Our Mission:

The Soil & Water Conservation Society (SWCS) is an international, nonprofit, multidisciplinary organization for anyone interested in natural resource management and conservation. Its mission is to advocate the protection, enhancement, and wise use of soil, water, and related natural resources to achieve sustainability.

Our members represent corporations, universities, consulting firms, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and special interest groups - a diversity that promotes balance and credibility.
 

Our Vision:

The SWCS members are dedicated, informed, and effective conservation leaders. Soil and Water Conservation Society publications and education programs enhance knowledge by generating and sharing information about natural resources. The multi-disciplinary membership blends science and art to create and convey vital conservation information to others.

The SWCS is a sought-after source of knowledge and objective information by researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and analysts. Our international, national, and local models of interdisciplinary examination and action identify new and effective answers to complex conservation issues. The Society anticipates emerging policy issues and is prepared to meet the changing needs of members. Milestones in conservation policy and practice reflect SWCS' continuing contribution and leadership as an advocate for soil and water conservation.

Key Milestones

Inland Empire Chapter
SWCS Fall Meeting

The Story of the Ice Age Floods

October 23, 2009

Cheney Branch - Spokane County Library
610 First Street, Cheney WA
 

 8:30   Registration
 9:00   IE Chapter Business Meeting
10:00  Story of the Ice Ages Floods - Dr. John Buchanan
11:00  Lunch
12:00  Spokane County Geology Tour

Consider attending our Fall meeting and bring a friend and/or colleague. Find out what the Soil and Water Conservation Society and the Inland Empire Chapter can offer - both technically and to build your professional network!

More information can be found in our Inland Empire Chapter fall newsletter.
 

2010 SWCS Annual Conference

Call for Presentations and Symposia

All conservation professionals are encouraged to submit abstracts for oral and poster presentations as well as symposia descriptions for the 2010 Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Conference to be held July 18-21 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Abstracts must be received by December 17, 2009.

The conference includes workshops, concurrent sessions, symposia, posters, plenary sessions, and technical tours designed to raise the awareness of conference participants to recent developments in the science and art of natural resource conservation and environmental management on working land — the largely privately- owned land comprising working farms, ranches, forests, and rural and urban communities.

Special Emphasis for 2010
Each year SWCS identifies topics or a theme for special attention at the annual conference. The emphasis will apply to ALL of the general topic areas for the conference and we encourage you to tailor your presentation to include the conference theme. This year the overarching theme of the conference is:

Ecosystem Services:
Applications for Conservation Science, Policy, and Practice Ecosystem services, simply put, are the benefits that society receives from soil, water, air, organisms, and the processes that govern their interactions. Nourishing food and clean water in sufficient quantities are two examples of human needs that would not be met without ecosystem services such as soil formation, nutrient cycling, and regulating the earth's climate. Other services include meeting the recreational, aesthetic, and cultural amenities that are essential for human well being.

The concept of ecosystem services is not new, but is gaining momentum as we seek to prioritize, measure, and communicate the value of conservation impacts in agricultural and urban settings. Abstracts for oral presentations, posters, and symposia should address the role of ecosystem services concepts in the technical, outreach and education, and public policy aspects of conservation.

For more information and submittal instructions.