1. Y OUR R OLE AS A S UPERVISOR

2. Congratulations! Welcome and congratulations on becoming a conservation district supervisor! You have joined over 450 other conservation district supervisors in Colorado, and more than 15,000 other leaders of conservation district programs and services across the United States committed to the stewardship of natural resources at the local level. Colorado conservation districts are subdivisions of state government created by law. Colorado has 76 conservation districts, each led by individuals who believe decisions affecting natural resources are best made by people closest to those resources – the people in the local community. As a conservation district supervisor, you are elected public officials that will represent and protect the needs and interests of the public through your actions and decisions. You’ll be at the helm with your unique knowledge, experience and interest in natural resources and you’ll be looked to for guidance and to add valuable expertise to your conservation district team. More importantly, you are being entrusted with the power to administer state and local programs; receive and spend public funds; educate the public on conservation issues; and much more. The citizens of your local district as well as the state of Colorado as a whole are counting on you and are pleased you have come aboard.

3. VC Marshall Quote The soil conservation district is the workshop through which those who love the land pool their efforts and information in making the land more stable and productive and our country more prosperous, more attractive and a better land in which to live. The fact that landowners themselves have the responsibility for petitioning for and voting in a district, formulating its program and work plan, administering its business and entering into cooperative agreements with their fellow landowners and operators, makes soil conservation districts a democracy in action. V.C. Marshall (Credited with being the “Father of the soil and water conservation district program in Texas”)

4. Where to Start? It’s important to remember that you can’t learn everything at once. As you gain experience on the District board, you will continue to learn facts, statistics, history, procedures, and a thousand other things. But first things first:  Get to know the other folks who serve on the District board with you – not just their names, but who they really are. Where do they live? What are their occupations? Do they have families? What are their real interests and concerns? What motivates them to serve on the board?  Get to know the District Manager – the other part of the District board team. There must be a high level of trust between those who govern and the person they have chosen to manage.  Learn where to go for answers to your questions. Your best defense against being totally lost at this early stage of your term is to know the people and resources to get your answers to the tough questions quickly. The District Manager and fellow board members are your best guides to the ways and means of the Conservation District.  Learn to learn. Learning the job of boardmanship is a never-ending task. Attend state and national conferences, take part in boardmanship workshops, read pertinent literature. Learn that this job deserves your very best effort. You come to the District board as an amateur, but you must do the job in the most professional manner possible.

5. Things to Read There are several documents on file in the District office, which you should read and ask questions about. Your District Manager or President will be able to provide you with a copy of the following: District Bylaws Conservation District Annual Plan of Work Conservation District Long Range PlanEmployee Work PoliciesEmployee Working AgreementsEmployee Job Descriptions Board meeting minutes for the last two meetings Conservation District BudgetMemorandums of UnderstandingGrant Agreements

6. Supervisor Roles Setting and scrutinizing the district’s mission and overall strategy and working to achieve it; Supporting your district employees, and assuring they function efficiently and responsibly. They represent your district to the community on a day-to-day basis; Managing the district's resources – both funds and property; Serving as a bridge and buffer between the district and its cooperators and partners; and serving as an advocate for the district to build support in the community. The good news is that Colorado has some of the most effective conservation districts in the country with professional and knowledgeable staff willing to support you in your new role. A network of local, state, and national conservation partners are also available to help. Your new role as a conservation district supervisor is an important one. Your main responsibilities will include:

7. Supervisor Roles Be familiar with the Colorado Conservation District Law. Know the powers, authorities, responsibilities, and limitations placed upon you by the law. Attend regular and special meetings of the district board. Accept the responsibilities of any office to which you are appointed. Serve on committees and present reports on their accomplishments and activities. Assure that the actions and policies of the district and its employees remain within the limitations of the Conservation District Law. Set local policy to reflect the balanced need of the community you represent. Act as a district representative in communicating district action, policy, etc. to your local community. Develop, set and implement personnel policies for the hiring and supervision of district staff. Encourage landowners to become cooperators with the district.

8. More Items for Consideration… Attend state, national, and other conservation meetings on behalf of the district to stay current with conservation issues and programs. Always remember to represent the policies of your board as a whole, not just your personal feelings. Pursue funding for district programs and initiatives. Develop in cooperation with other board members an annual district budget and review regularly to assure district fiscal responsibility. Develop a working relationship with county government, legislators, agency officials, local municipal and county officials, and organizations that do or could cooperate with your conservation district. Stay informed on conservation issues in your county and be familiar with important laws, policies, and programs. Be familiar with district programs and activities. Be positive, innovative, and action-oriented.

