Charting Your District’s Course

1. Charting Your District’s Course

2. Planning provides the foundation for conservation district programs and operations. The planning process broadly defines the vision of the future and then focuses on the steps that are needed to address specific goals and objectives. Planning overview

3. A conservation district without a plan is like being afloat without a boat. Where does your district want to go? Can you get there? Planning makes the best use of your time and the district’s staff and money. Planning means better decision-making. If we don’t plan our future, who will? Why plan?

4. Virginia’s conservation districts are legally defined in the Code of Virginia, Title 10.1 – Conservation, Chapter 5 - Soil and Water Conservation. Conservation districts are political subdivisions. As a political subdivision, a conservation district has some basic statutory duties, organizational guidelines, and financial reporting ties to the state. Legal authority

5. On an ongoing basis, conservation districts assess the resource needs of the district (resource assessment). They develop long-range and annual plans with the goals and objectives designed to meet prioritized needs. They provide linkages between land users and conservation service providers. Key Activities of Districts

6. Resource assessment This is an important first step in the planning process. You must have a good feel for where you are and what the problems are before you can determine what to do. Strategic (long-range) plan As District leaders, it is your job to paint the vision, mission and direction of the District. This should be captured in a written long range plan. Annual plan of work An annual plan of work is critical to the success of a District. This plan should be looked at often and should be the guide to daily activity. Three components of planning

7. Districts should involve a broad spectrum of community representatives as they begin the planning process by assessing the state of the natural resources. Stakeholders, such as community leaders, ag producers and citizens, should be invited to participate in the planning process. Public involvement is critical

8. Meetings Focus groups Surveys Forums for public outreach

9. It is important to document the process to show a broad effort was made to reach out to all community residents. • Compare to county population statistics • Who did you contact? • How did you contact them? • What was your response rate? • How did you follow up with those who didn’t respond? Documentation

10. The resource assessment documents information about the natural resource needs, concerns in your district, summarizes the board’s priority issues, and is part of the strategic plan. Resource assessment

11. Prepare an overview of the district and its features, including current conditions and trends. Gather information on what resource issues the community sees as most important. Compile all natural resource information collected. Identify all problems that emerge from the data. Prioritize the problems. Get assessment approval from the Board and follow up with all involved in the assessment process, at least mailing them a final assessment copy. To create a strong assessment…

12. FSA county committee and staff NRCS district conservationist and staff District cooperators Utah Conservation Commission staff Local, state and tribal environmental, agriculture and recreational agencies Agricultural organizations Environmental and conservation agencies Civic groups Local and state elected officials Residential community associations Local boards of education and local schools Local businesses that have an impact on natural resources Garden clubs Political organizations (Democratic, Republican clubs, League of Women Voters Hunting fishing and recreation organizations Builders associations Who to involve in a resource assessment

13. Once the resource assessment is done, work can begin on the strategic plan using the issues prioritized as most important. Begin strategic plan

14. Provides clear goals and objectives to be attained within a five-year time frame. Specific issues in the strategic plan come from the resource assessment. Strategic plan

15. Are focused, detailed and clear about what is to be done, who is involved, when each step is to be performed and how the plan will be evaluated. • Where are we now? • Where do we want to be? • How will we get there? • Who must do what? • How are we doing? Strategic plans

16. Mission statement (or purpose) Goals Objectives Strategies (or action items) Elements of a strategic plan

17. A strategic plan’s mission statement, goals, objectives and strategies might look like this: Sample outline Mission Statement Goal 1 Objective Action Item 1 Action Item 2 Goal 2 Objective Action Item 1

18. There may be one or more goals, one or more objectives to meet each goal, one or more action items to satisfy each objective. Strategic plans usually cover a period no longer than five years. District strategic plans should contain the list of prioritized issues from the resource assessment. Points to remember

19. Involve people in planning who will have to implement. • Ensure plan is realistic. • Organize the plan into smaller action plans. • In the final document specify who is doing what and by when. • In a plan implementation section specify roles and responsibilities. • Communicate the role of follow-ups. People do their jobs if they know they will be checked on. • Document and distribute the plan. • Place huge emphasis on Board and member feedback. Points to remember – Ensuring Implementation

20. The district’s strategic plan can be broken down into annual segments, which are readily identifiable and guide the district in its day-to-day operations. • The plan of work includes: • A list of key issues and goals • Activities to be completed under each goal • Timelines and responsible people who will complete the work (be specific) • A review or evaluation process Annual plan of work

21. See this link to find helpful tips on managing your District The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Strategic Plan can be used as a reference and is found on the Virginia Performs website Contact your Virginia Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts for assistance Resources