About Resource Conservation and Development

The Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Program is a nation-wide U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The purpose of the RC&D program is to accelerate the conservation, development and utilization of natural resources, improve the general level of economic activity, and to enhance the environment and standard of living in designated RC&D areas. Current program objectives focus on improvement of quality of life achieved through natural resources conservation and community development, which leads to sustainable communities, prudent use (development), and the management, and conservation of natural resources.

RC&D is an exciting partnership between the federal government and a local nonprofit organization led by local community leaders. The program began 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 or poor, the need for the RC&D concept is just as strong as ever. RC&D is collaborative, multileveled, action-oriented, and inclusive. RC&D’s are locally sponsored areas designated by the Secretary of Agriculture for RC&D technical and financial assistance program funds. In the Pineywoods RC&D Area, there were several founding members that worked on the Application for Assistance, which was approved by the Secretary of Agriculture in 1992.

*Serving Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Houston, Nacogdoches, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby and Trinity Counties*

Executive Board of Directors:

RC&D Staff

Conservation Districts

Counties

At Large

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. The Council is dedicated to implementing the "Area Plan", a community-driven strategic long-range plan to improve the quality of life in the RC&D Area. The Council also periodically evaluates its progress on the Area Plan and gathers input from the community. Each county within the RC&D Area is represented by a Council member.

The Executive Board manages the affairs of the RC&D Council as an incorporated 501(c)(3). The Board formally approves the Area Plan, mission, policies, budget, projects, and hiring of Council Staff. Essentially, the Executive Board ensures that the organization is wellmanaged and running properly in order to obtain the objectives of the RC&D Council.