Conservation district asks fiscal court for partnership on post‑flood land recovery, expands scholarships and giveaways

The Letcher County Conservation District presented its annual update and asked the fiscal court to consider partnerships and funding for post‑flood land recovery projects.

Ron Bratton, speaking for the conservation district, said federal agency staffing reductions have increased local demand for technical assistance. The district is administering a tobacco-settlement cost-share program (the transcript references a state cost-share funded from Tobacco Settlement dollars) and this year is offering roughly $49,000 for local cost-share practices to support fencing, watering infrastructure, pasture rehabilitation and other conservation measures.

Bratton said the district has doubled its annual scholarship program: the district now offers a scholarship of $3,000 per year for up to four years to one student annually; the award can also be used for graduate school in certain environmental fields. The district also runs grass-seed and tree giveaways and said it wants to pilot pollinator gardens, fruit-tree initiatives and other projects on damaged lots to prevent invasive coverage and support local agriculture.

Bratton asked the court to consider partnering on pilot projects and to use some conservation district funding to soften the load on county-owned post‑flood properties. He also encouraged recipients to time seed plantings with recommended seasons (spring: March 15–May 15; fall: Aug. 15–Oct. 15) and described best practices for seeding and site preparation.

Court members thanked the district and asked staff to coordinate on potential pilot projects; no fiscal appropriation was approved at this meeting.