About Us

Mission

The mission of the Carver County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) is to provide high quality assistance to the land managers and citizens of Carver County for the protection of land and water resources. The Carver SWCD is governed by a five-member board of Supervisors. Each Supervisor is elected from single-member districts apportioned based on population. The board is responsible for setting policies, and overall direction for implementation of the SWCD’s programs and services.

1946 Organization Committee:
Harold Smith, Rudolph Siewart, Walter Zimmerman, Jacob Bongard, Harley Cederstrom, Norman Nellen, Manfred Schrupp, Arthur Ottinger, Tom Murphy, Walter Lobitz, Dick Lyman

History

In the early 1930s, the United States faced not only the worst economic depression in its history but also a devastating ecological crisis known as the Dust Bowl. After years of severe drought across the Great Plains, the region’s topsoil dried out, eroded, and blew away, creating massive black dust storms that darkened the sky and swept across entire communities. Thousands of families fled these conditions in search of safer and more stable lives.

These storms did not remain confined to the Plains. They drifted south into Texas, east as far as New York, and even reached Washington, D.C., where dust settled inside the White House and onto President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s desk.

During congressional testimony on the erosion crisis, soil scientist Hugh Hammond Bennett dramatically pulled open the curtains to reveal a sky filled with blowing dust. His demonstration helped convince Congress to pass legislation declaring soil and water conservation a national priority. Because nearly three‑quarters of the continental United States was privately owned, Congress recognized that only voluntary cooperation from landowners could ensure successful conservation efforts. On April 27, 1935, President Roosevelt signed the Soil Conservation Act, creating the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) within the USDA. This action encouraged states to establish their own conservation agencies and provided a pathway for forming local soil and water conservation districts.

In 1937, President Roosevelt urged all state governors to pass laws enabling landowners to organize local conservation districts.

The Carver Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) was formed on November 12, 1946, to help heal the scars to the land from the turbulent 1930’s. Local Carver County farmers made up the organization committee. The SWCD is a legal subdivision of the State of Minnesota, operating under a charter issued by the Secretary of State. Minnesota currently has 88 independent SWCDs, which are governed by their own locally elected Boards. SWCDs receive their authority from Chapter 103C of Minnesota Statutes.