BALTIMORE COUNTY
SOIL CONSERVATION DISTRICT
CELEBRATING 80 YEARS OF CONSERVATION 1944 - 2024
Our Mission
The mission of the Baltimore County Soil Conservation District is to promote practical and effective soil, water and related natural resources programs to all citizens in a timely fashion on a voluntary basis through leadership, education and cooperation.
About
The Baltimore County Soil Conservation District, established in 1944, is one of 23 districts in Maryland that provide technical assistance and advice to landowners and operators in managing and protecting their land and water resources. We work with Federal, State and local authorities and the private sector to address Baltimore County's soil and water conservation needs.
The District is a self-governing body, administered by a Board of Supervisors. These supervisors are private citizens who are aware of the local environmental issues. They are appointed to serve in unpaid positions to provide overall supervision and set policy for the local conservation district.
District operations are directed by the Board and carried out by District staff.
Grants from the state and county and proceeds from special District programs account for the District's income. The District is audited by a licensed CPA on a regular basis.
The District boundaries are the same as the county boundaries.
History
of Soil Conservation
Districts
In the 1930s poor farming practices were destroying valuable topsoil which nature had taken thousands of years to produce. In 1937, in an effort to address this problem, President Franklin D. Roosevelt recommended that all states establish soil and
water conservation districts.
Maryland passed its Soil Conservation District law in June of 1937 and by December of 1944 the Baltimore County Soil Conservation District (BCSCD) was officially incorporated.
In the beginning, the BCSCD provided technical assistance primarily to the agricultural community. Today, our focus has expanded to also address the impacts of development and urbanization in the County.
“One of the best, and certainly the most promising, of the devices yet invented by man for dealing democratically and effectively with maladjustment in land use, as well as for carrying forward positive programs of desirable conservation, and for maintaining the work, is the soil conservation district.”
– Hugh Hammond Bennett