Conservation districts describe multi‑partner restoration after large fire; districts say local funding cuts will squeeze projects
August 28, 2025 | Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources, Joint & Standing, Committees, Legislative, Wyoming
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Holly Kennedy, executive director of the Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts, and Ryan Fieldgrove, president of the Clear Creek Conservation District, briefed the committee on Aug. 28 about conservation‑district roles and a recent post‑fire restoration program in northeastern Wyoming.
Kennedy summarized the statutory basis for conservation districts and their governance under Wyoming Statute 11‑6‑103, including the locally elected board structure and the authority to operate as cooperating agencies on federal land planning. She described districts' typical funding mix — local mill levies, state allocations and grant and partner funding — and said districts are skilled at leveraging small local budgets into larger multi‑partner projects.
Fieldgrove described the districts response after a large fire in late August (the transcript identifies the event as the Hausdrough Fire). He said the district worked with federal agencies, NGOs and other partners to plan and deploy a suite of restoration actions: aerial sagebrush seeding on about 2,000 acres, fire‑line reclamation projects, installation of roughly 200 z‑dike erosion‑control structures, targeted nesting‑habitat seeding for sage‑grouse and large invasive‑grass treatments with reseeding. He said one funding package included $12 million from Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust to support treatment of approximately 80,000 acres and an additional 30,000 acres of perimeter spray to protect remaining sagebrush.
Fieldgrove described how preexisting local coordination groups reduced response time: partners had previously mapped priorities and planned seed mixes and design options, which allowed many projects to move forward within months of the fire. He said the conservation district model — locally led, small staff but strong at coordinating partners — helped bring federal, state and NGO funding to the ground quickly.
Kennedy and Fieldgrove both warned that local revenue reductions can force districts to scale back cost‑share and delay projects. Several committee members thanked the districts for rapid post‑fire work and for coordinating reseeding and erosion treatments aimed at preventing long‑term spread of invasive annual grasses and protecting wildlife habitat.
Kennedy summarized the statutory basis for conservation districts and their governance under Wyoming Statute 11‑6‑103, including the locally elected board structure and the authority to operate as cooperating agencies on federal land planning. She described districts' typical funding mix — local mill levies, state allocations and grant and partner funding — and said districts are skilled at leveraging small local budgets into larger multi‑partner projects.
Fieldgrove described the districts response after a large fire in late August (the transcript identifies the event as the Hausdrough Fire). He said the district worked with federal agencies, NGOs and other partners to plan and deploy a suite of restoration actions: aerial sagebrush seeding on about 2,000 acres, fire‑line reclamation projects, installation of roughly 200 z‑dike erosion‑control structures, targeted nesting‑habitat seeding for sage‑grouse and large invasive‑grass treatments with reseeding. He said one funding package included $12 million from Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust to support treatment of approximately 80,000 acres and an additional 30,000 acres of perimeter spray to protect remaining sagebrush.
Fieldgrove described how preexisting local coordination groups reduced response time: partners had previously mapped priorities and planned seed mixes and design options, which allowed many projects to move forward within months of the fire. He said the conservation district model — locally led, small staff but strong at coordinating partners — helped bring federal, state and NGO funding to the ground quickly.
Kennedy and Fieldgrove both warned that local revenue reductions can force districts to scale back cost‑share and delay projects. Several committee members thanked the districts for rapid post‑fire work and for coordinating reseeding and erosion treatments aimed at preventing long‑term spread of invasive annual grasses and protecting wildlife habitat.
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