9. How Did I Get Here? Conservation districts consist of local people who represent democracy in action on the land through basic principles of representation “of the people, by the people and for the people” (quote from Abraham Lincoln). One of these basic principles is the right to vote for specific individuals representing the district landowners through the election process. Conservation Districts are both special districts and political subdivisions of the state as defined in CRS Title 32 Article 1. Conservation Districts are authorized under C.R.S. 35-70-101 through 35-70-122. Unless authorizing legislation specifies otherwise, conservation districts follow statutory requirements for special districts.

10. Supervisor Elections District supervisors are unpaid ELECTED officials and have important responsibilities related to the election process for selecting supervisors to represent the landowners in each district. District elections are considered “non-partisan”. One of the most important responsibilities of the district boards is to ensure elections are conducted at a regular election. A regular election means the election on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday of May in every even-numbered year, held for the purpose of electing members to the boards of special districts for any supervisor elected or appointed to a term expiring in May of that particular even- numbered year. Elected four-year terms for conservation district supervisors begin and end in May of even-numbered years the next day following the May election date. (Detailed in Election Process module)

11. Unopposed Candidate Go to DOLA for Up-To-Date Election Rules The Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), Division of Local Government provides technical assistance in the area of Special District Elections on DOLA’s website: https://dola.colorado.gov/dlg/ta/special_districts/elections/index.html#overview An election manual, calendar, and sample forms are available to assist districts in the conduct of their regular biennial election in May. In addition, the division offers technical support to election officials by hosting several election workshops throughout the state as well as online webinars. These classes are designed to help special districts prepare for their regular biennial election. Special districts have the option of holding TABOR Issue elections during a state general election, a biennial local district election, or on the first Tuesday in November of odd-numbered years. The division provides a coordinated election calendar to assist district officials in the preparation of an off-year election. Special districts must file all election results with the division of local government. The division maintains information on each special district, including election results from the district’s organizational, regular, off-year, or special election.

12. Supervisor Qualifications Conservation district supervisors in Colorado are by law elected in an election. A person may also assume the position of a CD supervisor by direct appointment due to a resignation, death, etc. to complete the prior term. In the case of death /resignation the remaining supervisors select a person to fill the unexpired term of office: Appointment papers are filled out on the candidate and signed by a majority of district board members Appointment papers are sent by the CD to the CSCB headquarters

13. Qualifications The makeup of the conservation district board is critical to its success. The term “diversity” is often used and it means a variety of things to different people. But it is important regarding the makeup of the conservation district board. Without a diverse board, a district may find itself lacking in critical knowledge areas from farming practices to administration procedures. The board must have a good representation of the population and production within the district boundaries as well as business skills.

14. Effective Boards Characteristics of an effective board Have outstanding and qualified board members. A diverse district board will be better able to gain community support for local conservation efforts. A board’s diversity should reflect the community. A board is only as effective as the members who make up the board. Therefore, it is important to examine the characteristics of an effective individual board member.

15. Recruiting Supervisors Things to Consider when Recruiting Think of the conservation district as you would your own business. When you are hiring, you are looking for the most qualified individual. Colorado law requires that 66% of the CD board members are agricultural producers. That leaves room for diversification. Gain community support by including others on the board. They will learn more about conservation and agriculture and carry the message to others in the community. Communities change. A fresh set of eyes can bring new ideas to the board and enrich your district program. It can improve delivery of conservation programs.

16. Recruiting: Things to Consider An important question “What would you want to accomplish as a conservation district board member?” People are motivated in different ways – Political, economic, business, social, community service, accomplishments, heritage, other. Recruitment is matching the personal motivation with opportunities to accomplish. Good district board members have a strong conservation ethic, skills and knowledge in conservation, as well as management skills and leadership abilities. Recruitment of potential board members begins with the identification of the qualities desired. Board members should be selected based on the identified qualities – and not on the criteria of “who’s available that we know”.

17. Three Things ALL Board Members Need 1.To know role and responsibilities 2.To be kept informed 3.To have a meaningful contribution No one wants to attend a meeting once a month and feel like it’s a waste of time. Everyone is involved because they feel like they are accomplishing something.

