Planning Resources

Tip, tools, and techniques for planning and conducting a remote/virtual site visit.

WSCC has created and curated resources designed to help Washington Conservation Districts market their services and work. You’ll find brand guidelines, templates, guidance, photos, icons, and products to help tell the story of conservation and enhance your planning products with a unified brand for Washington conservation districts. 

https://scc.wa.gov/marketing-toolkit/

Successful projects take collaboration and teamwork. This year, with the launch of the Regional Forestry Pilot Program, created by Puget Sound Conservation Districts (PSCD) and the Puget Sound National Estuary Program, the program team had the opportunity to pull in experts across the conservation district community to work on a shared goal of stewarding our forests and increasing educational opportunities for landowners. 

The Regional Forestry Pilot Program teamed up with communications and outreach staff to create a Program Engagement Strategy that identified the approaches, tools, and critical messages to increase awareness among non-industrial private forest landowners of the stewardship services available to them and actions they can take. Outreach specialist and Natural Resource Planner, Kelsi Mottet, and Regional Graphic Designer & Media Specialist, Emma Kilgore Crocker, led the effort on the communications side of the project. 

With the Program Engagement Strategy in place, the team created a media toolkit of print and digital content with messaging designed to reach our target audience. These materials are available for use by all conservation districts. Both the Engagement Strategy and the media toolkit also include guidance on marketing and best practices for new staff. 

We hope that these resources can serve as a launching pad for other conservation districts  doing regional work. Our forests are critical components of our Washington ecosystems, and keeping them healthy requires a team effort.

Visit the Better Ground website to check out the Engagement Strategy, Prioritization Process, and Marketing Toolkit.

Questions? Please contact Stacey Dixon at sdixon@snohomishcd.org.

USDA Farmers.gov - The farmers.gov playbook aligns the farmers.gov vision with site features, both available and upcoming, and provides transparency about our progress on those features. 

NRCS Client Gateway - Conservation Client Gateway is a secure web portal that lets you work with NRCS online. Landowners and land managers, whether operating as individuals or authorized representatives of business entities, can track their payments, report completed practices, request conservation assistance, and electronically sign documents. 

CART - NRCS will utilize CART (Conservation Assessment and Ranking Tool) to assess clients’ resource concerns, planned practices, and site vulnerability as part of the conservation planning process and will rank client applications for NRCS program funding. 

eFOTG - The NRCS electronic Field Office Technical Guide (eFOTG) is the singular place to find NRCS Practice Standards, Technical Notes, resource assessment worksheets, plan templates, and more. 

NPPH (2014) - The NRCS National Planning Procedures Handbook (NPPH) outlines all criteria associated with NRCS planning: framework, procedures, formats, and support guidance. It is the "bible" for NRCS planning.

NRCS employee links - Find additional links to resources such as Conservation Desktop, Sharepoint, eDirectives, and more. 

NRCS Soil Resources - A linked list of all available soil learning and planning resources including WebSoilSurvey, including Dig a Little, Learn a Lot. 

National Agricultural Library - The National Agricultural Library (NAL) is one of five national libraries of the United States.  It houses one of the world's largest collections devoted to agriculture and its related sciences.  You can find access to both free and paid articles and more. 

WSU Extension - Washington State University Extension has a number of programs and learning resources to help you gain knowledge and experience. 

Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board - The noxious week site is a well design and great resource for identification, disposal, outreach resources, and information  about noxious weeds in Washington State. 

Washington State Department of Agriculture - Find program contact and information for all WSDA programs including dairy nutrient management, livestock, food safety, pests and weeds, organic certification, and more. 

Department of Natural Resources - DNR is your resource for finding information, guidelines, and publications on wildfire, forestry, geology, lands, and more. 

US Geological Survey (USGS) - The USGS provides science about the natural hazards that threaten lives and livelihoods; the water, energy, minerals, and other natural resources we rely on; the health of our ecosystems and environment; and the impacts of climate and land-use change. In particular, they provide great map resources, science based publications, and more.  

WDFW Species Identifier - Ever wanted to know more about a Washington bird, fish, mammal, amphibian, or other species? Check out the WDFW Species Identifier tool for images, information, and species specific information. You can also learn more about invertebrates, monarchs,  and pollinators through the Xerces Society. 

OpenTEAM - OpenTEAM is a collaborative community of farmers, scientists and researchers, engineers, farm service providers, and food companies that are committed to improving soil health and advancing agriculture’s ability to become a solution to climate change.

CEAP - The NRCS Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) is a multi-agency effort to quantify the environmental effects of conservation practices and programs and develop the science base for managing the agricultural landscape for environmental quality. 

WSU Soils: Organic Farming and Nutrient Management - Great info on organic farming, composting, soils, soil testing, biosolids, climate change, gardening, and more! 

The Working Buffer Opportunity: Feasibility Report - Created by Snohomish CD

• Management Template - Alley Cropping

• Management Template - Multi Story Cropping

• Management Template - Short Rotation Cropping

• Management Template - Silvopasture