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Michigan conservation districts ask legislature for $10 million in recurring operations funding
Summary
Representatives of the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts told a House appropriations subcommittee the state's current $3 million annual operations grant is insufficient, asking lawmakers to add $10 million to stabilize local district staffing and expand technical assistance.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development and the Department of Natural Resources heard testimony calling for a multiyear increase in state operational funding for Michigan's conservation districts.
Rivka Hodgkinson, executive director of the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts, and Jerry Miller, the association's president, told the panel the state currently provides $3 million a year in MDARD operational grants ' roughly $40,000 per district ' and that the association is seeking an additional $10 million to expand staffing and technical services statewide. "That $40,000 has already meant a lot to districts," Hodgkinson said.
The request matters because Michigan's 75 conservation districts cover all 83 counties and deliver nonregulatory natural-resource assistance to private landowners, farmers and local communities. The association argued that operational funding helps districts leverage federal and local grants, increases participation in federal programs and reduces…
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