Do you love your community and want to help keep it healthy and thriving?
Do you have ideas on how public funding could be used to better serve Columbia County residents?
If so, Columbia SWCD’s Board of Directors could be the place for you to share your thoughts and expertise!
 

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) Natural Resources Program oversees the conservation district elections process. Elections for SWCD directors occur every two years. The next General Election is scheduled for November 3, 2026.

Candidates and districts must follow specific guidelines to advertise the elections and to have candidates' applications processed and placed on the ballot. ODA notifies the districts and county clerks which positions are to be on the ballot for election, the procedures to follow, and deadlines needing to be met.

Candidates and districts are responsible to submit the appropriate paperwork to the local county clerk and to ODA.

Requirements for eligibility

The eligibility requirements for district directors was significantly changed in SB 775, which was passed in 2023. Please note that as of January 1, 2024, all zone directors must reside in the zone in which they represent. For the purposes of director eligibility, residency refers to the place in which the candidate is registered to vote.

Candidates for At Large positions must reside within the boundaries of the SWCD and be a registered voter in that district.

The other positions on the SWCD boards are Zone positions. Zone directors must be a registered voter and reside within the zone they represent. In counties with fewer than 250,000 residents, eligibility requirements also include:

1. Own or manage 10 or more acres of land in the zones they represent in the district and be involved in the active management of the land; or
2. Indicate an interest in natural resource conservation as demonstrated by serving at least one year as a director or associated director of a district and having a conservation plan that is approved by the district.

You can find more information on the Oregon Department of Agriculture's website here. 
An accurate Zone mapping tool can be found here.