The mission of the Wayne County Soil & Water Conservation District is to serve as a local agency prepared to manage and conserve the soil, water, and natural resources of Wayne County.

The District was chartered by New York State in February of 1944. Since then the District has developed programs related to the needs of Wayne County and follow a mission and vision to help the community thrive from care of the natural resources available to its residents.

The programs, projects, and services developed and provided by the District are a reflection of the County’s needs. In 2012, the District’s Board of Directors embedded five priority areas within the Annual Plan of Operations as follows:

1. Provide critical water quality protection through technical assistance to the public and municipalities.

2. Support state mandated storm water program initiatives by conducting training, plan review, and on-site inspections.

3. Provide assistance to the agricultural community through agricultural value assessments, the Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) Program, the Graze NY Program, NYS Agricultural Nonpoint Source Abatement & Control grants, and the promotion of USDA programs and services.

4. Provide water resource quality protection through water testing, pollution prevention and abatement activities, and public education.

5. Provide technical assistance and services to the public at large and conservation partner agencies on other environment related issues.