The Wake County Soil & Water Conservation District’s (SWCD) mission is to conserve the soil, water and related natural resources of Wake County. We provide financial and technical assistance to landowners and land users for managing natural resources — soil, water, forestry, and wildlife. Financial assistance is provided through state (Agriculture Cost Share , Community Conservation Assistance) and federal (Environmental Quality Incentives and Wildlife Habitat Incentives) programs.
The Wake County SWCD is part of a unique Federal, State, and County partnership to facilitate conservation best management practices. We are the ground level “arms and legs” of direct environmental actions for the North Carolina Department of Environment & Natural Resources (NCDENR), the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Wake County, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) committed to resource conservation. The primary attributes of our organization are:
- Locally Driven: Wake SWCD is a legal body, accountable to the public via general election of District Supervisors. SWCD Supervisors are chartered with setting priorities, administering programs, and making strategic decisions on future programs.
- Voluntary Participation: Wake SWCD is not an enforcement or compliance monitoring agency. Our operating philosophy is geared towards incentive-based participation in conservation programs.
- Hands On: We are an organization of doers. Our primary focus is the improvement of Wake County’s natural resources through the implementation of conservation programs.
- Accountable: Wake SWCD has sound accounting and audit systems in place to guarantee that financial resources are properly used.