Who We Are
The South Yakima Conservation District is a subdivision of the State of Washington that seeks, utilizes, and coordinates assistance from all available sources. We are authorized under provisions of the Washington State Soil and Water Conservation District Law (authorized by RCW 89.08).
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Our primary goal is to promote the wise use, development, and conservation of our renewable natural resources by providing assistance to local landowners to address conservation resource concerns.
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South Yakima Conservation District was organized and chartered by the State of Washington on September 24, 1974. It was a consolidation of the former Toppenish District whose name changed from Wapato Soil Conservation District (1949) and Lower Yakima Valley Conservation District (1947).
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There are 45 Conservation Districts in Washington state, and all districts are overseen by the Washington State Conservation Commission (WSCC). Each Conservation District is governed by a Board of Supervisors who serve voluntarily. There are five board supervisors, three of which are elected and two that are appointed by WSCC.
Strategic Plans
South Yakima Conservation District maintains and updates strategic plans to outline priority areas for district programs and activities. These are the Annual Work Plan and the Five-Year Plan. Priority areas include natural resource priorities as well as district priorities.
The Annual Work Plan for 2025-2026 and the Five-Year Plan for 2022-2027 can be viewed in the attached documents.
Annual Work Plan 2025-26
Five-Year Plan 2022-2027
Office Staff
​District Manager
Rodney Heit - rh@sycd.us
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Resource Conservation Planner
Savannah Crnick - sc@sycd.us​
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Resource Conservation Technician
Bailey Draper - bd@sycd.us
Bookkeeper
Trish Hutchins - office@sycd.us​​​​​​​​​​
Board Members
Chair
Dirk Van Slageren
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Vice Chair
Javier Lopez
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Board Member - Elected
Jeff Geertsma
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Board Member - Elected
Kristyn Mensonides-Cruz
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Board Member - Appointed
Ky Shinn
Board Meetings
Board Meetings are held on Wednesday during the first full week of each month at 4:00 PM. Meetings are held in person at the district office with a virtual Zoom option.​ Upcoming Board Meeting Agendas will be posted before each meeting as a Word document with the Zoom link.​​
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