POLK SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT
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      • IMap Invasives
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      • Biological controls for noxious weeds in Oregon
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      • Save Salmon : No Spray Buffers
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      • Conserving Water on the Farm and Around the Home
      • Drinking Water Source Protection and Wells
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CONSERVATION EASEMENTS

protect & preserve PRIVATE LAND for future generations

A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a qualified “holder” that allows a landowner to limit the type of uses on their property while retaining private ownership of the land. 
Learn More: Conservation Easements 101
View: The Trust for Public Land
View: Stewardship Calculator and Handbook

Smithfield Oaks Conservation Easement


The Polk SWCD acquired this 188 acre property with a perpetual conservation easement in the fall of 2019.  It consists of oak-covered hillsides in the Baskett-Butte area rising gradually above an intermittent branch of Crowley Creek, a tributary of Rickreall Creek. These hillsides, containing nearly pure oak stands of varying density and are dotted with upland prairie openings, host a large and growing population of federally endangered Fender's blue butterfly and its host plant, Kincaid's lupine.
​
Below these oak hillsides are several fields in the process of returning to active use (a mix of grazing and grass seed production) after several decades in the USDA Conservation Reserve Program.


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Picture

POLK SOIL & WATER
CONSERVATION  DISTRICT

YOUR LOCAL SOURCE OF CONSERVATION INFORMATION AND ​EDUCATION IN POLK COUNTY, OREGON SINCE 1966

Location

580 MAIN STREET,  SUITE A,
DALLAS OR, 97338

Contact Us 

 503-623-9680 x110 |   manager@polkswcd.com

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The Polk Soil & Water Conservation District complies with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and prohibits discrimination in all its programs, services, activities, and materials on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, genetic information, veteran’s status, reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. 
  • Home
  • Our District
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Commitees
    • History
    • Minutes and Agendas
    • Newsletters
    • Operational Documents
    • News & Announcements
  • Assistance
  • PROGRAMS
    • Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) Grant Programs
    • Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
    • Oak Woodland & Savanna Restoration
    • Successful Projects
    • Polk Manure Exchange
    • Claudia Chinook
  • Events
    • District and Community Events
    • Native Plant Sale
    • Past Meetings
  • Resources
    • Agriculture >
      • Oregon’s Agricultural Water Quality Program
      • Small Farms >
        • SOIL CONSERVATION
        • Livestock
        • Organic Operations
    • Forestry >
      • Conifer Focused Forestry
      • Oak Woodland Management
    • Invasive Species >
      • IMap Invasives
      • A-List Priority Weeds
      • The "B" Rated Weeds
      • Aquatic Animal Invaders
      • Reed Canary Grass info
      • Medusahead
      • Biological controls for noxious weeds in Oregon
    • Wildlife >
      • Save Salmon : No Spray Buffers
    • Water Conservation >
      • Conserving Water on the Farm and Around the Home
      • Drinking Water Source Protection and Wells
    • Partners