Overview
Conservation districts need to complete resource assessments, but the data are not readily available to all stakeholders. This inhibits strategically planning work needed within the conservation districts. They needed a tool that actively improves collaboration across jurisdictional boundaries, which is hard to achieve. There is no way to show the impact of shared priorities and investments in mitigation if work is not possible because they lack a consistent, nationwide mechanism for tracking accomplishments.
This web-based portal was created by the Arizona Association of Conservation Districts (AACD) in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and with technical support from the Timmons Group. The purpose of the Portal is to provide both the Natural Resource Conservation Districts (NRCDs) and the NRCS with information that is useful in conducting resource needs assessments, developing conservation plans and priorities, and tracking progress in the implementation of conservation practices. The maps and data in the Portal are drawn from existing data available online from state and federal agencies and entities. This Portal makes them more readily available to the NRCDs and NRCS. The data in the Portal may be accessed for specific areas of interest ranging from statewide to specific project areas (e.g., NRCD boundaries, counties, watersheds, individual ranches or farms, or land treatment projects).
Conserve AZ facilitates cross-jurisdictional collaborative action, so improved strategic planning and spatial tracking of management activities can inform proactive decision-making. Using geospatial exploration of Conservation Districts and Assessment Areas planned and completed work will summarize assessment information and conservation actions using visual accomplishments. The portal will tell the story of conservation needs and accomplishments through visual reporting.
