Thirteen counties in the Northeast Texas RC& D Council area are celebrating National RC&D Week.

The Northeast Texas RC&D is one of 375 RC&D councils across the United States that have been authorized by the Secretary of Agriculture. Texas has 22 authorized RC&D areas with more than 2,000 volunteers serving the councils across the state.

Established in 1962, the RC&D is a unique program, led by volunteer councils, that helps promote conservation, development, and utilization of natural resources in local communities. The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers the program, through a coordinator that provides technical day-to-day coordination of resources sought by RC&D councils.

The coordinators help the council utilize USDA and other Federal, State, and local agencies’ programs and match those resources with local RC&D council volunteers to implement the RC&D area plan to address local needs.

The Northeast Texas RC&D serves Bowie, Camp, Cass, Delta, Fannin, Franklin, Hopkins, Lamar, Marion, Morris, Red River, Rains, and Titus counties. Some of the projects the RC&D has accomplished include:

• Provided a grant to Hannah’s Horseshoes for Hope in Fannin County to assist with seeding bermuda grass for horses to graze.  This project provides equine-assisted therapy and rehabilitation to students with physical, emotional and mental disabilities.
• Provided a grant to Aiken Elementary students in Lamar Co. to assist in the development of a butterfly/hummingbird habitat area.
• Provided a grant to Marion-Cass SWCD to hold a Fish Pond Management Workshop in Cass Co.
• Sponsored a Wildlife Clinic in Delta County for Future Farmers of America and 4-H students.
• Sponsored a Gateway to Texas Getaway Tour in Red River County to promote tourism in rural areas.

“The Northeast Texas RC&D Council is pleased to serve the local people determining their community needs and creating solutions for these needs in our communities,” stated Charles Foster, Northeast Texas RC&D president. “We are proud of our volunteers and their efforts to encourage the wise use of natural resources and improve the quality of life in our area.”

Resource Conservation and Development Councils are made up of volunteers who serve their communities in all 50 states and U.S. territories. 

For more information, visit http://www.rcdnet.org/ or http://www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov/programs.