District seeks new members

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
What would a landowner give to have access to funds for conservation on his or her land? What if it’s $9.50 per $100,000 in assessed value? 
According to Manager Lacey Sloan, that is all that’s added to a landowner’s annual property tax bill to opt in to the Weston County Natural Resource District. 
“To me, that is pretty small to be put into a district and for what you could get back,” Sloan said. 
The upside to incorporating into the district, Sloan said, is the money available for development and conservation on the land. 
“On the water and range improvement grant, you can get up to $5,000. That is a huge turnaround for what you are putting into the district,” Sloan said. “It allows us to help landowners with management plans, any sort of conservation practice and overall improvement of operations.”
Last year alone, the district brought in roughly $300,000 in grant monies to help landowners. 
“We have helped with forestry health management and improving timber stands. We help with grazing areas. We were able to treat 530 acres for 22 different landowners,” Sloan said. “We also did three large water projects incorporating 23,310 acres.” 
She noted that the district was able to get roughly $134,000 for those projects.
According to Sloan, Weston County is the only county in the state to not have the entire county within the district. She said that in 1961 when the Beaver Skull Soil and Water Conservation District was created, landowners were able to opt in to the district. This resulted in a patchwork of lands within the county being in the district and others not, she said. 
“All other natural resource districts in the state cover the entire county; that is how they did it,” Sloan said. “Weston County is the only one that is patchworked.” 
Parcels of land not originally included in the district can opt to join the district at any time and begin being assessed. 
“Even now, they can opt in. Right now, I am chipping through the list of people outside of the district and have sent out something like 40 letters to people,” Sloan said. 
She said she hopes to garner interest among nonmember landowners to join the district. 
“It really entails more work on my end than on the landowners,” Sloan said. “All they have to do is bring in a description of the land and say they want to be in, then sign and date. We need the assessor copy of the legal description of the place.” 
Once that is done, a map of the landowner’s property is produced and sent to the Wyoming Department of Revenue so the land can be assessed for the tax. 
“Starting now, the process won’t be finalized until this time next year. That gives people enough of a window to get the paperwork in,” Sloan said. “A lot of the landowners not in the district are absentee landowners and involving them in the district would not only help improve the land of the absentee landowners but make them more engaged in the community and what is going on.”
Sloan hopes to add several landowners to the district with one submission. 
“Even if we are only adding one, it is going to be work. I will get more bang for my buck if there are more landowners opting in,” Sloan said. “That is my goal.”