Feb. 22 comment deadline for SD Agriculture Department’s draft coordinated plan for natural resources conservation

The South Dakota Department of Agriculture is seeking public comments on the draft Coordinated Plan for Natural Resources Conservation.

The draft 2021 Coordinated Plan for Natural Resource Conservation presents a consensus from stakeholders on activities the State Conservation Commission should focus on to protect and enhance natural resources and outlines achievable goals and objectives for the next five years. Focus areas include water, air, recreation and wildlife, public awareness, funding sources, and forestry. The updated plan continues to reflect South Dakota’s commitment to work together to implement conservation programs to protect and preserve South Dakota’s natural resources. The plan was last updated in 2012.

The draft plan is now complete and is available at https://sdnaturalresourcesplan.com/. Comments may be submitted online or via email to SDRCF@state.sd.us and must be received by Monday, February 22, 2021.

In the fall of 2019, SDDA hosted a series of open house meetings across the state to gather input on a broad range of conservation topics for consideration during development of the draft plan. In addition to the comments received, SDDA reviewed the goals and objectives from the 2012 plan to help assess natural resource needs moving forward.

By design, the Coordinated Plan for Natural Resources Conservation fosters collaboration between federal, state, conservation districts, and local groups to develop proactive, voluntary conservation efforts within South Dakota to protect and preserve our natural resources.