Cass County
Conservation District
founded on Sept 17, 1943
Managing Our Natural Resources
Mission: We are dedicated to protecting and enhancing Cass County's natural resources by providing educational and technical services to all landowners.
If you hunt, fish, hike, garden, farm, eat, or do anything else involving natural resources, then you benefit from the work of Michigan’s Conservation Districts.
THE BASICS OF CONSERVATION DISTRICTS
Michigan’s 80 Conservation Districts are responsible for educating the public to the benefits of conservation practices. They work to convince resource users to protect the resource, maintain its productivity, and protect or improve its profitability.
Michigan’s Conservation Districts are referred to as “gateways” to natural resource management in their local communities. Sharing boundaries with most Michigan counties, they provide linkages between land owners/managers and a host of conservation service providers.
According to Section 9301 of Public Act 463 of 1998 (The Conservation District Law) The legal definition of a Conservation District is: A governmental subdivision of this state, and a public body corporate and politic, organized in accordance with this part, for the purposes, with the powers, and subject to the restrictions set forth in this part.
Conservation Districts had their beginnings in the 1930’s when the Michigan Legislature, in response to a national concern over mounting soil erosion, floods and the sky-blackening dust storms that swept across the country, enacted the Soil Conservation District Act of 1937. The Conservation District Concept was developed to enlist the cooperation of landowners and other land users in carrying out programs under this act. The Cass County Conservation District was established on September 17, 1943. Our mission statement is, “We are dedicated to protecting and enhancing Cass County’s natural resources by providing educational and technical services to all land users.”
In recent years, land use patterns have changed dramatically. The land has been divided creating new landowners who have little or no knowledge of land and resource management. Pressures on natural resources have continued to mount with soil erosion problems due to development without proper conservation measures in place; and other nonpoint source pollution occurring due to the actions of the many new land users in rural and suburban areas. It became clear to Conservation Districts in Michigan that the role of the Districts needed to evolve in order to serve this new and ever expanding clientele in addition to their agricultural customers, who have the collective power of altering the face of the landscape.
There was a time when the federal and state government provided many resources to those who needed assistance. Recently, there has been a realization that federal and state programs, in trying to serve a broad range of customers, cannot always tailor their program to suit local needs. For this reason, the shift has been toward local people providing local solutions to local problems. The Cass County Conservation District, as a “gateway” to our community, provides linkages between land users and a host of conservation service providers that include state, federal and local governments, and conservation organizations. We help to identify the needs of the community, work in partnership with others involved in conservation to set local priorities, and develop action plans to solve natural resource problems. These efforts allow people to best manage their private lands for a cleaner, healthier Michigan while allowing the public a nearby point of access to the aspects of natural resource management.
Contact Us
Cass County Conservation District
1127 E State St, Cassopolis, MI 49031
Tel: (269) 445-8641 or (269) 445-8643 ext 3
Fax: (269) 445-0619
Cass County
Conservation District
founded on Sept 17, 1943
Managing Our Natural Resources
Mission: We are dedicated to protecting and enhancing Cass County's natural resources by providing educational and technical services to all landowners.
If you hunt, fish, hike, garden, farm, eat, or do anything else involving natural resources, then you benefit from the work of Michigan’s Conservation Districts.
THE BASICS OF CONSERVATION DISTRICTS
Michigan’s 80 Conservation Districts are responsible for educating the public to the benefits of conservation practices. They work to convince resource users to protect the resource, maintain its productivity, and protect or improve its profitability.
Michigan’s Conservation Districts are referred to as “gateways” to natural resource management in their local communities. Sharing boundaries with most Michigan counties, they provide linkages between land owners/managers and a host of conservation service providers.
According to Section 9301 of Public Act 463 of 1998 (The Conservation District Law) The legal definition of a Conservation District is: A governmental subdivision of this state, and a public body corporate and politic, organized in accordance with this part, for the purposes, with the powers, and subject to the restrictions set forth in this part.
Conservation Districts had their beginnings in the 1930’s when the Michigan Legislature, in response to a national concern over mounting soil erosion, floods and the sky-blackening dust storms that swept across the country, enacted the Soil Conservation District Act of 1937. The Conservation District Concept was developed to enlist the cooperation of landowners and other land users in carrying out programs under this act. The Cass County Conservation District was established on September 17, 1943. Our mission statement is, “We are dedicated to protecting and enhancing Cass County’s natural resources by providing educational and technical services to all land users.”
In recent years, land use patterns have changed dramatically. The land has been divided creating new landowners who have little or no knowledge of land and resource management. Pressures on natural resources have continued to mount with soil erosion problems due to development without proper conservation measures in place; and other nonpoint source pollution occurring due to the actions of the many new land users in rural and suburban areas. It became clear to Conservation Districts in Michigan that the role of the Districts needed to evolve in order to serve this new and ever expanding clientele in addition to their agricultural customers, who have the collective power of altering the face of the landscape.
There was a time when the federal and state government provided many resources to those who needed assistance. Recently, there has been a realization that federal and state programs, in trying to serve a broad range of customers, cannot always tailor their program to suit local needs. For this reason, the shift has been toward local people providing local solutions to local problems. The Cass County Conservation District, as a “gateway” to our community, provides linkages between land users and a host of conservation service providers that include state, federal and local governments, and conservation organizations. We help to identify the needs of the community, work in partnership with others involved in conservation to set local priorities, and develop action plans to solve natural resource problems. These efforts allow people to best manage their private lands for a cleaner, healthier Michigan while allowing the public a nearby point of access to the aspects of natural resource management.
Contact Us
Cass County Conservation District
1127 E State St, Cassopolis, MI 49031
Tel: (269) 445-8641 or (269) 445-8643 ext 3
Fax: (269) 445-0619
