Rock Island County Soil and Water Conservation District

About Us

What We Do

The Rock Island County Soil and Water Conservation District is a local unit of government established February 10, 1942. Considered a local branch of government, it is governed by a five-person board of directors, elected by landowners and land occupants within the District. The Board of Directors, themselves landowners or land occupants in Rock Island County, meet regularly to administer a program of work that fits the needs and natural resources concerns in the county. Districts have no taxing authority. There are 98 Soil and Water Conservation Districts in the state of Illinois.

The District receives its operating funds from The Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Rock Island County Board. We work closely with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) on a variety of programs for farmers. Both agencies are a part of the US Department of Agriculture. We also work with Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) on construction site NPDES monitoring and an annual stormwater conference as well as projects within Copperas Creek watershed. The District is also involved in the Bi-State Conservation Action Network (BI-CAN) Committee that includes U.S. Fish & Wildlife, Nahant Marsh, Trees Forever, and Pheasants Forever putting on annual workshops, conferences and networking events. We work closely with University of Illinois Extension and QCCA for education events and volunteer support.

Soil and Water Conservation Districts are governmental subdivisions of the state and are tax exempt, as defined under Section 115 of the Internal Revenue Code. All contributions to Soil and Water Conservation Districts are deductible, as defined in Section 170(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code.

We provide workshops, presentations, land and site evaluations, and training for the community and welcome all requests. Contact us for more information.

All SWCD programs and services are offered on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital or familial status.

Who We Are

Board of Directors

Gary Blanchard - Chairman

Chris Nordick – Vice-Chair

Nathan Oak - Treasurer/Secretary

Bill Parchert, III- Director

Jason Flickinger – Director

Bob Westpfahl – County Board Representative

Conservation Team

Dawn Temple – Administrator

Rich Stewart – Resource Conservationist

Joey Deloian – Resource Conservationist II

Joe Gates – Conservation Specialist

Louis Liva – PCM Specialist

Wyatt Junis – Soil Conservationist, NRCS

Jason Hessman – District Conservationist, NRCS

Abby Campisi – Community Development Intern

Sawyer Mital – Community Development Intern