Lincoln County Conservation District (LCCD) recently hired a district manager to increase their conservation work in Lincoln County.
The new District Manager is Michael Dineley who hails from Buckeye, Ariz. Dineley has worked in a variety of jobs including retail management, ag Inspections, ranch management, farming, construction and more. Michael’s passion is and has been agriculture of all types; he has worked in the walnut industry and specialized as an ACP inspector for the Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, helping ensure the protection of California’s citrus industry.
Dineley will work on the existing projects of LCCD as well as seek new ones. Currently, the conservation district manages cleaning out the Pahranagat Drain, pursuing funding for the Mathews Drop Structure, improving the Wilson Creek area for sage grouse, meadow rehabilitation in upper Meadow Valley Wash, and leading the Local Work Group. The LCCD also sponsors the Conservation Poster Contest in the schools, the Conservation District Workshop, and supplies add-on money for kids showing animals at Clark County Fair Junior Livestock Show as well as for Cedar City Livestock Show participants.
The LCCD was formed in 1975 from the union of the Meadow Valley and Pahranagat Valley Conservation Districts which had each formed in 1938 as a result of the national conservation districts law passed by Congress and the Nevada Legislature in 1937.
The purpose of a Conservation District (CD) is to know what the resource concerns are in their area and find solutions to solve those resource concerns by raising awareness and seeking partners who can provide access, expertise or funding. Conservation districts have many far-reaching authorities in Nevada under Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 548 which allow them to work across land ownership boundaries and meld funding from multiple sources so they can work on private and public lands and use funding from any source.
In 2018, LCCD conducted a Resource Needs Assessment to understand what the resource concerns are in Lincoln County. They invited local people who live and work in each watershed to identify and prioritize resource concerns using the farm planning process of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Then in 2019, LCCD conducted a public online survey to learn what the general public of Lincoln County considers our resource concerns to be. A strong response rate was achieved on the survey and the results can be found at https://www.lcextension.org/conservation-district/ as well as the Resource Needs Assessment under Current Projects. Thanks to all who participated in the survey.
The results of both efforts were very consistent and identified these top priority concerns: not enough water distribution for livestock and wildlife, invasive species including plants, pests, weeds and aquatics, and plant condition and health such as pinyon-juniper encroachment.
Dineley will bring an interest in learning to share with the residents of Lincoln County and is looking forward to providing education to the public and in the schools. Learn more at the LCCD Facebook page.