Our featured speaker on Friday, May 14th was Linda Lyshall, PhD, the Executive Director of the Snohomish County Conservation District. Linda is a forward-thinking leader with 15 years experience facilitating the development, assessment and execution of natural resource strategic plans and programs.
Were you aware of the 80 year existence of the Snohomish County Conservation District? The District has been working with farmers, city residents, rural and suburban landowners on a voluntary basis since 1941. Currently their offices are located in Lake Stevens with a staff of 30. The District is looking for new property to purchase in Lake Stevens for their office.
There are currently 45 conservation districts in Washington State. Conservation Districts are responsible with local implementation of conservation practices, both urban and rural. The District is a political subdivision of state government with no regulatory authority. The District operates with a staff ranging from engineers, resource planners, community conservation staff, restoration specialists, a field crew, outreach specialists and administrative staff.
The District's programs consists of Lawns to Lettuce which encourages landowners to convert a portion of their lawn to grow edibles in a way that builds healthy soil, protects pollinators, minimizes pesticide use, reduces runoff and conserves water.
Another program is the green stormwater infrastructure which provides over 8,000 installed rain barrels. Habitat restoration is another important element of the District. The District is involved in other programs involving Climate Change, Farm Planning, Agroforestry and Agriculture resilience. and so much more. Another focus is Youth Education. There are 112 youth education lessons. Local food banks received over 21,435 lbs. of food donated the past year. Fantastic presentation with lots of information. You can view the Club meeting and speakers presentation on the YouTube.com channel Lake Stevens Rotary.