About Us

The East Torrance Soil and Water Conservation District is headquartered in Estancia, New Mexico. We serve a substantial part of New Mexico's Estancia Valley and a portion of the Manzano Mountains.

Current Board Members 2010-2011

Past Board Members

Staff

• Cheri Lujan, District Manager
• Natalie Stokes, Student Intern

District Information

The East Torrance Soil and Water Conservation District includes 1,142,028 acres of land. This includes:

• 25,000 acres of irrigated cropland
• 2,000acres of dry cropland
• 1,059 acres of rangeland
• 47,405 acres of forest land
• 7,700 acres of urban land

Our District includes a number of noteworthy Central New Mexico communities, all displayed in our District Boundary map. (Back to top)

About Soil and Water Conservation Districts

What is a Soil and Water Conservation District?

A soil and water conservation district (SWCD) is authorized by the Soil and Water Conservation District Act (73-20-25 through 73-20-48 NMSA 1978 ) to conserve and develop the natural resources of the state, provide for flood control, preserve wildlife, protect the tax base and promote the health, safety and general welfare of the people of New Mexico.  SWCDs coordinate assistance from all available sources -- public and private, local, state and federal -- in an effort to develop locally driven solutions to local natural resource concerns.    There are 47 SWCDs covering the majority of New Mexico.

A soil and water conservation district is not:

• a conservancy district , which delivers or supplies water for irrigation or other purposes;
• the Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service), a federal agency which provides technical assistance to SWCDs and others to implement conservation practices.

What does a Conservation District do?

Among other things, conservation districts help:

• implement conservation practices to keep farm and ranch lands productive;
• protect water resources;
• plant trees and other land cover to hold soil in place, clean the air, provide cover for wildlife and beautify neighborhoods;
• help developers and homeowners manage the land in an environmentally sensitive manner; and
• reach out to communities and schools to teach the value of natural resources and encourage conservation efforts.

How does a Conservation District operate?

New Mexico Department of Agriculture

The Soil and Water Conservation District Act provides for the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to assist local SWCD boards with the planning and development of programs and projects as well as administrative matters. The Soil and Water Conservation Commission advises the Secretary of NMDA and the New Mexico State University Board of Regents regarding how assistance to districts shall be provided. NMDA employs four specialists for the soil and water conservation programs in the Agricultural Programs and Resources Division.

New Mexico Soil and Water Conservation Commission

The Commission consists of seven continuing members who serve at the pleasure of the Governor. Six
Commission members are district supervisors who represent districts from one of six regions in the state. The
seventh Commission member is selected at large. Five additional ex-officio members also serve on the Commission
without vote.

The Soil and Water Conservation Commission is empowered by law to advise the Secretary of Agriculture to:

a. Assist district supervisors in carrying out district programs, and from such programs develop a soil and water conservation program for New Mexico;

b. Provide information for district supervisors concerning title activities of all districts and to facilitate communication between districts;

c. Promote cooperation between districts by advice and consultation, assist in the coordination of district
programs;

d. Secure and maintain the cooperation and assistance of state and federal agencies, and seek to secure and maintain the cooperation and assistance of national state, and local organizations and groups interested or active in natural resource conservation and development;

e. Disseminate information throughout the state concerning district activities and programs; and

f. Encourage and, within budget limitations, render aid and assistance to district activities.

Additional duties of the department, on advice of the commission, include helping to organize conservation
districts, modify their legal boundaries, promulgate rules and regulations pertaining to district operations, and train
district supervisors. (Back to top)

History of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (courtesy of the National Association of Conservation Districts)

In the early 1930s, along with the greatest depression this nation ever experienced, came an equally unparalleled ecological disaster known as the Dust Bowl. Following a severe and sustained drought in the Great Plains, the region's soil began to erode and blow away, creating huge black dust storms that blotted out the sun and swallowed the countryside. Thousands of “dust refugees” left the black fog to seek better lives.

But the storms stretched across the nation. They reached south to Texas and east to New York. Dust even sifted into the White House and onto the desk of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

On Capitol Hill, while testifying about the erosion problem, soil scientist Hugh Hammond Bennett threw back the curtains to reveal a sky blackened by dust. Congress unanimously passed legislation declaring soil and water conservation a national policy and priority. In 1933 the Congress created the Soil Erosion Service ( which was later changed to the Soil Conservation Service in 1935).  Since about three-fourths of the continental United States is privately owned, Congress realized that only active, voluntary support from landowners would guarantee the success of conservation work on private land.

In 1937, President Roosevelt wrote the governors of all the states recommending legislation that would allow local landowners to form soil conservation districts.  New Mexico adopted the soil conservation district act in the same year.

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