Conservation District endeavors to good work

As executive director of the Marin Resource Conservation District, I would like to address a recently published article (“Marin conservation panelists accused of `self-dealing' farm projects,” March 6).

We all share the responsibility to conserve, enhance and restore our environment and we should be encouraging each other to do so.

The district was formed to secure government and private grant funding for the benefit of all Marin County residents by working on private lands to improve biodiversity, water quality, soil carbon sequestration, climate and wildlife.

The district taps into funding that is specifically earmarked for environmental restoration projects on agricultural land from government and private sources. We use outside advisory committees to rank and recommend projects that offer the greatest benefit to the environment. If any such environmental project is recommended on a board member's property, they do not participate in the review, ranking or voting to approve that project.

Accountability is shared. Dams that were put in to provide drinking water for the good of all leave downstream property owners with less water, degraded stream conditions and a greater responsibility to restore remaining habitats for endangered species. Old ways of land stewardship are learned from and corrected.

The district has done good work to address such problems. Over 20 miles of stream have been restored on ranches through the years with increasing numbers of salmon. Water quality trends in Tomales Bay show dramatic improvement since our work began.

It is disappointing to learn of this attempt to disparage the good work of a volunteer board of directors that has more to gain by not volunteering their lands for such projects and not serving in this capacity to improve our environment.

The public is always welcome to participate in our meetings. Learn more at MarinRCD.org.

— Nancy Scolari,

San Francisco