18. Diversification Different types of agricultural producers – (Note: 66% of the board must be ag producers who are landowners CRS 35-70-107(1)(a)(II)). Irrigated, dry land, rangeland Wheat, corn, hay, orchard, vegetables, various livestock, etc. Non producers – (Note: 34% of the board are not required to be ag producers) This is a great opportunity to find expertise to provide guidance for the district operations, outreach, fundraising, financial management, legalities, etc. Small acreage owners with occupations/expertise needed for a successful district Landowners with environmental concerns outside of agriculture Representation from various areas As representatives of your constituents, it is important that the district board members reside within the various portions of the district. This allows for easy access to the board members for constituents as well as representation of different geographic and production areas.

19. Diversification Gender, age, and race As an organization representative of the people within the district boundaries, it is valuable for the board makeup to reflect the gender, age, and race makeup of the people within the district. Variety of expertise A successful board is involved in many aspects of the “business”. They not only need expertise in farming, ranching, and natural resources but also the operations of the district including: Strategic Planning, Administration, Financial Management, Fundraising, Marketing/Public Relations, Information Technology, Human Resources, Legal Issues

20. How to Mess Up Your Organization Members join boards of organizations they don’t really care about. We fail to commit and fail to be engaged. The idea still exists that service on a board of directors is an “honorary” position, and it is not – it IS a LOT of work and a serious challenge to lead through effective governance. Members think that showing up for the board meetings is the extent of their obligation. Membership entails more! The rule of thumb for a well-running organization is that a minimum of six hours per month should be spent on board activity (credit Jeff Pryor at Anschutz Family Foundation): 2 hours at board meetings, 2 hours in committee work and 2 hours in outreach (marketing, PR, fundraising, etc.). In reaching this level of commitment, understand when you’re “wearing your board member hat” and when you’re “wearing your volunteer hat”. Additionally, members need to keep in mind that efforts made by committees involve lots of hard work and should not be changed. Let the committees do their jobs! Members don’t prepare to do the job correctly. There is a general tendency to NOT prepare for board meetings (reading materials, etc.) and a lack of understanding the role of governance, which is to establish the proper controls to allow the organization’s work to be done in a cost effective, reasonable manner. Board members don’t always see “the big picture”, which is their role – to protect and promote the mission of the organization. Members don’t do their duty to give, get, AND get off! This means giving personally – financially, expertise, time – getting others to contribute the same and getting off the board when it’s time. Yes, fund raising and term limits are minimal expectations of the job.

21. How to Mess Up Your Organization Members don’t understand budgets and other financial presentations, leaving it to others to make sure funds are in place and are being wisely spent. These same members are shocked when the organization is “in the red” or, worse yet, the victim of on- going misuse or theft of funds. Boards have a strong fiduciary responsibility within nonprofit organizations, and each member needs to have a clear understanding of how monies are being brought in, managed, and spent. Members think that “the bottom line” in an organization is its financial status. In any nonprofit organization, there are two bottom lines: the finances and the mission. All programs and initiatives should be weighed in financial terms, as well as by how they serve the mission. Members fail to speak up, when every indicator says that they should. Members fail to ask questions. Members fail to “rock the boat” as it sinks deep into the ocean. It is the responsibility of each member to ask questions and speak his or her mind, leading to knowledgeable and informed decisions. Members hire, retain and put up with the wrong executive director. We expect too little of this person. We know we’re micro-managing, and it’s because the director isn’t getting the job done. The board needs to set roles that are clearly defined and regularly “check in” to make sure that the board is doing board work, the staff doing staff work.

22. Removing Supervisors The procedure for removal of Supervisors and Officers is usually specified in the local district’s bylaws. Conservation Districts, as special districts, must follow the bylaws procedure to remove any member of the Board by the procedure outlined in Section 32-1-906 and Section 32-1-907 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. “Any officer of the Board may be removed from such office at any time by a majority of all Board members. Any Board member may be removed from any committee or other appointment by majority vote of the Board. If a member of the Board fails to attend three consecutive regular meetings of the Board without the Board having entered upon its minutes an approval for an additional absence or absences; except that such additional absences shall be excused for temporary mental or physical disability or illness, he/she shall be removed from the Board.”

23. KEY POINTS Colorado law requires 66% of the district board members be agricultural producers. Supervisors can serve 2 consecutive terms, if their district is term limited. Conservation districts are political subdivisions of the State of Colorado. DOLA (Department of Local Affairs) provides special district election and technical assistance for elections.