Restoring Arizona’s Colorado River Basin Conservation Area RCPP
Spanning approx. 35,000 acres of rangeland and forest in the Colorado River Basin, we’re working directly with producers to bring back healthy native plant communities and strengthen working lands. With over $24 million in NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) funding, this landscape-level effort is focused on real, practical improvements that support both the land and the people who rely on it.
AACD’s Technical & Financial Support Programs
Arizona’s Conservation Districts and AACD have several programs in place that support getting conservation dollars on the ground and in the hands of our cooperators. Download and fill out our Programs application (PDF) to see if you qualify! Email your application to programs@aacd1944.com
Resource Rangeland Management Program
In a statewide, landscape-level rangeland program, Conservation Districts and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have partnered to work with multiple stakeholders across Arizona to restore and sustain natural aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and their associated processes, while at the same time providing for the managed development and maintenance of productive working lands through the Resource Rangeland Management Program (RRMP).
Fire Recovery Program
Conservation Districts play a crucial role when natural resource disasters hit, and their response to Arizona's dangerous fire seasons over the past few years is a prime example of what the Districts can do for Arizona. The Fire Recovery Program began in November 2021 when the Districts responded to the devastating Mescal & Telegraph Fires. Through multiple partner programs, AACD has been able to cultivate funds to help producers and private landowners rebuild infrastructure and heal the land that was destroyed by wildfires since July 2020. We provide Program Management, Technical Support, and Administration.
Partners & Contributors
Arizona Conservation Districts
AZ Farmers & Ranchers
