The Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Program is an exciting partnership between the federal governmnet and a local nonprofit organization led by local community leaders. To help you understand how RC&D works in this partnership, the following information explains the RC&D program, the RC&D area, the RC&D Council, and the relationships and responsibilities of each.
The Whole Picture
RC&D started back in the 1960′s to address rural poverty and help rural communities generate sustainable natural resource-based economies. Although today, many RC&D areas are not rural and poor, the need for the RC&D program is just as strong as ever. RC&D is not the same-old, same-old- but RC&D is colaborative, multi-level, action-oriented, and inclusive. Sometimes, “RC&D” is difficult to explain and quantify. However, the RC&D approach is to engage local people and organizations to collaboratively solve community problems through a series of locally-driven projects completed in RC&D areas across the country.
The RC&D Area
RC&D areas are locally-sponsored areas designated by the Secretary of Agriculture for RC&D technical and financial assistance. In the Limestone Bluffs RC&D Area there were several founding members that worked on the RC&D application, which was approved by the Secretary of Agriculture in 1994. The Limestone Bluffs RC&D Area includes the following counties: Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson and Jones.
The RC&D Council
The RC&D Council is the heart of the RC&D concept. the Council is a membership-based nonprofit entity that is established and run by volunteers to carry out the mission of the RC&D. The Council is composed of members that are key community leaders in land conservation, water management, environmental enhancement, and community development. The members need to be action-oriented volunteers and leaders that help the Council address needs in the community through good planning and project implementation. In this “make it happen’ style, the Council also periodically evaluates its progress on the Area Plan and gathers input from the community.
The RC&D Council’s Board of Directors
The Board of Directors manage the affairs of the RC&D Council as an incorporated 501(c)(3) . TheBoard formally approves the Area Plan, mission, policies, budget, and projects. Board members have legal and fiduciary responsibilities including: Duty of Care, Duty of Loyalty, and Duty of Obedience. Essentially, the Board of Directors ensures that the organization is well-managed and running propertly in order to obtain the objectives of the RC&D Council. Get involved.
