On the November 2016 ballot, Calaveras county voters approved the formation of our RCD. Calaveras County was the last rural county in California to establish an RCD.  Under the rules established in the formation documents, no dedicated monies from the County or taxes will be collected to fund the Calaveras RCD. Therefore, for us to build infrastructure and programs to assist county landowners and residents, we must access creative funding streams. Typically, funding is thus obtained by receiving donations and writing and receiving grants.

An RCD is a local, grassroots government special district that aims to assist our county landowners with educational programs and field projects. Our focus will always be on projects that enhance and highlight private lands. Nevertheless, we can also work with other resource agencies to plan and implement conservation practices on public lands if those activities would improve resource conditions in Calaveras County.

Since we are a local government organization, we can often accomplish conservation activities more efficiently and more in tune with local parameters than any other government agency. In many aspects, we can act as a bridge between landowners and federal and agencies like the Natural Resource Conservation Service, US Forest Service, CA Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the CA Department of Water Resources. We are your neighbors and constitutes. If we don’t serve our county residents well, we will not be fulfilling our mission, and will be neglecting our duties.