Conservation District references for people wanting to learn about them.
Compiled by John Peterson, Director, vice-chair, No. VA SWCD
Rev. 24 AUG 2011
1. The Soil Conservation Service, D. Harper Simms, Praeger Library of U.S.
Government Departments and Agencies, Praeger Publishers, New York, NY, 1970.
Chapter IV, Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
2. Farmland or Wasteland; A Time To Choose, R. Neil Sampson, Rodale Press,
Emmaus, PA. 1981.
3. For Love of the Land: A History of the National Association of Conservation Districts,
R. Neil Sampson, National Association of Conservation Districts, League City, TX.
1985.
4. Big Dam Foolishness: The Problem of Modern Flood Control and Water Storage,
Elmer T. Peterson, The Devon Adair Company, New York, NY. 1954.
5. History of Public Works in the United States, American Public Works Association,
Chicago, IL. 1976. Chapter 9, Flood Control and Drainage.
6. Soil Conservation; Assessing The National Resources Inventory, Volumes 1 & 2,
Committee on Conservation Needs and Opportunities, Board on Agriculture,
National Research Council, National Academy Press, 1986.
7. Will There Be Enough Food? The 1981 yearbook of Agriculture, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Savaging Our Soil, Sustainer of Food and Life, p141. Deals more
with conservation than conservation districts, but a good reference.
8. Living On A Few Acres, the 1978 Yearbook of Agriculture, U.S. Department of
Agriculture. Deals more with conservation than conservation districts, but a good
reference.
9. Conserving Soil; Insights From Socioeconomic Research, Steven B. Lovejoy & Ted L
Napier, Editors, The Soil Conservation Society of America (now the Soil and Water
Conservation Society), Ankeny, IA, 1986, p 47-51 and many other pages reference
districts.
10. Land Use: Tough Choices in Today’s World, Special Publication 22, The Soil
Conservation Society of America (now the Soil and Water Conservation Society),
Ankeny, IA, the proceedings of a national symposium in Omaha, NE, 1977. Very
general reference.
11. The History of Agriculture and the Environment, Edited by Douglas Helms and
Douglas E. Bowers, The Agricultural History Society, Washington, DC, 1993. Good
general reference.
12. The History of Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting: Interviews with U.S.
Department of Agriculture Pioneers, Edited by Douglas Helms, Steven E. Phillips, &
Paul F. Reich, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation
Service, Washington, DC, 2008. Good general reference about partners of
conservation districts.