At its April 22nd member meeting, the Source Water Collaborative (SWC) expanded its membership to 25 organizations by welcoming Smart Growth America and the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD).
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) is the nonprofit organization that represents America’s 3,000 conservation districts and those who serve on their governing boards. Conservation districts are local units of government established under state law to carry out natural resource management programs at the local level. Districts work with millions of cooperating landowners and operators to help them manage and protect land and water resources on all private lands and many public lands in the United States.
“If we truly want to have a long-term impact on the quality of our water resources nationwide, it is critical that we build strong, diverse partnerships at local, state and federal levels,” said NACD CEO John Larson. “This is why we’re so pleased to be joining efforts with the Source Water Collaborative. We recognize that being part of a larger group that advocates and works to achieve the same overall outcomes is essential in these fiscally challenging times, and we look forward to a strong and productive partnership in the years ahead as we focus together on addressing commonsense and meaningful actions to improve water quality across the landscape.”
Since 2001, Smart Growth America has worked in coalitions to make the case for the environmental, social, and economic benefits of smart growth. Smart growth is very simply defined as rural, urban and suburban places with transportation and housing choices near jobs, shops and schools. The strategies communities use to create these places are ideal tools for identifying and protecting environmentally sensitive areas while promoting healthy economic growth.
“We are working with local governments across the country that are re-examining the real costs and benefits of development. They are motivated to reduce costs and protect their assets, but they still need tools and support. We are eager to ‘jump in,’ so to speak, and work with the Source Water Collaborative to make the case for source protection and to more widely distribute all of our organization’s great resources,” said Geoff Anderson, president of Smart Growth America.
The SWC was originally formed in 2006 with the goal to combine the strengths and tools of a diverse set of member organizations to act now and protect drinking water sources for generations to come. More information about the SWC’s members and resources is available on the SWC website at www.sourcewatercollaborative.org