Cooperator

Become a Cooperator!

“District Cooperator” means any person who has entered into a cooperative agreement with the District for the purpose of protecting, conserving and practicing wise use of the natural resources under his or her control (A.R.S. ‘ 37-1003).

A District cooperator who resides within the District boundaries and is registered to vote in the State of Arizona

a) may vote in biennial Pima NRCD District Supervisor elections,

b) is eligible to run for a Pima NRCD Supervisor office, or

c) is eligible for appointment to the office of Pima NRCD Supervisor.

Why become a Pima NRCD District Cooperator?

1. As a local unit of Arizona government, a Natural Resource Conservation District has the unique legal authority to coordinate with individual landowners and with other units of government at the local, state, and federal level to resolve resource management issues.  Coordination occurs as equal partners.  Federal laws including the National Environmental Policy Act and the Federal Land Planning and Management Act require federal agencies to coordinate with local units of government.
2. While the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) can connect you with major Farm Bill grant  funding, often they require the applicant to come up with matching funds. The Pima NRCD can connect help you with State, local and other funding resources to help you meet the matching funds requirement.
3. Another key consideration before  accepting federal funding is that it can create a federal  nexus to your private property and thereby subjugate it to restrictive federal regulations under the Endangered Species Act if your property or agricultural lease gets designated as critical habitat for an endangered or threatened species. The Pima NRCD may be able to help you find alternatives to fund your project without reliance on federal funding.
4. The NRCS relies directly  the cooperators of the Natural Resource Conservation Districts for guidance in determining which conservation resource issues, practices and areas to prioritize for Farm Bill funding in the coming year. The Pima NRCD holds one or two Local Workgroup (LWG) meetings per year specifically for this purpose. At LWG meetings, participants also determine the NRCS ranking system for new project  funding applications. As a cooperator, your voice at an LWG  meeting will have a direct impact on how project funding applications, perhaps even one you submit, will be ranked the following year.

To become a Pima NRCD Cooperator, fill out the Cooperator Agreement Form. The information you enter will be sent to an encrypted server and kept confidential. For more information please see our Privacy Statement.