Submitted article

The Pratt Management Unit – Pratt, Barber, Stafford, Kiowa and Comanche County Conservation Districts will be hosting a Local Working Group (LWG) meeting on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at 11:00 AM at the Stafford County Annex 210 E 3rd Ave, St John, Kansas. A light lunch will be served. The purpose of this meeting is to make recommendations to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist related to addressing natural resource concerns at local level.

“LWGs are important because they provide recommendations on local and state natural resource priorities and criteria for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation activities and programs. It is critical that the ‘boots on the ground’ have a voice in the process,” said Dan Meyerhoff, Executive Director for the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts. According to Meyerhoff, the LWG should be diverse and focus on agricultural interests and natural resource issues existing in the community. Membership should include agricultural producers representing the variety of crops, livestock, and poultry raised within the local area; owners of nonindustrial private forest land, representatives of agricultural and environmental organizations; and governmental agencies carrying out agricultural and natural resource conservation and activities. LWGs also take into account concerns of particular historically underserved groups and individuals including but not limited to women, persons with disabilities, socially disadvantaged, and limited resource groups. 

Please RSVP before the 3-12-25 meeting to request more information about LWGs, contact the SCCD or NRCS staff by calling 620-549-3321 Ext. 3 or PCCD 620-672-7449 Ext. 3. 

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