The Jefferson Conservation District is a local unit of state government, one of 76 conservation districts in Colorado, that works to provide a local voice on natural resource issues, and works collaboratively with private landowners, residential communities, and local, state and federal government entities to protect the natural resources of Jefferson, Gilpin, and Clear Creek Counties of Colorado’s Front Range.
What is a Conservation District?
Conservation districts grew out of the Dust Bowl of the Great Depression. Originally called “Soil Conservation Districts,” they were formed to bring landowners together to protect against widespread soil erosion. Since then their mission has evolved to include conservation of all natural resources, such as water, land, air, vegetation, and wildlife.
What does JCD do?
JCD, like most conservation districts in Colorado, works alongside local, state and federal partners to conserve natural resources within district boundaries. Within our district, a few concerns dominate:
Wildfire Mitigation
The Front Range is subjected to wildfires every summer from roughly April through November. Each summer brings the renewed threat that a wildfire will damage public and private property, wreak havoc on air quality, or even cause injury or loss of life. As more people choose to move into the “Wildland-Urban Interface,” the area populated by humans but not fully urbanized, the risks to property and safety become greater. JCD works with local landowners and agencies to reduce these risks with a selection of fuels treatment projects.
Forest Health
The majority of the land within the District’s boundaries is forested with a variety of common tree species. Human impacts such as timber production and wildfire suppression over the last 150 years have frequently left stands of uniformly-aged, uniformly-sized trees of a single species. These stands lack diversity and can be highly susceptible to insects and disease, and can behave quite strongly during a wildfire. JCD works with private landowners to encourage a healthy, resilient forest with a variety of forest management methods.
Source-Water Protection
Over half of the drinking water supply for Denver and surrounding communities comes from streams and snowpack within our District boundaries. JCD works collaboratively with water providers, landowners and local communities to meet water quality standards and to conserve water.
Urban Agriculture
JCD was a partner in introducing EBT cards (“food stamps”) to Jefferson County farmers’ markets, allowing recipients of public assistance to purchase locally-grown nutritious vegetables. This helps keep money in the community and promotes a healthy lifestyle. JCD has also collaborated on projects designed to promote trading of surplus vegetables and to bring water-conserving plant varieties into urban gardens.
Noxious Weeds
Noxious weeds are ever-present on the Front Range and represent a threat to biodiversity and natural ecosystem stability. They are often water-hungry and spread quickly onto lands where they were never planted. JCD provides educational materials to landowners and communities, and sells a native grass seed mix designed specifically for the conditions on the Front Range.
Where does JCD work?
Our district contains Jefferson, Clear Creek, and Gilpin counties. We are authorized to work with private landowners in any unincorporated area of the District, and can provide educational materials to anyone, anytime.
JCD is housed, by a long-standing agreement, within the Denver Metro offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Our office is currently located in Building 56 of the Denver Federal Center, off of the 6th Avenue Freeway in Lakewood.
Our mailing address is:
Jefferson Conservation District
DFC, Bldg 56, Room 2604
PO Box 25426
Denver, CO 80225-0426
Phone: 720-544-2870
