OACD provides a variety of services for our members to fulfill our mission to advance the interests of Oregon Soil and Water Conservation Districts for the conservation and wise use of Oregon’s natural resources.

 MEMBER SERVICES

Focus on increasing districts’ effectiveness in serving their communities through training and networking opportunities.

District Manager Roundtable – A quarterly forum for district managers to discuss issues of common interest and learn from each other.

Monthly Newsletter – The monthly newsletter is provided to district directors, staff, and our conservation partners. The newsletter includes information on funding opportunities, upcoming meetings, new and opportunities, and district to district information sharing and news.

Annual Conference - Each year OACD supports members by gathering at an annual meeting to provide workshops , updates from state and federal funders, share innovative district programs, and district director roundtables. 

Webinars - OACD provides webinars on a number of topics throughout the year and also is one of the four partners taking part in developing monthly webinars as part of the Oregon Conservation Partnership (OrCP). 

Natural & Working Lands Committee – Develops tools and provides educational opportunities relating to soil health and carbon sequestration.

PUBLIC RELATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS

Focus on aligning strategic communications to support OACD’s advocacy and deepening public understanding of conservation districts and their value

Earned Media - Through Oregon Conservation Partnership, OACD provides the opportunity to feature district stories in the media.

 Public Relations/Communication Working Group – NEW. This working group will develop messaging that can be used by districts.

ADVOCACY

Proactively push for policy and funding that enables the work of conservation districts in Oregon.

Legislative - OACD reviews the thousands of bills each session to determine which are relevant to the needs of our members.  The OACD Advocacy Committee reviews those bills and prioritizes them and outlines actions to take.  OACD works with our partners (OWEB, ODA and other agencies, the Oregon Conservation Partnership and other associations) in developing strategies to promote legislation.   We then testify before the legislative committees and lobby legislators toward our goals.  We provide information on our membership portal so that our members can partner in that work.   We also work with the National Association of Conservation of Conservation Districts on federal legislation.

Regulatory - OACD participates in stakeholder and advisory committee meetings to ensure rules support our members' needs.  Rulemaking efforts occur at both the state and federal level.  The member portal updates the membership on rulemakings in progress. 

Funding – OACD works with our partners to identify and develop access to funding sources for districts. Funding opportunities are included in the newsletter as they arise. OACD is working with the Oregon Conservation Partnership to develop a grant hub to improve access to information on funding opportunities.

Training – Provide annual training for  districts on engaging in advocacy.

Actions associated with OACD’s services are detailed in the  Strategic Plan, adopted September 24, 2024.