About Napa RCD
Napa County Resource Conservation District
Our District
Napa RCD is a local non-regulatory organization whose mission is to promote responsible watershed management through voluntary community stewardship and technical assistance.
Since 1945, the RCD has facilitated natural resource conservation through community involvement, education, technical expertise and scientific research. The RCD is committed to using voluntary, cooperative and scientifically sound methods to ensure that the natural resources of our watersheds are sustained, restored and protected.
The RCD covers over 500,000 acres in Napa and Solano Counties — all of Napa County and a small portion of western Solano County.
Conservation districts cover almost the entire state and nation. Click here for a directory of resource conservation districts in California. Click here to learn about the projects that conservation districts are conducting all over California.
Our History
Poor land management practices during the Dust Bowl drought of the 1930s resulted in an environmental disaster that shook the nation into recognizing soil erosion as “a menace to the national welfare.” In 1937, the President sent a model state act to each state governor for forming conservation districts to conserve and protect soil, water, and related resources, and the State of California enacted legislation based on this model in 1938.
Napa County Resource Conservation District (RCD) was established in June 1945 as a special district under Division 9 of the California Public Resources Code. Created to develop and further soil and water conservation, the RCD, like its many counterparts throughout the state and nation, is an autonomous, self-governing local government agency. The RCD is truly a “grass-roots” organization dedicated to implementing projects on public and private lands and educating landowners and the public about resource conservation on a voluntary basis.
Mission
RCD Mission
Our mission is to support and empower everyone in Napa County to conserve, protect, and restore natural resources and sustainably manage working lands.
Learn more in our Strategic Plan and financial reports.
Leadership and governance
Leadership and governance of the Napa County RCD is provided by a seven-member volunteer Board of Directors composed of local residents with diverse backgrounds and interests. The role of the Directors is to establish priorities, set policies and guidelines, and oversee general operations. Additionally, Associate Directors serve the RCD in an advisory capacity. Day-to-day management of the RCD is conducted by an Executive Director, and the work of the RCD is performed by a staff of technical, educational, and administrative professionals. Board page | Staff Page
RCD Mission
Our mission is to empower the community to voluntarily conserve, protect, and restore natural resources in a landscape that supports agriculture, urban areas, and wild spaces. We provide technical assistance, educational programs, monitoring programs and funding sources to help land managers improve their conservation practices.
Guiding Principles
The Napa County RCD does not have regulatory authorities and must rely on partnerships with individuals, community organizations, and other government agencies to fund and implement its conservation programs. We recognize the importance of voluntary involvement by government and private citizens as an effective means to carry out natural resource conservation and we are committed to utilizing cooperative and scientifically sound methods to achieve our mission.
As we carry out our programs we are guided by the following principles:
- Sound Science: We are committed to utilizing cooperative and scientifically sound methods to carry out our work.
- Long-Term Stewardship: We strive to build a community ethic of stewarding natural resources for this and future generations.
- Trust and Integrity: In all of its work, the Board of Directors and staff act as professionals, treat others with respect, and behave in an honest and ethical manner.
- Collaborative Partnerships: We work together with others to create strength through partnerships.
NRCS–RCD Partnership
Funding
A small portion of our funding comes from property taxes assessed within our district boundary. Approximately 85% of our annual funding comes from competitively sought grants, professional service agreements, tax-deductable donations, and revenue from the sale of wine grapes from Huichica Creek Vineyard, our sustainable vineyard demonstration property. The RCD consistently seeks to diversify revenue sources to mitigate for the inherent risk in our funding structure.