Happy 80th birthday to the Soil Conservation Act!
This ground-breaking legislation created the Soil Conservation Service, now the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and kicked off the conservation district movement in the U.S.
The act was passed largely in response to the widespread devastation of the Dust Bowl and sought to prevent future erosion of the soil and encourage "the use of soil resources in such a manner as to preserve and improve fertility, promote economic use, and diminish the exploitation and unprofitable use of the national soil resources." Within three years of the Act's adoption, soil erosion had dropped by nearly 22%.
Check out the NACD blog to learn more about the conditions that spurred Congress to take action to protect our nation's soil.
We'll be celebrating on social media throughout the day. Join in by using #Happy80thSCA!
Here's to a continuing legacy of locally-led natural-resource conservation in America!